RAND Space Enterprise Initiative

Focus Areas

The initiative builds on long-standing RAND relationships across the national and international space domains to marshal the broad perspectives necessary for optimizing the exercise of space power.

Space Policy and Strategy

The initiative offers U.S. space policy sponsors unmatched synergies by connecting the results of space policy research done for a wide spectrum of U.S. agencies, including the Office of the Secretary of Defense, the Joint Staff, the Intelligence Community, the Space Force, and USSPACECOM. RAND's research spans the work of these and other U.S. agencies. The initiative links, informs, and reinforces projects of mutual interest.

Space Operations

The initiative offers uniquely high value to sponsors seeking assistance with space operations, given the RAND operations research already being performed for U.S. military services and RAND's ability to spot the linkages between service operations and space operations, even when the topic of a service project is not directly related to space.

Space Capabilities and Resources

RAND's extensive engineering expertise drives capability and resource decisions across numerous U.S. and allied defense agencies. By serving as a hub for research on space capabilities and resources, with expertise emanating from all programs across RAND, the initiative offers sponsors greater insights than those that could be obtained by relying on any single research division.

Space Allies and Partners

Drawing on its international reach and experience, RAND provides valuable insights and recommendations to national security sponsors around the world. The RAND Space Enterprise Initiative provides an additional means for sponsors to collaborate with global allies and partners to create mutually beneficial relationships and opportunities in space.

Latest Space Publications

• 

  West Coast Aerospace Forum 2020: Aerospace Vision for the Future February 19, 2021

  David Abba, Richard Danzig, David A. Deptula, Mackenzie Eaglen, Eric Fanning, Tim Grayson, Bob Hale, Todd Harrison, Edward R. Harshberger, Clinton Hinote, et al.

  The 6th annual West Coast Aerospace Forum in December 2020 featured discussions between some of the Department of the Air Force's most senior and experienced leaders and top civilian national security experts. The theme of this event was "An Aerospace Vision for the Future." Topics included the future shape of the world order, the U.S. defense budget outlook, the changing national security landscape, and the new National Defense Strategy.

• 

  RAND Space Launch Virtual Panel December 8, 2020

  Bonnie L. Triezenberg, Yool Kim, Gary McLeod, D. Jason Cothern, Bruce McClintock

  A panel discussion hosted by the RAND Space Enterprise Initiative tackles issues related to the global space launch enterprise. The panel of RAND Corporation experts joined Brigadier General D. Jason Cothern to consider how U.S. Space Force decisions affect domestic launch providers, how recent trends affect future strategies and policies for responsive space launch, and the capabilities and limitations of U.S. space launch facilities.

• 

  Improving Acquisition to Support the Space Enterprise Vision July 15, 2020

  Yool Kim, Guy Weichenberg, Frank Camm, Brian Dougherty, Thomas C. Whitmore, Nicholas Martin, Badreddine Ahtchi

  The Space Enterprise Vision (SEV) describes an integrated approach to building a force across space mission areas. Achieving this vision requires reducing acquisition time lines and improving integration of the space enterprise. The research team examined potential acquisition approaches to support SEV and identified several promising ones that merit in-depth examination: modular open system architectures, agile acquisition, rapid prototyping.

• 

  Enhancing Assessments of Space Mission Assurance May 20, 2020

  Brien Alkire, Yool Kim, Matthew Berry, David Blancett, James Dimarogonas, Niraj Inamdar, Sherrill Lingel, Nicholas Martin, George Nacouzi, Joel B. Predd, et al.

  To address concerns that warfare could extend to space, the national security space community has taken steps to enhance space mission assurance (SMA), leading to an increasing demand for assessments of SMA. The authors describe decisionmaker needs for assessments of SMA, challenges for conducting assessments, the shortfalls that may result from the challenges, and options for addressing the shortfalls.

• 

  Space Launch Market for Heavy Lift Vehicles: Charts and Data Set of Addressable Launches 2007–2018 April 28, 2020

  Bonnie L. Triezenberg, Jonathan Cham

  RAND researchers gathered open-source launch data that describes "addressable launches" of heavy lift vehicles — the commercial portion of the launch market over which launch firms compete. This tool charts the size of the total heavy lift launch market, as well as the addressable launch market for heavy lift vehicles.

See more space publications »