Category: News

Three SPI students & alumni were selected for Payload‘s inaugural Payload Pioneers list, which recognizes 30 rising stars in the space community under 30 years old.

Stephanie DelPozzo, an associate at Nextfed specializing in aerospace and defense, has merged her passions for policy and space by acting as a bridge between the scientific, policy, and finance sectors of the space community. Having closed over 40 M&A deals in two years, she also advocates for mental health and sober inclusivity within the DC space community.

Josh Ingersoll, senior manager of regulatory affairs at Astranis, seamlessly juggles between business, engineering, and policy while aiding in global telecommunications endeavors. Beyond this multifaceted role, he provides mentorship and promotes inclusivity in the space industry, emphasizing the value of diverse perspectives.

Shiv Patel champions innovative space tech as the government affairs lead at SpinLaunch, pushing for a shift from traditional rocket methods. Beyond his role, Patel actively contributes to space policy discussions, emphasizes the importance of diversity in the industry, and mentors students about careers in the DC space community.

SPI congratulates Stephanie, Josh, and Shiv for this recognition, and is thrilled to see SPI well-represented as 10% of the awardees.

SPI Director Dr. Scott Pace spoke at a reception honoring the 50th anniversary of the Global Positioning System with Dr. Brad Parkinson, Chief Architect for GPS and Professor Emeritus at Stanford University.

The reception took place at the Belfer Center of Harvard Kennedy School, and was hosted by Moonshot Space PIC, in partnership with NASA and the Belfer Center’s Defense, Emerging Technology, and Strategy Program. It was the inaugural reception of the Moonshot Space PIC, a student organization at Harvard Kennedy School.

SPI faculty Dr. John Klein was interviewed by The Atlantic Council’s Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security about his newest book “The Fight for the Final Frontier: Irregular Warfare in Space.”

The interview is available here on their website or in the adjacent YouTube widget.

SPI Assistant Professor Dr. Aaron Bateman was published in the Journal of Strategic Studies, a peer-reviewed academic journal covering military and diplomatic strategic studies.

His article, “Information security in the space age: Britain’s Skynet satellite communications program and the evolution of modern command and control networks,” utilizes recently declassified documents to reframe the history of British space activities.

He shows how U.K. space policy during the Cold War was shaped by sovereign control requirements for flexible and secure defense communications, but that in the Space Age, Britain had to reconcile its desire for an autonomous satellite communications network with the reality of vital American assistance.

SPI Professor Dr. Aaron Bateman was selected by the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) for the prestigious History Manuscript Award for the best historical manuscript dealing with the science, technology, and/or impact of aeronautics and astronautics on society.

The annual award provides professional recognition to an author who makes a major and original contribution to the history of aeronautics or astronautics.

The award honors Professors Bateman’s manuscript, “A Space Renaissance: The Strategic Defense Initiative and the Arms Race,” which is also the basis of Professor Bateman’s forthcoming book: Weapons in Space: Technology, Politics, and the Rise and Fall of the Strategic Defense Initiative from MIT Press.

Dr. Bateman’s manuscript was enthusiastically received by the award reviewers, and he will be recognized for the award at the 2024 AIAA Science and Technology Forum (SciTech) in January, 2024, in Orlando, Florida.

SPI congratulates Dr. Bateman on this achievement!

“A comprehensive re-examination of the political and technical history of the Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI), this outstanding work is likely to remain the standard reference for years to come.”

American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA)

SPI faculty Dr. John Klein was interviewed by the T-Minus Space Daily podcast about his newest book “The Fight for the Final Frontier: Irregular Warfare in Space.”

The episode is available here on the T-Minus Space Daily website, or in the adjacent Spotify widget.

A letter written by SPI Director Dr. Scott Pace was featured by Issues in Science and Technology. Dr. Pace’s letter responded to the recently published “Why Space Debris Flies Through Regulatory Gaps“, which discusses the challenges and complexities of regulating space debris, the overlapping authorities of various U.S. agencies, and the evolving efforts to address space debris threats as commercial space activities grow.

Titled “Let The White House Authorize New Space Activities,” Dr. Pace’s letter praised the authors for shedding light on the complexities of commercial space regulation, and emphasized the importance of regulatory framework given the rising concerns about orbital debris. However, his letter critiques the idea of placing “mission authorization” with the FCC due to its independence from the executive branch, and suggests the Department of Commerce as a more logical oversight body that would allow the White House to retain authority to resolve potential conflicts.

“The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has sought to fill current regulatory lacunae, proposing regulations not only for orbital debris but also for on-orbit satellite, servicing, and assembly. Such regulations may be only thinly related to existing FCC authorities and clearly go beyond the powers explicitly authorized by Congress.”

Dr. Scott Pace

Recent SPI graduates Zeke Clayson, Shiv Patel, and Frank Spellman were interviewed by the T-Minus Space Daily podcast for their capstone project “Space Mission Authorization: Enabling the Final Frontier.”

The podcast is available on the T-Minus Space Daily website, in the adjacent Spotify widget, and can be read in full at War On the Rocks mentioned in a previous post.