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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
Commercial Space Market Development and Trends
The growing commercial space industry offers a range of capabilities and services, including emerging technologies. Opportunities for the U.S. Space Force and Department of Defense to leverage these capabilities for military purposes are expanding. What concerns should stakeholders address?
Apr 14, 2022
Commentary
Why Not Space Mirrors?
Space mirrors can reflect solar radiation away from Earth, potentially helping to address the effects of climate change. But decisionmakers need more information about this technology to determine if it's a viable option.
Oct 19, 2022

Explore Space Science and Technology

Commentary
Enter Outer Space at Your Own Risk?
Since 2004, federal law has barred most participant safety regulations and leaves nearly all issues of safety up to the discretion of the company providing the service. It's time to allow the moratorium on regulation to expire and allow the development of safety standards, led by the FAA.
May 16, 2023
Blog
RAND Turns 75: A Look Through the Decades At World-Changing Research
From anticipating the Space Age in the 1940s to studying gun policy and COVID-19 responses in the 2020s, RAND is celebrating 75 years of research that has made a difference.
May 8, 2023
Dissertation
Coherence to Choices: Informing Decisions on Public-Private Partnerships in the Space Sector
Presents a comprehensive set of research on the topic of space public-private partnerships to move forward from the rudimentary discourse to critical discussions and analytical investigations.
May 3, 2023
Report
The Resilience Assessment Framework: Assessing Commercial Contributions to U.S. Space Force Mission Resilience
This report describes the resilience assessment framework that RAND Project AIR FORCE developed to assess the potential impact of integrating select commercial space services on U.S. Space Force mission performance.
Apr 27, 2023
Dissertation
The Development of In-Space Servicing, Assembly, and Manufacturing Technology: Drivers, Challenges, and Policy Implications
Examines the challenges and enablers associated with developing infrastructure to support an in-space economy.
Apr 7, 2023
Report
Assessing the Readiness for Human Commercial Spaceflight Safety Regulations
What is the progress of the commercial space industry in adopting voluntary standards for participant safety, and towards meeting key metrics that would indicate readiness for regulation?
Apr 3, 2023
Report
First Mover Typology for the Space Domain: Building a Foundation for Future Analysis
The authors offer a categorization and nuanced views of first moves in military strategy as a basis for understanding and further analysis of first mover advantage in the space domain.
Jan 25, 2023
Report
Cross-Domain Lessons for Space Traffic Management: An Analysis of Air and Maritime Treaty Governance Mechanisms
In this report, the authors examine the treaty-based governance systems from both the air and maritime domains as potential models for the development of an international space traffic management system.
Jan 25, 2023
Periodical
RAND Review: January-February 2023
This issue explores the inadequacies of the current system of space governance; China's presence in the Arctic; abortion in the U.S. post-Dobbs; and the security and technology challenges related to Taiwan's domination of the microchip industry.
Jan 6, 2023
Essay
What Might Space Look Like in 2050?
It would not take huge technological breakthroughs to make space and space travel a much bigger part of everyday life. Instead, it would take a steady progression of incremental advances—and one development in particular could provide the tipping point.
Jan 5, 2023
Essay
The Calls for More Progress on Space Governance Are Growing Louder
Space may seem infinite, but the narrow band that hugs the Earth, where satellites and space stations operate, is not. Existing space treaties won't be enough to keep satellites safe, to prevent crowding and collisions, and to preserve the promise of outer space.
Jan 5, 2023
Report
Ensuring Mission Assurance While Conducting Rapid Space Acquisition
As the U.S. Space Force pursues rapid acquisition of warfighting capabilities, a key question is whether the streamlining techniques being used to get new space systems to operators quickly create mission assurance vulnerabilities.
Dec 15, 2022
Tool
Mapping Chinese and Russian Military and Security Exports to Africa
Military weapons exports and private military and security contractors are important tools for projecting a country's influence around the world. How have China and Russia employed these tools across Africa in recent years?
Dec 13, 2022
Multimedia
The Future of Space Cooperation Between the U.S. and Japan
Over two days in March 2022, experts from the United States and Japan presented their vision for the future of space science and exploration, cooperation between the U.S. and Japan, and the future space economy.
Dec 7, 2022
Commentary
Governance in Space: Mining the Moon and Beyond
Without further cooperation and agreement among space powers, multiple, competing governance systems may end up being established, further increasing potential for conflict. The time to address this issue is now, so that the use of deep-space resources contributes to prosperity, security, and freedom on Earth and throughout the solar system.
Nov 18, 2022
Blog
Microchips, Ukraine, Outer Space: RAND Weekly Recap
This weekly recap focuses on how safeguarding Taiwan is the answer to America's microchip problem, a moment of clarity in Ukraine, new rules in space, and more.
Oct 7, 2022
Brochure
Launching Into the Future: 75 Years of Excellence in Space Research at RAND
RAND is proud to celebrate 75 years of excellence in space research and analysis. Here, we spotlight a small number of reports to highlight the range of our contributions and celebrate our commitment to making a difference for decades to come.
Sep 30, 2022
Commercial Book
Practical Geolocation for Electronic Warfare Using MATLAB
This text explores the practical realities that arise from the employment of geolocation for electronic warfare in real-world systems.
Sep 2, 2022
Commentary
Reduce Friction in Space by Amending the 1967 Outer Space Treaty
Space has the potential to be a domain in which current great-power competitions and frictions can be mediated. The international community might consider updating the existing space legal regime to ensure it meets current political, economic, social, and technical challenges.
Aug 26, 2022

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Research conducted by

Researcher Spotlight

Emmi Yonekura

Physical Scientist

Emmi Yonekura (she/her) is a physical scientist in the Engineering and Applied Sciences Department at the RAND Corporation. Her recent research focuses on climate change impacts on national security and strategic and operational military readiness. Recently, Yonekura was principal investigator…
Mel Eisman

Senior Operations Research Analyst

Mel Eisman is a senior operations research analyst at the RAND Corporation. He has generated system life-cycle cost estimates for analysis of alternative studies on future Air Force airborne tanker and airborne electronic attack options, and participated in cost-effectiveness studies of (1)…

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