The Secure World Foundation Podcast

Recorded in Washington DC, on July 25, 2018.

The SWEF brought together the space weather community to share information and ideas among policymakers, senior government leaders, researchers, private-sector service providers, space weather information users, media, and legislators and staff from Capitol Hill to raise awareness of space weather and its effects on society. This year's event sharpened the focus on critical infrastructure protection, with the necessary underpinnings of research, improved products and services, and applications to serve a broad and growing user community. The ultimate goal is to improve the Nation's ability to prepare for, avoid, mitigate, respond to, and recover from the potentially devastating impacts of space weather events on our health, economy, and national security.

This recording features an opening address and presentations and a panel discussion about the risks and impacts associated with space weather.

• Opening Address: Representative Ed Perlmutter (CO-7)
• Ms. Devon Streit, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Infrastructure Security and Energy Restoration, Department of Energy
• Mr. Ralph Stoffler, Director of Weather, Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations, Headquarters, U.S. Air Force
• Dr. James Spann, Acting Heliophysics Division Chief Scientist, Headquarters NASA
• Dr. William Lapenta, Director, National Centers for Environmental Predictions, NOAA
• Moderator: Mr. Ben Reed, National Space Council

More details can be found at the event page on the SWF website.

Recorded in Washington DC, on July 24, 2018.

The Embassy of Japan, the U.S. Department of State, and Secure World Foundation held a discussion on space weather as a global challenge with a focus on research, operations and preparedness. This event updated the international community on progress made toward implementing the U.S. National Space Weather Strategy and Action Plan.

This recording features presentations and a panel discussion about space weather's interaction with the commercial sector and concluding remarks.

• Ryoichiro Yasumitsu, Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
• Hideaki Matsumoto, Pilot, ANA Airlines
• Susan Taylor, Senior Associate, Abt Associates
• Conrad Lautenbacher, Executive Committee Member, American Commercial Space Weather Association
• David Roop, Director, Electric Transmission, Dominion Electric Power
• Moderator: Mamoru Ishii, Director, Space Weather and Environment Informatics Laboratory, National Institute of Information and Communications Technology
• Tomohiko Arai, Science Counselor, Embassy of Japan
• Chris Cannizzaro, Physical Science Officer, U.S. Department of State

More details can be found at the event page on the SWF website.

Recorded in Washington DC, on July 24, 2018.

The Embassy of Japan, the U.S. Department of State, and Secure World Foundation held a discussion on space weather as a global challenge with a focus on research, operations and preparedness. This event updated the international community on progress made toward implementing the U.S. National Space Weather Strategy and Action Plan.

This recording features presentations and a panel discussion on improving space weather services and preparedness.

• Mamoru Ishii, Director, Space Weather and Environment Informatics Laboratory, National Institute of Information and Communications Technology
• Elsayed Talaat, Director, Office of Projects, Planning, and Analysis, NOAA/NESDIS
• Terry Onsager, Physicist, Space Weather Prediction Center, NOAA
• Ian Mann, Professor, University of Alberta
• Nat Golpalswamy, Senior Scientist, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center
• Moderator: Mike Wiltberger, Geospace Section Head, National Science Foundation

More details can be found at the event page on the SWF website.

Recorded in Washington DC, on July 24, 2018.

The Embassy of Japan, the U.S. Department of State, and Secure World Foundation held a discussion on space weather as a global challenge with a focus on research, operations and preparedness. This event updated the international community on progress made toward implementing the U.S. National Space Weather Strategy and Action Plan.

This recording features presentations and a panel discussion about space weather efforts around the world.

• Eric Laliberte, Director General, Space Utilization, Canadian Space Agency
• Jean-Luc Bald, First Secretary, Global Issues and Innovation Section, Delegation of the European Union to the USA
• Micheline Tabache, Director, Washington Office, European Space Agency
• Marco Riale, Embassy of Italy
• Bill Murtagh, Space Weather Prediction Center, NOAA
• Moderator: Krystal Wilson, Secure World Foundation

More details can be found at the event page on the SWF website.

Recorded in Washington DC, on July 24, 2018.

The Embassy of Japan, the U.S. Department of State, and Secure World Foundation held a discussion on space weather as a global challenge with a focus on research, operations and preparedness. This event updated the international community on progress made toward implementing the U.S. National Space Weather Strategy and Action Plan.

This recording features the welcoming remarks and a series of presentations about Japan's space weather efforts and outlook.

