Event – Page 2 – Space Policy Institute

Our Fragile Space: Protecting the Near-Space Environment

September 23, 2023December 8, 2023Event

On September 12, 2023, the Space Policy Institute brought to the Elliott School of International Affairs the revered “Our Fragile Space” exhibition, by photographer and creative strategist Max Alexander.

The innaugural event of the exhibition included an introduction from award winning journalist and author Dr. Stuart Clark, followed by esteemed speakers Krystal Azelton, Director of Space Applications Programs at Secure World Foundation, and Dr. Scott Pace, Director of the Space Policy Institute.

Study of the U.S. Institute (SUSI) on U.S. Foreign Policy Visits Space Policy Institute

July 25, 2023July 25, 2023Event, News

Study of the U.S. Institute (SUSI) on U.S. Foreign Policy group gathered below Elliott School of International Affairs sign.

On July 24, the 2023 cohort of the Study of the U.S. Institute (SUSI) on U.S. Foreign Policy visited the Space Policy Institute at the Elliott School of International Affairs. A diverse and inclusive group of 16 scholars from 16 different nationalities (Bangladesh; Cameroon; Chile; China; Egypt; Georgia; Hungary; India; Kazakhstan; Malaysia; North Macedonia; Panama; Papua New Guinea; Peru; Poland/UAE; and, Turkey) was welcome for a lecture on “U.S. Foreign Policy and Outer Space” by Dr Bruno Reynaud de Sousa, Fulbright Visiting Scholar at the Space Policy Institute. Dr. de Sousa is also an alumnus of the SUSI exchange program on U.S. Foreign Policy (academic year 2020/2021).

This year is the first time space policy has been a highlight of the program. This particular U.S. Institute is hosted by the University of Delaware and coordinated by the Department of Political Science & International Relations at the Joseph R. Biden, Jr. School of Public Policy & Administration. The program studies the formulation and implementation of contemporary U.S. foreign policy, including key players such as government branches, media, NGOs, and multilateral institutions. Topics covered include American sovereignty, globalism, foreign aid, trade policies, immigration, border safety, and cybersecurity.

U.S. Embassies manage the nomination of candidates and organize participants’ visa interviews and international travel to the United States. In some countries, candidates may also be selected by a binational Fulbright Commission. SUSIs are part of the U.S. Department of State Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs exchange programs aimed at improving teaching about the United States. Scholars from all over the world attend a six-week program that includes academic coursework, panel discussions, and educational tours in different regions of the U.S. (Source: https://exchanges.state.gov/non-us/program/study-us-institutes-scholars)

SPI Visiting Scholar Bruno Reynaud de Sousa gives lecture to Study of the U.S. Institute (SUSI) on U.S. Foreign Policy group.

Public-Private Synergy in the Space Sector: Risks and Rewards

May 9, 2023August 16, 2023Event

Public-Private Synergy in the Space Sector: Risks and Rewards

June 29, 2023 | 10:00AM-1:30PM

Event Recordings are available below:
Part 1
Part 2

Elliott School of International Affairs | Lindner Commons (Room 602, 6th Floor)

This will be a hybrid event. Please register for more information on how to access the event in-person or online.

Sponsored by the Space Policy Institute and Aerospace’s Center for Space Policy and Strategy

Schedule

10:00 Welcome: Scott Pace, Space Policy Institute

10:10 Keynote: Jim Bridenstine, former NASA Administrator

10:30 Panel 1: Learning from past public private collaboration efforts – successes and failures.

• Henry Hertzfeld, Space Policy Institute – moderator

• Patricia Cooper, President & Founder Constellation Advisory, LLC

• Brian D. Wessel, Attorney-Advisor, NASA Office of the General Counsel

• Moon Kim, NASA HQ – Agency Investment Analysis

• Diane Howard, UT Austin, School of Law Visiting Professor/Strauss Center for International Security and Law Non-resident Scholar

11:30 Lunch provided (40 mins)

12:10 Panel 2: Future: strategies for public private collaboration – navigating uncertainty and risk.

