The DownLink Podcast

Space Money: "For Those Who Can Execute, The Opportunity Is Massive" Jerome Powell, the Federal Reserve Board Chair, said borrowing rates are going to stay right where they are. Most Department of Defense space budgets are shrinking in real terms due to inflation. So what will it take to get venture capitalists to invest in new space tech? Laura Winter speaks with Chad Anderson, Managing Partner at Space Capital, host of “The Space Capital Podcast”, and book author, who says "for those who can execute, the opportunity is massive and they are going to win".

Space Competition: AUKUS Nations - UK and Australia Aim to Plus Up Defense Is it “Old Wine In A New Bottle” or is this push to increase defense spending and investment in developing new capabilities, including space the mark of something new? While the United States has submitted a comparatively humble defense budget, its AUKUS partners, feeling the pressure of China in the Pacific region, seem to be doing the opposite. Laura Winter speaks with Malcolm Davis, a Senior Policy Analyst at the Australian Strategic Policy Institute focusing on space policy, security, strategy, and capability development; and Juliana Suess, a Research Fellow on Space Security, at the Royal United Services Institute, and host of the podcast “War in Space”.

Space Power: “The Biggest Enemy to National Security Are Continuing Resolutions” The latest edition of the “State of The Space Industrial Base Report”, a unique take on space and national security, has just been published jointly by the U.S. Space Force, the Defense Innovation Unit, and the Air Force Research Laboratory. Laura Winter speaks with one of the authors and the editor of the report, Steve “Bucky” Butow, the Defense Innovation Unit’s Director of the Space Portfolio; and Peter Garretson, a senior fellow at the American Foreign Policy Council and co-author of the book “The Next Space Race: A Blueprint for American Primacy”.

Space Power: SECAF Says “Our Cushion Is Gone. We are out of time.” This week U.S. Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall told the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense that China’s space capabilities were essentially on par, or close to it, with the United States, yet confusingly, the Presidential Budget Request for FY’25 prescribes pumping the brakes on Space Force modernization. To get at just what the administration is communicating strategically, Laura Winter speaks with Namrata Goswami, an independent scholar on space policy and great power politics and co-author of the book “Scramble for the Skies”; and Charles Galbreath, a Senior Resident Fellow for Space Studies at the Mitchell Institute’s Spacepower Advantage Center of Excellence.

Space Money: “Get Used To Crazyville”, “Moon Mania”, And A New Defense Strategy Welcome to the start of the space economy’s second financial quarter, or “Crazyville”! Plus there is a new Department of Defense “Commercial Space Integration Strategy”. What does this tin’s label really say? Laura Winter speaks with The DownLink Podcast’s space equity and space economy dynamic duo, Chris Quilty, founder of Quilty Space; George Pullen, Chief Economist at MilkyWay Economy; and Robin Dickey, Policy Analyst, at The Aerospace Corporation’s Center for Space Policy and Strategy.

Space Competition: Why SpaceX’s “Rapid Unscheduled Disassembly” Is Redrawing The Map To Success This week’s episode is coming from the annual Satellite in Washington, D.C. Instead of having a panel, Laura Winter is in the exhibition hall to ask commercial space leaders about risk, success and failure in the Age of SpaceX. Winter speaks with Frank Backes, CEO of Capella Space; Martin Cullen, TE Connectivity’s Senior Manager for Business Development and Strategy; Kayhan Space Co-Founders Siamak Hesar and Araz Feyzi; Matthew Randall, Empulsion Inc.’s Director of Business Development; and Namrata Goswami, an independent scholar on space policy and great power politics and co-author of the book “Scramble for the Skies The Great Power Competition to Control the Resources of Outer Space”.

Space Power: 2025 Space Force Budget Slashes Launches, Reduces Buying Power By 5% Congressional inaction coupled with core inflation, have resulted in the first reduction in budgetary buying power for the U.S. Space Force for FY 2025, placing research and development at risk. Effects could be far reaching, as the youngest military branch is the biggest consumer of commercial space products and services. Laura Winter speaks with Peter Garretson, a senior fellow at the American Foreign Policy Council and co-author of the book “The Next Space Race: A Blueprint for American Primacy”; and Sam Wilson, a senior policy analyst for the Center for Space Policy and Strategy at The Aerospace Corporation.