• Kazutoshi Aikawa, Deputy Chief of Mission, Embassy of Japan
• Jonathan Margolis, Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary for Science, Space, and Health, U.S. Department of State
• Hideyuki Tokuda, President, National Institute of Information and Communications Technology
• Toshihiko Iyemori, Professor, Kyoto University
• Ayako Matsuoka, Associate Professor, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency

More details can be found at the event page on the SWF website.

Recorded in Colorado Springs, CO on April 19, 2018

The Secure World Foundation worked with the Space Foundation in sponsorship of an invitation-only lunch salon titled "The Commercial Sector and Norms for Responsible Use of Space," which was held midday on Thursday, April 19, 2018, at the 34th Space Symposium in Colorado Springs, CO.

At this event, a wide variety of perspectives discussed the potential instructive role that the commercial sector can play in setting up norms of behavior for responsible space actors. With the space environment changing so rapidly, it is often the commercial actors who are creating the rules of the road and often have been quite visionary in figuring out how to ensure that near-Earth space is usable and accessible over the long-term.

• Mr. Ian Christensen, Director of Private Sector Programs, Secure World Foundation
• Mr. Erik Daehler, Director of Commercial Business Development, Lockheed Martin
• Mr. David Hartshorn, Secretary General, Global VSAT Forum
• Ms. Therese Jones, Senior Director of Policy, Satellite Industry Association
• Mr. Chris Kundstadter, Senior VP and Global Underwriting Manager, XL Catlin
• Moderator: Dr. Michael Simpson, Executive Director, Secure World Foundation

More details, including transcripts, can be found at the event page on the SWF website.

Recorded in Washington, DC, on June 11, 2018.

Over the last decade, there has been growing interest and investment in commercial space activities. Companies are developing new and innovative space applications and services that could deliver significant societal, economic, and national security benefits on Earth. However, some of these ventures face obstacles from outdated, overly restrictive, or non-existent licensing and government oversight processes. At the same time, the growing congestion in critical orbit regimes and potential to launch tens of thousands of new satellites over the next decade have heightened concerns about orbital debris and the long-term sustainability of space.

As a result, the US government has spent much of the last decade debating national policy on space traffic management (STM), which includes both reform of the government oversight regime and improving civil space situational awareness (SSA) to increase knowledge of the space environment and space activities. This debate appears to be coming to a conclusion, as the Trump Administration readies a policy decision on STM. However, significant parts of their decision will require both changes to existing authorities and regulations and funding from Congress to implement, a matter on which Congress has yet to decide.

This luncheon panel discussion brought together experts from the Trump Administration, academia, and think tanks to discuss the challenges driving interest in STM, regulatory and administrative considerations, and ideas for how the Trump Administration and Congress can best implement an STM regime that enables sustainable commercial development of space.

Opening Remarks: Representative Lamar Smith (R-TX 21), Chair, House Science, Space, and Technology Committee

Panelists:

• John Giles, Col, USAF; Senior Policy Advisor, National Space Council
• Theresa Hitchens, Senior Research Associate, University of Maryland's Center for International and Security Studies
• Diane Howard, Professor of Commercial Space Operations/Spaceflight Ops, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University
• Moriba Jah, Director of Advanced Science and Technology Research in Astronautics Program, University of Texas at Austin
• Brandt Pasco, Attorney & Fellow, Hudson Institute
• Brian Weeden, Director of Program Planning, Secure World Foundation

More details, including transcripts, can be found at the event page on the SWF website.

Recorded in Washington, DC, on November 2, 2017.

This luncheon panel discussion examined the technical, legal, and policy prospects for active debris removal (ADR), and the steps Congress can take to help incentivize the development of ADR technologies and capabilities.

Space debris continues to pose a significant threat to future space activities. Although progress has been made over the last decade on implementing voluntary guidelines to minimize the creation of new debris, some 22,000 pieces of space debris larger than 10 cm still exists in orbit around the Earth. Scientific studies done by multiple space agencies have shown that collisions between these debris objects will generate thousands of additional space debris, even if there were no new launches, and that removing some of the largest space debris objects from orbit can mitigate this growth and future risk.

In 2010, the Obama Administration issued a new US national space policy that included a directive to Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and the Secretary of Defense to jointly research and develop technologies and techniques to do ADR. Seven years later, little progress has been made, and neither NASA nor the Department of Defense has shown a willingness to invest in ADR development, despite the threat space debris poses to their continued use of space. NASA has awarded a few small grants to private sector entities for early concept studies of some promising ADR techniques, but that support has not included on-orbit demonstrations.