• Karen Jones, The Center for Space Policy and Strategy – moderator

• Tom Gillespie, Managing Partner, In-Q-Tel

• Chris Kunstadter, Global Head of Space, Axa – XL

• Jen Ross, Executive Consultant to SSC COMSO

• Kevin Pomfret, Attorney at Williams Mullen

1:10 Wrap Up: Jamie Morin, Executive Director, Center for Space Policy and Strategy

1:25 End

This will be a hybrid event; it’s open to the public and media and it will be recorded. Guests are welcome to join us in-person at 1957 E ST NW or online via Zoom. Please register for more information on accessing the event.

Science and Technology Diplomacy in the Context of the United States’ New Techno-Industrial Strategy

May 9, 2023June 1, 2023Event

Image of a globe surrounded by a network

Science and Technology Diplomacy in the Context of the United States’ New Techno-Industrial Strategy

May 31, 2023 | 10:00AM-12:00PM EDT

This discussion is the second event in the GW Seminar Series on Science Diplomacy.

The event recording is now available.

About the Event

12:00PM: Welcome Remarks, Profess Aaron Bateman, Space Policy Institute, George Washington University

12:05PM: Keynote Speech, Seth Center, Deputy Special Envoy for Critical and Emerging Technology, US Department of State

12:30PM: Panel Discussion

Jason Donovan, OES/STC Director, US Department of State
Florent Bernard, Science Counselor, EU Delegation in Washington, DC
Koji Aribayashi, S&T Counselor, Embassy of Japan in Washington, DC
Kim Montgomery, Director of International Affairs and Science Diplomacy, AAAS
Moderated by Scott Pace, Director Institute for International Science and Technology Policy and Space Policy Institute, George Washington University

This hybrid event is open to the media and the public and it will be recorded. Feel free to join us in-person at the Elliott School of International Affairs or online via Zoom.

Light breakfast will be provided.

Space Security in an Era of Rising Competition

May 1, 2023May 1, 2023Event

Space Security in an Era of Rising Competition

Wednesday, May 3, 2023 | 6:30pm to 8pm

Elliott School of International Affairs | Lindner Commons

Please register to attend.

This event is sponsored by the Delta Phi Epsilon Professional Foreign Service Fraternity with the support of the Space Policy Institute.

The 21st century has seen the rapid growth of space technology and space-based actors, with more countries and commercial companies launching satellites and exploring the cosmos. However, this growth has brought new security challenges. Emerging space security threats – such as orbital debris, anti-satellite weapon testing, and cyberattacks – along with growing competition between the United States and China, are becoming increasingly prevalent.

To discuss these challenges and provide their thoughts on the future of space security, the Delta Phi Epsilon Foreign Service Fraternity, along with our co-sponsors, the Space Policy Institute of the Elliott School and the Onero Institute, is proud to present a panel of subject matter experts including the esteemed Ms. Kari Bingen (Director of the Aerospace Security Project at CSIS), Professor Aaron Bateman (Space Policy Institute at the Elliott School), and Dr. Brian Weeden (Director of Program Planning at Secure World Foundation).

Opening remarks for the event will be provided by Professor John Klein (Senior Fellow at Falcon Research), and the panel will be moderated by DPE President Yash Bajaj. It will take place on Wednesday, May 3rd at 6:30 pm ET in the Lindner Family Commons (Room 602) of the Elliott School.

SPI Non-Resident Scholar Deganit Paikowsky Featured at Prague Security Studies Institute Event

April 27, 2023April 27, 2023Event, Uncategorized

The Prague Security Studies Institute invites you to a public guest lecture with Dr. Deganit Paikowsky, faculty at the Department of International Relations, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, and a Non-Resident Scholar at the Space Policy Institute of the Elliott School for Foreign Affairs, George Washington University, who will deliver an online guest lecture entitled “The New Space Race and Models of Space Competition” on Tuesday, May 16, 2023, at 5:00 PM Prague time (Central European time).

