Dr. John J. Klein, adjunct SPI professor, co-authored an article titled “Some Lessons on Spacepower from Colin Gray.” The article was published by the Naval War College Review and can be accessed here.
Author: Space Policy Institute
SPI-IISTP Event “Shaping S&T Policy” Featured in GWToday
SPI-IISTP Event “Shaping S&T Policy” Featured in GWToday:
International Collaboration, Private Partnerships Key to Future of Space Exploration
Elliott School faculty and space policy experts Scott Pace and Pascale Ehrenfreund discussed the need to foster sustainable space initiatives.
By Kristen Mitchell
American space policy initiatives should be grounded in fundamental values such as rule of law, democracy, human rights and free enterprise in order to build and support sustainable policies, said Scott Pace, George Washington University Elliott School of International Affairs professor and former executive secretary of the White House’s National Space Council.
“It’s not enough to be aligned with a particular administration or particular congress,” he said. “It requires an alignment with enduring national interests that can have bipartisan support.”
Dr. Pace, director of the Space Policy Institute, participated in a Wednesday webinar focused on space policy, alongside research professor Pascale Ehrenfreund, president of the International Astronautical Federation and former chair of the executive board of the German Aerospace Center. Both space policy experts spoke to the university community about the importance of international collaboration and public-private partnerships in science and exploration during some of their first public remarks since leaving government service.
The event was sponsored by the Elliott School’s Institute for International Science and Technology Policy and the Space Policy Institute.
Dr. Pace, who joined the National Space Council in 2017, identified two major accomplishments in space policy during the last administration. The first was a 2017 directive for a U.S.-led collaboration with private-sector and international partners to send astronauts to the moon for the first time since 1972— an important step for continued human exploration of the solar system. The second was a 2018 directive that sought to reduce the threat of orbital debris and establish the United States as an international leader in space traffic management.
The realm of space policy has changed over the past several decades, Dr. Pace said. The space environment is more globalized and more democratized with more states, private sector and non-state actors involved. Commercial and international partners are “quite integral” to U.S. national interests, he said.
“Leadership today is not about what we do by ourselves, but what can we do that gets other people to want to come with us in shaping the environment,” he said.
Dr. Ehrenfreund highlighted important scientific and space policy collaborations in Europe, particularly those that monitor the Earth’s changing climate. Europe should be doing more to support and fund young entrepreneurs interested in space technology, she said.
“Europe is very risk averse,” she said. “It is important to foster partnership between commercial and institutional partners, as well as non-space actors. You have to have really good innovation ecosystems in order to foster entrepreneurship.”
Alyssa Ayres, recently appointed dean of the Elliott School, applauded the “deeply specific and relevant conversation” of this event. It is critically important to emphasize and highlight how important science and technology issues are in the broader landscape of international affairs, she said.
“S&T policies that enhance innovation are important for U.S. leadership and the well-being of our economy,” she said. “To meet the urgency of today’s threats…it is just absolutely vital that we have international affairs practitioners with the needed backgrounds in science and technology.”
“Countering Threats in Space Through International Cooperation”
Recent SPI graduate Gentoku Toyoma wrote the article “Countering Threats in Space Through International Cooperation“, which was published in Space Policy, Volume 55, February 2021.
Abstract:
The U.S. military’s dependence on inherently vulnerable space assets creates an incentive for its adversaries to target U.S. space systems. Establishing mission assurance through resilience and reconstitution is a critical challenge for the United States. One of the U.S. approaches to strengthening resilience and reconstituting space systems is to engage in international cooperation with its allies. Such cooperation can effectively improve three elements of resilience: disaggregation, distribution, and diversification. International joint development of satellites with allies would also improve the reconstitution of U.S. space systems, which involves rebuilding these systems after damage by adversaries. These efforts could benefit both the United States and its allies through imposing quantitative and political costs on adversaries for attacking U.S. space systems. Several issues prevent close cooperation. Considering these benefits and obstacles, establishing space systems, especially an SSA(Space Situational Awareness) satellite constellation, with allies could be an effective undertaking for the United States. The United States has an advantage compared with its adversaries as it possesses a number of strong allies and partners; thus, the United States should maximize this advantage to improve the resilience and reconstitution of space systems.
SHAPING S&T POLICY: US & INTERNATIONAL PERSPECTIVES
The Space Policy Institute and Institute for International Science and Technology Policy are pleased to present a new webinar:
SHAPING S&T POLICY: US & INTERNATIONAL PERSPECTIVES
Featuring Professors Scott Pace and Pascale Ehrenfreund and moderated by Professor Sharon Squassoni
Wednesday, February 10, 2021 | 11am EST – 12:30pm EST | Online via Zoom
The Elliott School of International Affairs welcomes back Prof. Scott Pace and Prof. Pascale Ehrenfreund after their extended leaves of absence for government service. As Executive Secretary of the National Space Council at the White House, Dr. Pace was involved in defining and shaping national space policy, programs and budgets. Dr. Ehrenfreund served as Chair of the Executive Board of the German Aerospace Center (DLR) between 2015-2020 and is currently the President of the International Astronautical Federation (IAF). Please join us to hear Scott and Pascale share their experiences and lessons about the development of the space sector in the United States and Europe respectively, and the potential implications for international cooperation and public-private partnerships in science and exploration.
You can find the webinar recording on the YouTube channel of the Elliott School of International Affairs here.
Romanian Space: The role of medium-size nations in the 21st century space, Webinar in collaboration with SGAC
This webinar brought together leaders of the Romanian space sector for a discussion with young space students and professionals.
We discussed the role of Romania, as a medium nation in the 21st century space landscape.
This four speaker panel discussion was organized in partnership with the Space Generation Advisory Council (SGAC).
The event was on the record and open to the general public.
You can find the audio file of our webinar below:
Audio: Romanian Space Webinar
Career paths and possibilities in science and technology policy
Interested in Careers in Science and Technology?
Then don’t miss this video where IISTP and ISTP Director Nicholas Vonortas discusses career paths and possibilities for current and future graduate students and young professionals.
Legal Issues Stemming from Active Removal of Space Debris
Visiting scholar Kimitake Nakamura was published in “Chiiki Kenkyu toshiteno Asia gaku” [Asian Studies as part of Regional Studies], Waseda University (ed.), DTP Publishing (Tokyo, Japan)(2020). His research paper “Legal Issues Stemming from Active Removal of Space Debris” explores the legal implications of active debris removal operations.
Dr. John Logsdon Cited by The Atlantic
Dr. Logsdon was cited in The Atlantic news article titled “Can We Still Go to Mars?”.
Dr. John Logsdon Cited by Nature
Dr. Logsdon was cited in the Nature article titled “What a Joe Biden presidency would mean for five key science issues”.
Event on Orbital Debris Mitigation
Forum on Air & Space Law: Orbital Debris Mitigation: The View From Different Perspectives on Law & Policy |
Thursday, September 24, 2020 1:00 pm (ET) – 60Minutes (Non-CLE Panel)Our panelists will discuss a brief history of orbital debris policy, current national laws and implementation, international coordination and technology developments, as well as views on this important topic from the commercial satellite industry and satellite insurance industry.Moderator: Dr. Henry Hertzfeld, Director of the Space Policy Institute & Research Professor of Space Policy & International Affairs, Elliott School of International Affairs, George Washington University Panelists: To register, please RSVP to: david.israel@americanbar. If you have any questions, please send them to Alexis Sainz (asainz@milbank.com), Co-Chair for the American Bar Association’s Committee on Space Law, under the Forum on Air & Space Law. |