Space Power: Fines On Space Junk In The Pipeline And What’s Legal Salvage This episode is coming to you from the U.S. Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colo., where the U.S. Space Command’s Office of the Staff Judge Advocate, and the Academy’s Law, Technology and Warfare Research Cell co-host the fourth annual USSPACECOM Legal Conference. Laura Winter is a guest of the event and is moderating a deep discussion on space debris, rules and regulations, and the legal challenges posed by salvage operations. Joining her for this discussion is Laura Megan-Posch, Assistant Chief Counsel, Regulations Division, Federal Aviation Administration, Department of Transportation; Gabriel Swiney, Director, Policy, Advocacy, and International Division, Office of Space Commerce, NOAA, U.S. Department of Commerce; Charles Stotler, Professor of Practice and Director, Center for Air and Space Law, University of Mississippi School of Law; Vic Gardner, President and Global Head of PreSales, LeoLabs Federal, Inc.; and Lee Steinke, Chief Operating Officer, CisLunar Industries.

Space Money: The Fortune 500 View From TE Connectivity’s Martin Cullen It was a “new space” company - Intuitive Machines - that embraced risk and landed on the moon, not a blue-chip aerospace company. In this episode Laura Winter speaks with Martin Cullen, T-E Connectivity’s Senior Manager for Business Development and Strategy about emerging space-platforms, space business, and how large publicly traded companies are navigating risk to get in on the space economy and deliver value and returns to shareholders.

*2024 Defense Media Award Finalist for Best Cyber Security Submission* *2024 Defense Media Award Finalist for The John Morrocco Award for Best In-depth Defence Reporting* Space Competition: Can The US Deter Its Adversaries From Launching Cyberattacks on Space Systems? This month, two years ago, Russia’s unprovoked invasion of Ukraine started with a cyber attack that changed everything and yet nothing for the U.S. commercial space sector. This is the fourth and final in a series of episodes examining cyber attacks and space systems. Laura Winter speaks with Samuel Visner, Space Information Sharing and Analysis Center (Space-ISAC) Board Chair and Fellow at The Aerospace Corporation; Namrata Goswami, an independent scholar on space policy and great power politics and co-author of the book “Scramble for the Skies”; and Sean Costigan, the lead for NATO’s cybersecurity curriculum, and Managing Director, Resilience Strategy at Red Sift.

*2024 Defense Media Award Finalist for Best Cyber Security Submission* *2024 Defense Media Award Finalist for The John Morrocco Award for Best In-depth Defence Reporting* Space Power: Securing Space Systems From Cyber Attack - “We Play Whack-A-Mole” This month, two years ago, Russia’s unprovoked invasion of Ukraine started with a cyber attack that changed everything and yet nothing for the U.S. commercial space sector. This is the third in a series of episodes examining cyber attacks and space systems. Laura Winter speaks with Samuel Visner, Space Information Sharing and Analysis Center (Space-ISAC) Board Chair and Fellow at The Aerospace Corporation; Greg Falco, an Assistant Professor at the Sibley School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering and the Systems Engineering Program at Cornell University; and Ang Cui, Founder and CEO of Red Balloon Security.

*2024 Defense Media Award Finalist for Best Cyber Security Submission* *2024 Defense Media Award Finalist for The John Morrocco Award for Best In-depth Defence Reporting* Space Tech: The Threat Landscape, A Cyber Vulnerability, And Ransoming A Satellite This month, two years ago, Russia’s unprovoked invasion of Ukraine started with a cyber attack that changed everything and yet nothing for the U.S. commercial space sector. This is the second in a series of episodes examining cyber attacks and space systems. Laura Winter speaks with Greg Falco, an Assistant Professor at the Sibley School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering and the Systems Engineering Program at Cornell University; Ang Cui, Founder and CEO of Red Balloon Security; and Hector Falcon, a Cyber and Space Intelligence Integrator at the Space Information Sharing and Analysis Center.

*2024 Defense Media Award Finalist for Best Cyber Security Submission* *2024 Defense Media Award Finalist for The John Morrocco Award for Best In-depth Defence Reporting* Space Money: When Nation States Target The Commercial Space Sector This month, two years ago, Russia’s unprovoked invasion of Ukraine started with a cyber attack that changed everything and yet nothing for the U.S. commercial space sector. This is the first in a series of episodes examining cyber attacks and space systems. Laura Winter speaks with Nick Saunders, Viasat’s Chief Cybersecurity and Data Officer for Government Systems, in his first sit-down interview since the satellite communications company weathered a notorious cyberattack on February 24, 2022; Erin Miller, the Space Information Sharing and analysis Center’s Executive Director; and Frank Backes, CEO of Capella Space, a company providing earth observation products to government commercial customers.