Dr. Paikowsky will argue that the future space race will be won not only by those whose technological advancements are superior but by those whose economic, legal, social, and political institutions are most innovative, attractive, and favored to other spacefaring nations and entities. In this respect, the United States has an early lead over China and Russia, but it has a long way to go in winning this contest.

Please confirm your registration here, by May 15, 2023.

More information is available here.

Japanese Space Policy in Transition with Motoko Mizuno, Japanese Diet Member

April 20, 2023May 9, 2023Event, Uncategorized

Japanese Space Policy in Transition with Motoko Mizuno, Japanese Diet Member

May 5, 2023 | 3-4:30PM

Elliott School of International Affairs | Room 505

The event recording is now available.

SPI is pleased to present a discussion of Japanese space policy with Motoko Mizuno, Japanese Diet member and longtime JAXA official.

Ms. Mizuno was recently elected to the House of Councillors, part of the upper house of the Japanese Diet. She is a member of the Constitutional Democratic Party, which is the largest opposition party in the Diet. Prior to her election, she was a long-time member of the Japanese space agency, JAXA, and a lecturer at the University of Tokyo. She has a strong background in international space cooperation and space law. Her remarks will cover current Japanese space policy and activities, and challenges for JAXA as Japan increases the range and scope of its space activities.

This hybrid event is open to the public and media and it will be recorded. Guest are welcome to join us in-person at the Elliott School of International Affairs or online via Zoom. Please register for more information on how to access the event. Online attendance will be limited; please register early to ensure your spot.

Light snacks will be provided.

Space Exploration Investments

April 5, 2023April 5, 2023Event, Uncategorized

Space Exploration Investments

Turning Uncertainty into Measurable Risk and Benefits

February 9, 2023 | 9:30AM

Elliott School of International Affairs | Lindner Commons (6th Floor)

This workshop will focus on ways to evaluate and measure the risks associated with investments in space exploration ventures and on the need to better define viable and affordable options for investors to seize uncertainties. The basic question of whether investments in space exploration activities are “unique” and distinct from more traditional ones needs to be fully addressed and understood to identify the right tools to translate associated uncertainties into measurable risks and create a favorable environment to stimulate investments.

Relevant questions for this workshop to explore are:

• What uncertainties are commonly related to investments and specifically what are the additional uncertainties that are inherent to investments in space activities?

• How are these space investment uncertainties currently addressed by investors and how are they translated into measurable risks? Do different types of) space activities require dedicated analytical techniques, or do they call for only minor adaptations to standard practices of investment analysis?

• Have other analogous non-space industries encountered similar questions of uncertainties and how have they dealt with them? How have those uncertainties been translated into measurable risks?

• What lessons might be learned from other industries’ experiences?

AGENDA

09:30-10:00 Introduction and Keynote

Greetings:

• Henry Hertzfeld – Research Professor of Space Policy and International Affairs, George Washington University Space Policy Institute

• Ian Christensen – Director of Private Sector Programs, Secure World Foundation

• Simonetta Di Pippo – Professor of Practice of Space Economy and Director of the Space Economy Evolution (SEE) Lab, SDA Bocconi School of Management

Keynote:

• Scott Pace – Director, George Washington University Space Policy Institute

10:00-11:30 Panel 1: Space exploration investing uncertainties

This panel will provide an overview of the highest priority of uncertainties that private investors interested in space and space exploration activities face and that can be translated into measurable risks. Are they considered as a subset of standard business investment uncertainties or distinguished as unique to space investments?

Moderator:

• Henry Hertzfeld – Research Professor of Space Policy and International Affairs, George Washington University Space Policy Institute

Speakers:

• Nick Vonortas – Professor of Economics and International Affairs, George Washington University

• Kevin O’Connell – Founder, Space Economy Rising

• Micah Walter-Range – Managing Director, Community in Space, LLC

• Alexis Sainz – Partner, Hogan Lovells

11:00-11:30: Coffee Break

11:45-12:45 Panel 2: Experiences from space exploration investments

This panel will describe how investors actually deal with measurable and unmeasurable uncertainties and explore the existing gaps that should be filled to unlock space investments’ full potential and make the industry’s attractiveness last in the long term. Speakers will describe actual investment issues and decisions based on case studies.

