Space Policy Institute

Welcome to SPI

The George Washington University Elliott School of International Affairs is a world leader in research, graduate study, and informed discussion related to issues of science, technology, and public policy. The Space Policy Institute celebrated its 30th anniversary in 2017. The Institute conducts research, offers graduate courses and organizes seminars, symposia, and conferences on topics related to domestic and international space policy. SPI is associated with the International Science and Technology Policy academic program, which leads to a Master of Arts degree at the Elliott School. The Institute operates within the Elliott School, but does so with support from The George Washington University as a whole, in addition to funding from a number of individual, corporate, foundation, and government sources. The Institute is directed by Dr. Scott Pace.

Update on New Book from SPI Non Resident Scholar Kimitake Nakamura

“Norm Formation in Space Law” is the newest book from Space Policy Institute Non-Resident Scholar Kimitake Nakamura. He now has the English version published. Additional information is available on the publisher’s website. For the Japanese version, please...

SPI Professor Aaron Bateman Receives 2024 Space History Book Prize

SPI Professor Aaron Bateman received the 2024 Space History Book Prize from the Air Force Historical Foundation for his book Weapons in Space: Technology, Politics, and the Rise and Fall of the Strategic Defense Initiative (MIT Press, 2024). You can see the...

SPI Professor Aaron Bateman Receives Smith Richardson Foundation Grant

The Smith Richardson Foundation has awarded Professor Aaron Bateman a grant in support of his current book project entitled Preparing for World War III: Information Networks and American Power in the Nuclear...

SPI Professor Aaron Bateman Published in The International History Review

Professor Aaron Bateman has a new article, “Hunting the Red Bear: Satellite Reconnaissance and the ‘Second Offset Strategy’ in the Late Cold War,” published in The International History Review. He uses recently declassified documents to uncover...

SPI Professor Pascale Ehrenfreund Co-Authors Paper on SSA and Information Sharing Principles

SPI Professor Pascale Ehrenfreund co-authored a briefing paper on the topic of “Space Situational Awareness and Information Sharing Principles.” This paper was the product of the Global Future Council on the Future of Space, part of the World Economic...

SPI Professor Pascale Ehrenfreund Presides 45th COSPAR Scientific Assembly in Busan

COSPAR 2024: Team Spirit in Space Research In her role as President of the Committee on Space Research, Prof. Pascale Ehrenfreund attended the 45 th COSPAR Scientific Assembly in Busan, Korea, held from 13 to 21 July. This prestigious event brought together more than...