America needs a space alliance

The United States needs a new approach to building space alliances that last, updating foundational agreements like the Outer Space Policy while adding more binding mechanisms for enforcement than the Artemis Accords.

That's according to an opinion article by TerraSpace co-founder and CEO Eric Sundby, who wrote that a new space treaty should "create common standards for interoperability, clearer rules for technology-sharing among trusted partners and coordinated mechanisms for economic development from low Earth orbit to cislunar space and beyond. It could lower legal and political barriers between allies while giving commercial firms more predictable rules of the road."

He recommended avoiding building "NATO in space," arguing that a security alliance would be counterproductive to commercial activity. Rather, Sundby wrote, "the best framework is narrower: formalize cooperation in exploration and economic development, while keeping security cooperation more informal."

Read the full article on SpaceNews here.

Revolutionizing global aerospace transportation

Increasingly accessible launch services could revolutionize global transportation, if the government takes steps to pave the way for the industry, according to an article by George C. Nield, chairman of the Global Spaceport Alliance and president of Commercial Space Technologies, and Oscar S. Garcia, executive chairman and CEO of Interflight Global Corporation and chairman of the High-Speed Flight Group.

"Given the recent advent of reusable launch vehicles, breakthrough developments in propulsion and additive manufacturing, rapid advances in artificial intelligence and continuing innovation by industry, we now have the opportunity to bring about dramatic changes in long-distance, high-speed aerospace transportation, both for people and for cargo," they wrote.

In their article, they laid out Congressional and Executive actions that could help bring reusable launch capabilities to transportation, framing it as the biggest leap since the commercial jet airliner.

See the full article on SpaceNews here.

The Artemis 2 crew of (from left) Reid Wiseman, Christina Koch, Jeremy Hansen and Victor Glover with the Orion capsule they flew on the mission after splashdown. Credit: NASA/Bill Ingalls

Artemis 2 came home in triumph. Artemis 3 must survive the real test.

Artemis missions are going to continue ramping up in difficulty. So while Artemis 2 is a success worth celebrating, the government and industrial base need to take urgent steps to align on timelines, procedures and other preparatory steps as soon as possible, argues a recent article by former NASA information system security officer Michelle Buckner.

"The path from Artemis 3 to Artemis 4 is short on paper," Buckner wrote. "In the industrial base, it is not short at all. When the landing mission flies, the supply chain beneath it will either be ready or it will not. Unlike the crew, the supply chain does not have a launch window it can scrub to."

See the full article on SpaceNews here.

SpaceNews is committed to publishing our community’s diverse perspectives. Whether you’re an academic, executive, engineer or even just a concerned citizen of the cosmos, send your arguments and viewpoints to opinion (at) spacenews.com to be considered for publication online or in our next magazine. If you have something to submit, read some of our recent opinion articles and our submission guidelines to get a sense of what we’re looking for. The perspectives shared in these opinion articles are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent their employers or professional affiliations.

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