Space Tech: A U.S. Space Force Bet That Could Truly Monetize Space Junk… For Real This week’s episode is about a cunning plan the Space Force has invested in that aims to monetize space junk and large pieces of orbital debris by recycling it in space, for use as thruster fuel and structural beams. Laura Winter speaks with CisLunar Industries’ Co-founders CEO Gary Calnan and CTO Joe Pawelski; and Neumann Space’s CEO Herve Astier and Chief Scientist Paddy Neumann.

Space Power: What the Space Force Needs Now For Cislunar Operations This week, just after one failed commercial moon mission came back to earth and burned up in the atmosphere, Japan became the fifth nation to successfully reach the lunar surface. As launches to and landings on the Moon become more regular, it is expected that competition and possibly friction between national interests may intensify in Cislunar space. While the U.S. Space Force has the remit to secure U.S. interests in the Cislunar region, it is not truly equipped to do the job. Laura Winter speaks with Charles Galbreath, a Senior Resident Fellow for Space Studies at the Mitchell Institute’s Spacepower Advantage Center of Excellence.

SPACE TECH: Is NASA Surrendering The Promise of Space-Based Solar Power to China, ESA, Britain And Japan? Jeers and scorn greeted NASA’s “Space-Based Solar Power” report, which if taken at face value, experts argue, could strategically disadvantage U.S. efforts to deliver cheap renewable energy, while competitors in the sector move forward. While the document confirms that Space-Based Solar Power is technologically attainable and would deliver electricity at a fraction of the cost to consumers, this episode’s guests say NASA’s assumptions are wildly out of date, do not take into account the current state of space technology, and ignore commonly-held industrial economic principles. Laura Winter speaks with John Mankins, a former NASA physicist, now President of Artemis Innovation Management Solutions, who designed the Solar Power Satellite concept, Alpha – Mark 3; Peter Garretson, an American Foreign Policy Council Senior Fellow, coauthor of the book “Scramble for the Skies The Great Power Competition to Control the Resources of Outer Space”; and Ed Tate, Co-Founder and CTO of Virtus Solis, a U.S Space-Based Solar Power company.

Space Money: Has Investor Passion Left The Building? This episode on Space Money is the 2024 year opener. It examines just what business and investment trends and events from 2023 are carrying over into the new year, and what to expect for space business and the space economy in 2024. Laura Winter speaks with Chris Quilty, founder of Quilty Space; George Pullen, Chief Economist at Milky Way Economy; and Jesse Klempner, a McKinsey & Company Partner.

"It's been Quite A Banner Year For China Militarily, Commercially, Scientifically In Space" This episode looks at China’s effective year in space, in the civil, commercial, and military space sectors. Laura Winter covers the most important technology and policy developments and what to look out for in 2024 with Namrata Goswami, an independent scholar on space policy and great power politics and co-author of the book “Scramble for the Skies”; and Brendan Mulvaney, Director of the Air University’s China Aerospace Studies Institute.

Chief Master Sergeant Bentivegna: “Why The Identity Portion Is So Important To Us.” This episode is coming from Orlando, Florida, from the sold-out Space Power Conference, the first solely dedicated to United States Space Force Guardians. To understand why this is a Space Force milestone Laura Winter speaks with Chief Master Sgt. John “B-9” Bentivegna and Space Force Association President and CEO Air Force Col. (Ret.) Bill “Hippie” Woolf.

U.S. Space Force Commercial Space Office: Bankruptcies And Consolidation Are Expected Our coverage of the chilly space investment climate continues, but from the perspective of the U.S. Space Force’s Commercial Space Office, which has the responsibility to find and foster some of the new commercial space technologies the Department of Defense needs. Laura Winter speaks with U.S. Space Force Col. Richard Kniseley, who is the Senior Materiel Leader leading the COMSO, about what the office does, the current venture capital environment, and what COMSO tools space entrepreneurs can leverage to find capital investment.