Moderator:

• Simonetta Di Pippo – Professor of Practice of Space Economy and Director of the Space Economy Evolution (SEE) Lab, SDA Bocconi School of Management

Speakers:

• Chris Kunstadter – Global Head of Space, AXA XL

• Tejpaul Bhatia – Chief Revenue Office, Axiom Space

• Chris Blackerby – Chief Operating Officer, Astroscale

• Pierpaolo Monti – Country Manager USA & Americas, Intesa Sanpaolo

12:45-1:45 Lunch

1:30-2:30 Panel 3: Experiences from non-space industries

Have other analogous high-tech non-space industries encountered similar questions of risk and uncertainties and how have they dealt with them? How have uncertainties been translated into measurable risks? This panel will verify whether experiences from other industries can inspire solutions for translating uncertainties into measurable risks in the space sector.

Moderator:

• Ian Christensen – Director of Private Sector Programs, Secure World Foundation

Speakers:

• Adriana Pierelli – Managing Director, BNY Mellon

• Alex Chunet – ESA representative to the World Bank – Earth Observation Specialist, European Space Agency

• Matteo DI Castelnuovo – Associate Professor of Practice, SDA Bocconi School of Management

2:30-3:30: Breakout Sessions (with coffee)

Drawing from the discussions in the earlier panels can we identify ways towards turning that uncertainty into describable risk that be measured and tracked to help define viable and affordable options for both policymakers and investors.

Moderators:

• Mattia Pianorsi, Researcher at the Space Economy Evolution (SEE) Lab, SDA Bocconi School of Management

• Clelia Iacomino, Researcher at the Space Economy Evolution (SEE) Lab, SDA Bocconi School of Management

3:30-4:30: Panel 4: Summary of Breakout Sessions emphasizing conclusions from the day’s panels and activities

This panel will include at least one person from each of the breakouts. Drawing from the discussion in the earlier panels, this panel will identify ways towards closing the existing gaps in the space investing framework related to turning identified uncertainties into describable risks, with the aim to help define viable and affordable options for investors. This panel will discuss whether the emerged insights can provide valuable solutions for the space industry and to explore the broader possibilities for future investment arrangements.

The morning panels will be held in-person, with a few panelists participating virtually, and will also be available on-line. The lunch and afternoon sessions will only be in-person. Discussions in the afternoon session will follow Chatham House rules.

Registration is required, whether you attend in-person or via Zoom. The Zoom link to access the discussion will be sent to you after you’ve registered.

University Participation in Cis-Lunar Space

April 5, 2023April 5, 2023Event, Uncategorized

University Participation in Cis-Lunar Space

Cis-Lunar Space: Research for Today, Training for Tomorrow

March 23, 2023 | 1PM

Holiday Inn Washington Capitaol – Nat’l Mall

The event recording is now available.

How Can Evolving Cis-Lunar Capabilities Contribute to Science, Commerce, and Security? This symposium will explore accelerating activity in Cislunar space and what it means for future scientific advances, research opportunities, and the future of the Cislunar ecosystem.

SYMPOSIUM AGENDA

1:00 P.M. Welcome and Introductory Remarks

JEFF ISAACSON, USRA President and CEO
SCOTT PACE, Director, Space Policy Institute, George Washington University

1:10 P.M. Frederick A. Tarantino Memorial Address

ROBERT CABANA, Associate Administrator, NASA

1:45 P.M. Coffee Break

2:00 P.M. Cislunar Technical Challenges and Opportunities

Accelerating activity in Cislunar space necessitates new scientific advances in energy, communications, and logistics. Space is also becoming an arena for technological shows of economic and military force. Panelists will discuss the technical challenges and opportunities in the coming decades.

