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Space Matters: The Foundation and Future of the Space Force

Originally aired on: March 11, 2024

As space increasingly becomes a critical part of our lives, it also becomes a keystone of international relations. At these crossroads is the United States’ newest military branch: the Space Force. But at less than five years old, multiple elements of the Space Force still require definition, both in terms of responsibility and public transparency.

The latest episode of Space Foundation’s Space Matters covers how the Space Force may secure and even shape the future of space.

The Space Matters panel is led by former U.S. Rep. and MoonWalker Associates CEO Bob Walker and features former NASA administrator and former U.S. Rep. Jim Bridenstine, BryceTech CEO and founder Carissa Christensen, and Constellation Advisory LLC’s president and founder Patricia Cooper.

“Now that the Space Force is up and running, we as a nation are very well-served,” Bridenstine said. “Because as we have seen, space has become very contested very quickly. Unfortunately, we don’t like the fact it’s contested. But fortunately, we are prepared because of forward-leaning members of Congress in a time when it wasn’t even popular to talk about the fact that space is contested.”

Cooper believes that while the national security concerns in space and low Earth orbit are more realized by the general public, solutions to growing tensions in space haven’t gained the same level of attention.

The Space Force as far more in tune with private sector innovations now that it is a military branch, she added. As the Space Force continues to provide contracts and foster research and development, the service is driving technological feats that will benefit military and civilian space endeavors.

“The Space Force is the lead agency in shaping what I think is going to be the critical element of space activities in the future, and that is managing conflict, responding to challenges, positioning our nation and our allies to meet our broader national security objectives, and ensuring our space capabilities support meeting those objectives,” Christensen said.