Opinion
Opinion section includes op-eds, columns, commentaries and editorials on all things related to the global space business enterprise.
On National Security | Small businesses doing big things in DoD space programs
Catalyst Campus is giving space startups early exposure to Department of Defense buyers.
Henry Ford Heads for the High Frontier
For decades, skilled engineers and technicians have been building satellites designed for unique missions and making them one at a time.
Op-ed | While satellites are cool, military space networks must focus on interoperability
How satellites are stitched together in a highly complex, multi-band and multi-network system needs to be at the forefront of SDA's Transport Layer discussion. .
Connecting the Dots | Achieving sustainable space
The visibility and attention space missions often get work to the industry’s advantage, from helping to attract top engineering talent to top investment dollars. But it also comes with heightened scrutiny that risks tripping up young space companies rushing to the commercial market.
Delta II and SLC-2: A Remarkable Era
The launch of NASA’s Ice, Cloud, and land Elevation Satellite-2 (ICESat-2) on September 15, 2018, marked the end of a remarkable era for the venerable Delta II launch vehicle and SLC-2.
Op-ed | Can Frank Kendall help the Space Force win the space race against China?
Kendall’s perception of what was needed for success in DoD procurement has largely tracked with what venture and private equity investors have pursued.
Op-ed | Pentagon finally embracing the idea of buying ‘good enough’ space solutions
Private sector advances put the Space Development Agency in a position of strength due to its vision of acquiring capabilities quickly
On National Security | In the new space era, a changing role for the U.S. government
The pace of technological innovation in the space business has long been dictated by government-funded programs of record. But as the private sector increasingly drives innovation, government buyers are trying to figure out their role in the new space era.
Op-ed | Unlocking New Economic Frontiers in Space
More than space tourists, Jeff Bezos and Richard Branson are leading the way to commercial and public utilization of space previously only imagined in science fiction.
Op-ed | Space tourism’s environmental price tag
There’s no such thing as a free launch — especially when it comes to suborbital joy rides.
Foust Forward | A schedule better suited for Artemis
While moving up the date of a human lunar landing may have been well intentioned, providing the urgency needed to make decisions and more forward, budgets that have not kept pace with projections and inevitable future technical problems make it unlikely NASA can get everything in place to land humans on the moon in 2024.
Op-ed | Private industry spacesuit advancements are the solution to OIG report findings
The recent Office of Inspector General report that concluded NASA's spacesuit program is out of sync with with a 2024 lunar landing excluded any consideration of the substantial privately led work that has already been accomplished by industry.
Managing Constellations: A Flight Dynamics Perspective
In an era where technology is advancing at an extraordinary rate, satellite operations in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) continue to experience rapid change like never before.
Connecting the Dots | Drones in space: Satellites seen as key to giving full autonomy to uncrewed aerial vehicles
Advances in commercial drone technology are opening up new growth opportunities for the space industry, which has an often underappreciated synergistic relationship with uncrewed aerial vehicles.
Op-ed | Clearing space debris is good business
Space debris removal is not just an environmental concern. It makes money for all parties involved.
Op-ed | Congress should support rapid procurement of advanced missile warning satellites
Congress should fully support the Next-Generation Overhead Persistent Infrared missile warning satellite program
