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RAND was an early leader in the field of space science, producing seminal works in the design, launch, and operation of satellites in the 1940s and '50s. RAND continues to pursue space studies: Current topics include international cooperation (and the United States' dependency on foreign components), orbital debris (or "space junk"), and the funding of space missions.

Report

Past Problems and Future Challenges in the Acquisition of Military Space Systems

Mar 15, 2015

As Department of Defense plans for the next-generation space systems in an increasingly challenging fiscal and security environment, it is important to apply lessons learned from past space acquisition, which had experienced many difficulties.
Commentary

The Democratization of Space

Mar 28, 2016

A new economic model for outer space must account for lower barriers to entry and the involvement of more and more stakeholders, such as developing countries and start-ups.

Explore Space Science and Technology

Journal Article

Journal Article

The Russian Space Sector: Adaptation, Retrenchment, and Stagnation

The journey of the Russian space industry since the collapse of the Soviet Union offers a case study in how Russia, in spite of indications to do otherwise, chose not to break with previous models of behavior and organization.

Jul 20, 2017
Commentary

Mining the Moon for Rocket Fuel to Get Us to Mars

Students from around the world participated in the 2017 Caltech Space Challenge. They proposed designs of what a lunar launch and supply station for deep space missions might look like, and how it would work.

May 16, 2017
Report

Innovation in the United States Air Force

An assessment of historical cases of Air Force innovation — or apparent failure to innovate — sheds light on whether the service is sufficiently innovative today and what can be done to make it more innovative for the future.

May 13, 2016
Report

Report

RAPAPORT (Resilience Assessment Process and Portfolio Option Reporting Tool): Background and Method

Describes industry methods for determining space resilience, the authors' method for the evaluating the non-materiel aspects of resilience, and the tool they developed for performing these resilience calculations and presenting the results.

Apr 28, 2016
Report

Best Practices for Sustainable Operations at the Air Force's Observatory on Maui

The Air Force Maui Optical and Supercomputing Site on the Hawaiian island of Maui is a major site of U.S. space surveillance activity. A study of best practices implemented at similar research institutions offers suggestions for how the Air Force might further streamline its operations and lower operating costs.

Apr 22, 2016
Journal Article

Journal Article

Competition and Collaboration in Space Between the U.S., China, and Australia: Woomera to WGS and the Impact of Changing U.S. National Space Security Policy

Australian space activities have been reinvigorated, but remain underfunded. China's space activities remain vigorous, but largely unilateral. Given U.S. policy changes, opportunities for cooperation and collaboration among all three have improved.

Mar 5, 2015
Commentary

Don't Worry About Russia Backing Away from Space and WMD Cooperation

Two symbols of U.S.-Russian cooperation are nearing the end of their life expectancies, the International Space Station and the Nunn-Lugar Cooperative Threat Reduction Program. But both stand as remarkable milestones of achievement and reminders of what can be accomplished when nations put aside political differences for the betterment of humanity.

Feb 27, 2015
Blog

Space Talk Launches Politics Aside

Hundreds of guests packed the Cary Grant Theatre at Sony Studios to kick off RAND's Politics Aside event with a discussion on space technology, policy, and leadership. Matt Miller, columnist, author, and radio host moderated the panel, which included Simonetta Di Pippo, Director of the UN Office for Outer Space Affairs; George Whitesides, CEO of Virgin Galactic; and NASA astronaut Cady Coleman.

Nov 14, 2014
Commentary

Should the U.S. Rely on Russian Rocket Engines?

One of the two launch vehicles that lift U.S. satellites into orbit depends on a rocket engine made by a company located in Russia. Russia's recent clashes with Ukraine and its claims on the Crimean peninsula have caused friction with the United States and thereby raised questions among U.S. policymakers about the potential for an interruption in the supply of the engines.

Jul 16, 2014
Testimony

Does Reliance on Foreign Component Supply Chains Put U.S. Launch Vehicles at Risk?

While there are both risks and benefits of using foreign components in the U.S. Air Force Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle program, the risk of potential supply interruption of most foreign components is manageable. To mitigate those risks, trade-offs of costs, schedules, and mission significance must be considered.

Jul 16, 2014
Report

A Safe Way to Implement a Database of Satellite Anomalies

Satellite anomalies are malfunctions caused by solar particles, cosmic rays, or even space debris. A shared database could help identify solutions to prolong the lifetime of spacecraft that experience problems, and could be implemented in a way that would protect the privacy of the satellite operators.

Jun 2, 2014
Commentary

Debris Poses Increased Threat to Exploration

Every satellite launch and maneuver is carefully coordinated because some orbits are strewn with the space-based equivalent of blown tires, abandoned vehicles, loose gravel and, of course, other traffic. Earth's orbit is littered with hundreds of thousands of debris objects.

May 16, 2014
Report

Report

Achieving Higher-Fidelity Conjunction Analyses Using Cryptography to Improve Information Sharing

Examines the applicability of secure multiparty computation (MPC) protocols as a means to compute the collision probability of two satellites (conjunction analyses) while maintaining the privacy of each operator's orbital information.

Feb 12, 2014
Report

A Sixty-Year Timeline of the Air Force Maui Optical and Supercomputing Site

Since it was built in the 1950s, the Air Force Maui Optical and Supercomputing Site's mission, management structure, and operational partners have changed several times to accommodate the contemporary challenges and research tools. This timeline documents some of those historical changes.

Dec 16, 2013
Commentary

Satellites for Rent

Reports earlier this year that the U.S. Department of Defense leased a Chinese satellite to support military operations in Africa sparked concern that the arrangement could compromise control over U.S. military communications, or, worse, allow Chinese intelligence gatherers access to privileged military data.

Nov 8, 2013
Report

Report

Increasing Flexibility and Agility at the National Reconnaissance Office: Lessons from Modular Design, Occupational Surprise, and Commercial Research and Development Processes

To help the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) become more flexible and agile in an increasingly uncertain world, RAND researched whether the NRO might benefit from building modular satellites and examined how professionals respond to surprise.

Aug 14, 2013
Blog

A Public-Private Model for Funding Space Missions

The future of manned space flight, including missions to Mars and other deep space destinations, will likely depend on the combined resources of governments and commercial enterprises, say Dave Baiocchi and William Welser.

Jul 23, 2013
Report

Report

Facilitating Information Sharing Across the International Space Community: Lessons from Behavioral Science

Based on a review of relevant research literature, this report examines ways to encourage the space community to share information that will help its members navigate increasing numbers of satellites and space debris.

May 2, 2013

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Researcher Spotlight

Yool Kim

Associate Director, Force Modernization and Employment Program, RAND Project AIR FORCE

Yool Kim is a senior engineer at the RAND Corporation and serves as associate director of the Force Modernization and Employment Program within RAND Project AIR FORCE. She is also a member of the Pardee RAND Graduate School faculty. She conducts space policy research on topics spanning space…
Christopher Mouton

Associate Director, Acquisition and Technology Policy Center, National Security Research Division

Christopher Mouton is an Aerospace Engineer and is currently serving as the Associate Director of NSRD's Acquisition and Technology Policy Center. Chris holds a B.S. in engineering from the University of Texas at Austin, an M.S. in aeronautics from the California Institute of Technology, and a…

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