This event is the third in a series organized by Secure World Foundation (SWF) on Capitol Hill. In 2012, "Trash in the Skies: The Challenge of Space Debris" discussed the impact the growing amount of space debris has had on space activities, and the importance of improving space situational awareness (SSA) for managing the risk posed by space debris, and national and international efforts to mitigate space debris. In July 2017, "Trash in the Skies II: Industry Perspectives on Dealing with Space Debris" provided an update that looked at the progress made, and not made, over the last five years, and included perspectives from satellite operators and insurers on the risk to satellites from collisions with space debris.

Opening Remarks: Senator Gary Peters (D-MI), Member, Senate Subcommittee on Space, Science and Competitiveness

Panelists:

• Dr. Marshall Kaplan, Chief Technology Officer and Co-Founder, Launchspace Technology Corporation
• Mr. Jerome Pearson, President, Star Technology and Research, Inc.
• Dr. Siegfried Janson, Senior Scientists, The Aerospace Corporation
• Mr. James Dunstan, Founder, Mobius Legal Group
• Dr. Brian Weeden, Director of Program Planning, Secure World Foundation

Moderator: Ms. Victoria Samson, Washington Office Director, Secure World Foundation

More details, including transcripts, can be found at the event page on the SWF website.

Recorded in Washington, DC, on July 10, 2017.

SWF held a luncheon panel discussion on Capitol Hill that brought together private sector experts to discuss the current space debris situation, what steps are being done (or not done) to address it, whether the blanket 25-year rule is still sufficient, and what role industry can play in helping ensuring the long-term sustainability of space while fostering continued innovation and growth of the space sector.

In 2012, Secure World Foundation (SWF) hosted an event on Capitol Hill called "Trash in the Skies: The Challenge of Space Debris" to discuss the impact the growing amount of space debris has had on space activities. The event highlighted the then estimated 22,000 pieces of space debris larger than a softball that could destroy a satellite in a collision, and the hundreds of thousands of pieces of smaller debris that could cause serious damage. The event also discussed the importance of improving space situational awareness (SSA) for managing the risk posed by space debris, and national and international efforts to mitigate space debris. The biggest effort focused on implementing voluntary space debris mitigation guidelines, the most important of which stipulated that no objects should be left in a protected region for longer than 25 years after the end of their useful life. In addition, the space community needed to focus on developing the capability to start removing space debris from orbit, in order to avoid long-term growth in increased risk over time.

Five years later, there have been few meaningful improvements in the situation. Space debris still continues to pose a threat to space activities. Compliance with the 25-year rule hovers around 40-60%, a rate scientists have concluded is insufficient to stave off long-term growth. Additionally, there have been only very limited efforts made to develop debris removal technologies, particularly in the United States where both NASA and the Department of Defense have shown little willingness to prioritize it. At the same time, the commercial space industry has grown, with dozens of new companies raising billions in private investment to embark on new and innovative uses of space. Several of these companies are planning large constellations of hundreds to thousands of satellites, sparking new concerns about space debris and congestion in space.

• Mr. Jonathan Goff, President and CEO, Altius Space Machines
• Dr. Tim Maclay, Director of Mission Systems Engineering, OneWeb
• Ms. Lauri Newman, Conjunction Assessment Manager, NASA
• Dr. James Vedda, Senior Policy Analyst, Center for Space Policy and Strategy, the Aerospace Corporation
• Mr. Mike Vinter, Executive Vice President, AON Risk Solutions
• Moderator: Dr. Brian Weeden, Director of Program Planning, Secure World Foundation

More details, including transcripts, can be found at the event page on the SWF website.

Recorded in Washington, DC, on June 27, 2017.

SWF co-sponsored, with the National Space Weather Partnership, the 2017 the Space Weather Enterprise Forum. This year's theme was "Implementing a National Space Weather Partnership."

The forum brought together a blended audience of space weather experts from both research and operations, space weather users from the public and private sectors, academia, international representatives, and policy makers. One of the event objectives was continuing outreach and education to raise awareness of space weather effects on systems and humans and to provide information on available services.

Speakers

• Dr. Sarah Gibson, Chair, Committee for Solar and Space Physics, National Academies of Science, and University for Atmospheric Research
• Mr. Alec Engell, NextGen Federal Systems and American Commercial Space Weather Association
• Mr. Charles Chafer, Space Services Incorporated and American Commercial Space Weather Association
• Moderator: Ms. Victoria Samson, Washington Office Director, Secure World Foundation

More details, including transcripts, can be found at the event page on the SWF website.