NANTEL SUZUKI, NASA Human Landing System Program Executive
BADRI YOUNES, NASA Deputy Associate Administrator for Space Communications and Navigation
LINDSAY MILLARD, Principal Director for Space, Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering
EMMA RAINEY, Senior Scientist, Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory

3:15 P.M. Coffee Break

3:45 P.M. Commercial Innovations and Opportunities in Cislunar Space:

Panelists will provide insight for universities preparing for near-term government and commercial research opportunities in cislunar space. With rapidly increasing spaceflight activities in cislunar space, attendees will hear from government and commercial sector leaders about upcoming innovations and potential opportunities for their respective institutions in space research and development.

VINT CERF, Vice President and Chief Internet Evangelist, Google
JUSTIN KASPER, Advanced Technologies, BWX Technologies, Inc.
CURTIS HERNANDEZ, Principal for Space Policy, Amazon Web Services
DAN HENDRICKSON, Vice President of Business Development, Astrobotic

5:00 P.M. Invitation to the Reception

BRIAN GILCHRIST, Chair, USRA Council of Institutions

Registration is required to attend all parts of the event.

This is a “widely-attended gathering” for U.S. government employees. There is no fee for attending, but registration is required. Early registration is encouraged due to limited seating space.

The Strategic Defense Initiative in Retrospect

April 5, 2023May 16, 2023Event, Uncategorized

The Strategic Defense Initiative in Retrospect:

The Past, Present, and Future of Missile Defense

April 28, 2023 | 10AM

Elliott School of International Affairs | City View Room (7th Floor)

On March 23, 1983, US President Ronald Reagan officially announced the Strategic Defense Initiative and a new type of “Star Wars” launched into the national discourse. Forty years later, please join the Space Policy Institute and RAND as they mark this anniversary with an extensive examination of missile defense. Featuring a keynote lecture from Assistant Secretary of State Mallory Stewart, this conference will convene three expert panels to explore the past, present, and future of missile defense.

The event recording is now available.

Also check out the conference notes, with key highlights.

ABOUT THE AGENDA

10:00AM, Welcoming Remarks

Alyssa Ayres, Dean, Elliott School of International Affairs, George Washington University

10:15AM, Keynote Lecture

Mallory Stewart, Assistant Secretary of State, Bureau of Arms Control, Verification, and Compliance (AVC)

11:00AM, Reflections on SDI

Dana Johnson, Director, International Outreach & Policy, Office of the Under Secretary of Defense (Research & Engineering)
Asif Siddiqi, Professor, Fordham University
Anthony Eames, Director of Scholarly Initiatives, Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation
Stanley Orman, Former Minister in British Embassy Washington, Deputy Director of AWRE, Aldermaston, and Director General of UK SDI Participation Organization
Moderated by Professor Aaron Bateman, George Washington University

12:00PM, Lunch

1:00PM, Missile Defense at Present

Laura Grego, Senior Scientist and Research Director, Global Security Program, Union of Concerned Scientists
James Bonomo, Senior Physical Scientist, RAND
Mark Lewis, Executive Director, National Defense Industrial Association
Sanne Verschuren, Marie Curie Postdoctoral Fellow, Center for International Studies, Sciences Po
Moderated by Professor Scott Pace, Director, Space Policy Institute, George Washington University

2:00PM, Coffee Break

2:15PM, The Future of Missile Defense

Jeffrey Lewis, Professor, Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey
Sarah Miniero, Principal, Potomac Advocates
Dean Cheng, Senior Advisor, China Program, United States Institute of Peace
Tom Karako, Senior Fellow, International Security Program and Director, Missile Defense Project, CSIS
Moderated by Professor Aaron Bateman, George Washington University

3:15PM, Closing Remarks

ABOUT ACCESSING THE EVENT

This event will be held in the City View Room on the 7th floor of the Elliott School of International Affairs at 1957 E ST NW, Washington, DC. It will also be broadcast via Zoom. Please register if you’d like to attend the event in-person or via Zoom. Your registration confirmation and ticket will contain the Zoom link you’ll use to join the event.