Accenture's Anti-Trend Space Investment Strategy It’s chilly and not just outside. Investment in space companies is down by almost a third compared to this time last year, with investor sentiment for space applications companies being downright icy. But Accenture, the publicly traded international technology consulting company is not just saying it’s bullish on the future, it’s actively making deals in space applications. Laura Winter speaks with Paul Thomas, Accenture’s Managing Director and Space Innovation and Technology Lead; and Accenture’s Aerospace and Defense Practice Lead, Craig Gottlieb.

Starship's Second Flight Test and China's Reaction Happy Thanksgiving! SpaceX just attempted a second flight test of its 28-stories-tall Starship space launch system. If Starship, an American-made rocket and spaceship, becomes operational, experts believe it will open up the space domain to travel and commerce, much like the railroad did for the American West. China is not standing idly by. Laura Winter speaks with the authors of the book “Scramble for the Skies: The Great Power Competition to Control the Resources of Outer Space”, Namrata Goswami and Peter Garretson.

A Rogue Plan: The Right Tool For The Right Job On Orbit While all eyes are on SpaceX’s Starship Flight Test 2, one of the space transportation companies newest customers, Rogue Space Systems, is breaking the mold with technical iteration, science, and a fistful of Department of Defense contracts. To understand how and why, Laura Winter speaks with Rogue’s Founder Jeromy Grimmett.

Space Force Maj. Gen. Olson: ISAM Technology "A Core Part of Our Vision For The Future" NASA wants the development and deployment of In Space Manufacturing and Assembly, or ISAM, technologies to be a whole of nation effort that includes the civil, commercial, defense space sectors and academia. This would mean the routine use of robots to provide life extension services to spacecraft, and to build structures great and small in space. Laura Winter speaks with the U.S. Space Force lead for ISAM, Maj. Gen. John Olson to find out just what the service branch is bringing to the effort; and Greg Richardson, who is the executive director of NASA’s ISAM consortium COSMIC.

The United States and Australia just signed, what is in effect, a treaty that softens U.S. sovereign technology regulations and opens up Australia’s economy to the U.S. commercial space industry. The agreement could also force Australia’s Minister of Industry and Science Ed Husic to reverse the deep cuts he made to Australia’s sovereign space programs. Laura Winter speaks with Malcolm Davis, Senior Analyst in Defence Strategy and Capability at the Australian Strategic Policy Institute.

South Korea, Space Security, And The Plan To Become A “Space Economy” Power This week’s episode is about the Republic of Korea’s push to get a seat at the same table as other major space-faring nations, to secure its people from North Korean missiles and the nation’s economic future. South Korea is the seventh nation to use its own natively developed multi-staged rocket to launch into orbit a satellite weighing at least a ton, yet despite being a staunch U.S. ally located in a tricky region, collaboration in space and space security is new. Laura Winter speaks with Sam Wilson, Senior Policy Analyst for the Center for Space Policy and Strategy at The Aerospace Corporation.

Critical Challenges to Protecting Human Habitats on Orbit, on The Moon, and Beyond This week’s episode is coming from the Space Information and Sharing Analysis Center’s Value of Space Summit in Colorado Springs, Colorado. It explores the future threats commercial and government actors need to prepare for when the at least half-dozen human-rated commercial space stations become operational in the next decade. Laura Winter is joined by Jason Aspiotis, Director, In-Space Infrastructure & Logistics, Axiom Space; and Samuel Visner, the just named Space-ISAC Board Chair and Fellow at The Aerospace Corporation.

A Permanent Off-World Economy Starts In A Garage With A Gas Cap This week’s episode features Orbit Fab. Don’t let the cute name fool you. Starting with the space-equivalent of a gas cap, this company has caught the attention of the U.S. Space Force, the Defense Innovation Unit, and the National Reconnaissance Office, in the form of multi-million-dollar checks. Laura Winter speaks with Orbit Fab’s Co-Founder and CEO Daniel Faber about how he plans to build critical energy and chemicals infrastructure in space for defense and a permanent off-world economy.

Has The Space Economy Slowdown Hit Bottom? In Q3 inflation looked to be coming under control, but economic indicators pointing to another Fed interest rate hike and a recession persist. In this episode of The DownLink Podcast, Laura Winter discusses the latest economic trends and events impacting space business, investing, and the space economy with Chris Quilty, founder of Quilty Space; and George Pullen, Chief Economist at Milky Way Economy.

