ARTICLES

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Lessons Learned from the Space Launch System

By Jeremy Lee

As recent announcements inform us that the SLS will be the primary launch vehicle for the Artemis missions that aim to return to the Moon, it seems as if the SLS is indeed fulfilling this mission. However, a dive into the SLS program’s setbacks provide a warning and lesson for the future of American and broader international space policy.

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Articles, Policy Georgetown University Space Initiative Articles, Policy Georgetown University Space Initiative

The Developing Issue of Space Debris in Low Earth Orbit

By Andrew Colliton

The outer space and aerospace industries have seen a renaissance in the last decade with the rise of private enterprises such as SpaceX, Blue Origin, and Virgin Galactic among others. With hundreds of satellites being launched annually into Low Earth Orbit (LEO), a small section of the earth’s atmosphere, the proliferation of satellites and space junk is accumulating at an alarming rate.

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Articles, Policy Georgetown University Space Initiative Articles, Policy Georgetown University Space Initiative

Space, the Final Frontier or Our Best Chance for Liberalism?

By Ty Brownlow

Most have not been to outer space, but there's something about the idea of breaching terrestrial boundaries that makes earthly rules seem as if they have the potential to be less binding. This sentiment leads me to ask; what are the real limitations of our actions? Are there real consequences to our decisions or are they merely socially constructed?

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Articles, Policy Georgetown University Space Initiative Articles, Policy Georgetown University Space Initiative

The Future of NASA as an Effective Vehicle for Advancing National and Global Interests

By Nikki Farber

It is no secret that the impact and role of NASA in the exploration of space has been waning for some time. Discussions of private space initiatives run by SpaceX, Blue Origin, and others have dominated the conversation in recent years and some have even been considering the value of the existence of NASA in a post-cold war world.

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Policy, Articles Georgetown University Space Initiative Policy, Articles Georgetown University Space Initiative

Vocabulary Matters in Space, Too

By Brian Britt

The modern space industry lexicon on both the private and the public side is filled with disturbing vocabulary that evokes colonialist themes and invites hostility into our interactions with extraterrestrial environments and lifeforms.

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SpaceX's Starship: The Importance of a Good Window

By Harry Thomas

Starship is more like an ocean liner than a traditional NASA “capsule”. With a massive transparent screen and a steel supporting lattice stretching over its 9-meter diameter and across much of the length of its 19-meter nose cone, Starship will give a panoramic view of the worlds it explores.

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