China’s Grand Strategy for the Solar System This week’s episode covers China’s Solar System plan, the U.S. Space Force Chief of Space Operations Gen. Chance Slatzman’s meeting with the Japanese Defense Minister Minoru Kihara, and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un’s one-on-one with Russia’s President Vladimir Putin. Laura Winter is joined by Chris Stone, Senior Fellow for Space Deterrence, National Institute for Deterrence Studies and author of the book “Reversing the Tao: A Framework for Credible Space Deterrence”; Namrata Goswami, an independent scholar on space policy and great power politics and co-author of the book “Scramble for the Skies”.

The Future of In-Space Security: Views From the C-Suite In this episode of The DownLink Podcast, Laura Winter discusses satellites, modern warfare, and future defense needs for protecting commercial interests in the Cis-Lunar region with Robert Geckle, CEO, Airbus U.S. Space & Defense; Patrick Zeitouni, Chief Strategy Officer, HawkEye 360; and Tom “Pumper” Nichols, Co-Founder & Chief Product Officer, True Anomaly. This episode was recorded at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s 2023 Global Aerospace Summit in Washington, D.C.

New Space Force Mission Statement…Is It A Brownwater or Bluewater Future? This week’s episode is about U.S. Space Force doctrine, the Secretary of the Air Force’s email signaling big changes ahead, and the new nine-word-long mission statement: “secure our Nation’s interests in, from, and to space.” Laura Winter discusses these developments and what they mean for the future of the Space Force with Peter Garretson, a senior fellow at the American Foreign Policy Council and co-author of the book “The Next Space Race: A Blueprint for American Primacy”; and Brent Ziarnick, an associate professor of Space Power at Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies, and author of the book “Developing National Power in Space: A Theoretical Model”.

Building A Secure Cis-Lunar Economy - What’s It Going To Take? India just sent its Chandrayaan-3 mission to the Moon for a mere $75m and DARPA is asking for ideas on how to build the cis-lunar infrastructure to establish an off-world economy. To understand what’s at stake and what’s needed for a secure cis-lunar economy worth betting on, Laura Winter speaks with Mike Dickey, Founding Partner of the new space consultancy, Elaranova, and former Director of the U.S. Space Force Force Design Integration Office, at the Space Warfighting Analysis Center; Courtney Stadd, Executive Vice President of the Beyond Earth Institute, with extensive stints in the Departments of Commerce and Transportation, NASA, and the White House, as well as in the private sector; and George Pullen, Chief Economist at Milky Way Economy.

That Touted DoD Budget Plus-Up Cuts Into Space Force and Seeding Future Military Space Innovation The U.S. Senate returns on September 5, followed by the House of Representatives on September 12, to negotiate the FY’24 federal budget. While both houses want to cut down the president’s request for the Space Force and military space programs by more than a billion, it’s not yet set in stone. To understand what’s at stake, Laura Winter speaks with Chris Stone, Senior Fellow for Space Deterrence, National Institute for Deterrence Studies and author of the book “Reversing the Tao: A Framework for Credible Space Deterrence”; Peter Garretson, a senior fellow at the American Foreign Policy Council and co-author of the book “The Next Space Race: A Blueprint for American Primacy”; and Sam Wilson, senior policy analyst for the Center for Space Policy and Strategy at The Aerospace Corporation.

India And Russia Are About To Attempt Separate Lunar Landings, Revealing A Fracturing Relationship Starting as early as Monday, August 21, Russia and India will make attempts to land their separate lunar lander missions on the moon’s south pole, where water-ice - space’s version of gold - has been found. Traditionally, Russia and India have been fast friends on earth, but competing visions and national interests in the space domain are revealing fault lines. Laura Winter speaks with Namrata Goswami, an independent scholar on space policy and great power politics and co-author of the book “Scramble for the Skies”; and Pavel Luzin, a space, Russia, and international security expert, lecturer, and author, and also visiting scholar at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, Tufts University.

This Space Experiment Will Underpin Off-World Ambition, Commerce, and Colonization This week’s episode examines an experiment that will underpin the development of a crucial environmental technology that almost every spacecraft - crewed or not - and every off-world human habitat will employ. Laura Winter speaks with Purdue University’s Issam Mudawar, who is the Betty Ruth and Milton B. Hollander Family Professor of Mechanical Engineering, and the Principal Investigator for NASA’s Flow Boiling & Two-Phase Condensation Experiment (FBCE) for the International Space Station (ISS). The FBCE’s second module just arrived at the ISS.

Comtech’s CEO and “Imagineer” Ken Peterman: Hybrid Space Technologies Are Driving Value Now On this week’s episode of The DownLink Podcast, Laura Winter speaks with Comtech Chairman, President, and CEO Ken Peterman, about hybrid space technologies and what value it will deliver to the end-user; why he reorganized the company; the latest contract with the U.S. Army; will it join the lunar economy; and why he calls himself an “imagineer”.

China: More Weird Reports of Disappearances And Departures Weird reports of “disappearances and departures” from China’s People’s Liberation Army’s Rocket Forces, Venezuela signs up to the China-led Moon station, and more out China on space and defense in this week’s episode. Laura Winter speaks with Chris Stone, Senior Fellow for Space Deterrence-National Institute for Deterrence Studies and author of the book “Reversing the Tao: A Framework for Credible Space Deterrence”; and Brendan Mulvaney, Director of the Air University’s China Aerospace Studies Institute.

Space Force: “Begin With A Clean Sheet Of Paper” - Part 2 The U.S. Space Force asked the Rand Corporation to come up with a new officer workforce framework, “conceived independently of the existing [U.S. Air Force] structure.” This episode is the second in a two-part series examining the Rand Corporation’s novel proposal, which aims to balance space mission requirements and the careers of officers. It is highly recommended to first listen to Part 1, which posted last month. In this episode Laura Winter continues the conversation with two of the proposal’s authors, Larry Hanser, a senior behavioral scientist, and Jennifer Li, a senior management Scientist, both from the Rand Corporation; and Chris Stone, Senior Fellow for Space Deterrence at the National Institute for Deterrence Studies; and Brent Ziarnick, an associate professor of Space Power at Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies.

Kimberly Crider: Cyber, Data, Defense, and Space This week’s episode serves up an in-depth interview with Maj. Gen. (ret.) Kimberly Crider, who was the first Chief Technology and Innovation Officer for the United States Space Force and is now a founding partner of a new space business, Elara Nova. Laura Winter also speaks with Jim Townsend, former U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for European and NATO Policy, and President of the Atlantic Treaty Association, who was in Vilnius, Lithuania this week for the 2023 NATO Summit.

Welcome To The Second Half Of 2023! It is time to take a look back at the first six months to see how the space market, space capital, and the space economy have fared. This episode also ferrets out the top space finance events from Q1 and Q2 that are shaping spending, investment, and business strategies for the next two quarters and beyond. Laura Winter speaks with Chris Quilty, founder of Quilty Space; and George Pullen, Chief Economist at Milky Way Economy. If you want to listen to what George and Chris said at the beginning of the year, check out The DownLink’s January 8, 2023 episode “Four Space & Finance Experts: What You Need to Know for a “Weird” 2023” here: https://defaeroreport.com/2023/01/08/the-downlink-jan-09-23-four-space-finance-experts-what-you-need-to-know-for-a-weird-2023/.

The Modi State Visit: U.S and Indian Interests In Space and Defense Converge… Big Time! Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s state visit to the United States has produced a more dependable and powerful partnership not only in the Indo-Pacific region, but in space and defense. Laura Winter digs into the commercial, defense, and geopolitical details with Namrata Goswami, an independent scholar on space policy and great power politics and co-author of the book "Scramble for the Skies"; Ajey Lele, a Consultant at the Manohar Parrikar Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses; U.S. Amb. (ret.) Atul Keshap, President of the United States India Business Council, U.S. Chamber of Commerce; and Kranthi Musunuru, Head of Strategy, Dhruva Space.

Officer Workforce Plan - The Space Force Told Them, “Begin With A Clean Sheet Of Paper” The U.S. Space Force asked the Rand Corporation to come up with a new officer workforce framework, “conceived independently of the existing [U.S. Air Force] structure.” This novel proposal, which aims to balance space mission requirements and the careers of officers, has been delivered. Laura Winter speaks with two of the Rand Corporation authors, Larry Hanser, a senior behavioral scientist, and Jennifer Li, a senior management Scientist; and Chris Stone, Senior Fellow for Space Deterrence-National Institute for Deterrence Studies; and Brent Ziarnick, an associate professor of space power at the Air Command and Staff College.

Space Systems Command Wants More Face Time U.S. Space Force Space Systems Command, looking for faster ways to tap into and acquire developmental technologies coming from new space market entrants, is looking to break down barriers from inside a Virginia office park. Laura Winter speaks with U.S. Space Force Col. Rich Kniseley, Senior Materiel Leader and head of the Space Systems Command Commercial Space Office; and Salvatore Pascale, Lead Project Manager with Virginia Tech Research Corporation.

The U.S.-China Moon Race Heats Up This week China announced that it intends to put taikonauts on the moon no later than 2030, the U.S. Department of State released a new diplomatic strategy for space, and Spain signed the U.S.-led Artemis Accords. To unwrap this week’s events and provide a primer for what is at stake some 385,000 kilometers away on the lunar surface, Laura Winter speaks with Namrata Goswami, an independent scholar on space policy and great power politics and co-author of the book “Scramble for the Skies”; and from the Aerospace Corporation Senior Vice President of the Civil Systems Group Jim Myers, and Tech Fellow Sam Visner, who is also the Vice Chair of the Board of Directors of the Space Information Sharing and Analysis Center.

This week Microsoft reported that the Chinese hacking group penetrated Guam’s telecommunications systems. Because of the U.S. territory’s location and military bases, telecommunications there means a mix of platforms that includes space. Laura Winter speaks with Chris Stone, Senior Fellow for Space Deterrence-National Institute for Deterrence Studies and author of the book “Reversing the Tao: A Framework for Credible Space Deterrence”; and Brendan Mulvaney, Director of the Air University’s China Aerospace Studies Institute.

DIU’s “Bucky” Butow, Space Innovation, and the Industrial Base This week’s is the third episode in a month-long series looking at various, cross-cutting aspects of the state of the space industrial base. Laura Winter speaks with the Defense Innovation Unit’s Director of the Space Portfolio Steve “Bucky” Butow, who is intimately involved in growing the Space Industrial Base through government contracts and informing policy. In uniform he is Brig. Gen. Butow, Commander of the California Air National Guard where he leads 4,900 Airmen assigned to five wings and a headquarters staff.

Software Drives Printed Rocket Motors, GSaaS, and New Calls for Collective Cyber Security for Space This is the second episode in a month-long series looking at various, crosscutting aspects of the state of the space industrial base. Space and cyber leaders in the United States and Europe are now looking to create systems of collective cyber security for the 21st Century, covering assets on orbit, on the ground, and in production. The push to develop cyber-security information-sharing alliances is intensifying, as software, the cyber warrior’s attack surface, is increasingly driving the printing of space components, including solid rocket motors. Laura Winter Speaks with Samuel Visner, Vice Chair of the Board of Directors of the Space Information Sharing and Analysis Center; and Erin Miller, who is the Space ISAC’s Executive Director.

Want a Cutting Edge Space Space Force? We’ve Got To Talk About Bank Failures. This is the first episode in a month-long series looking at various, sometimes neglected, aspects of the state of the space industrial base. This week in Washington, D.C. much of the focus has been on military readiness, sustainment, the state of the military industrial base, and whether the U.S. is ready to meet today’s requirements and those five, 10, 15 years in the future. What has not garnered due attention is how the U.S. financial system together with a reliance on venture capital can make or break the space companies that are developing the very technology the military says it needs to deter aggression or fight when the time comes. Laura Winter speaks with George Pullen, MilkyWay Economy’s Chief Economist; and with Jess Harrington, a Consultant at McKinsey & Company, who focuses on the intersection of the commercial space sector and the federal government.

A Missing Lunar Lander, A Mutual Defense Treaty, And “China… China… China” This week’s episode focuses on the very latest space domain developments coming out of the Far East. Laura winter speaks with Jonathan Ward, a China scholar, founder of the Atlas Organization, and book author, who has a new tome out this week titled, “The Decisive Decade: American Grand Strategy for Triumph Over China”; and Joshua Carlson, a “Blue Water” space power writer, managing editor of the online magazine Dauntless, and author of the book, “Spacepower Ascendant: Space Development Theory and a New Space Strategy”.