Print

Acknowledgments The origins of this book date back to the fall of 2019 when American For- eign Policy Council (AFPC) president Herman Pirchner Jr. asked whether it would be value added for our institution to help educate policymakers on space policy issues. We tasked one of our excellent researchers, Rebecca van Burken, to help craft an analysis of all the think tanks that were exam- ining space policy issues, including their recent events amount, type, and frequency of their publications and the range of space issues covered. After careful review, we determined that it would be advantageous for AFPC to launch a Space Policy Initiative (SPI) to help America’s lead- ers grasp the implications of the unfolding space race and inform them through a wide range of educational activities like policy papers, brief- ings, opinion editorials, closed-door workshops, and books. AFPC was fortunate to have already assembled a team of strategic thinkers with access to a broad network of first-rate space experts. After several months of generating numerous publications, successful congres- sional briefings, and workshops, the program was picking up steam and gaining a solid reputation. Once again at the suggestion of Herman, we decided it was time to take the next step and write a book that seeks to lay out a vision for U.S. space policy. We could not have written this book by ourselves. It is the culmina- tion of extensive research and perspectives from dozens of interviews with space experts. Several scholars, members of the AFPC team, and our finan- cial backer, all deserve mention. First and foremost, we would like to thank Herman for his vision and for identifying the need to focus on space and helping us launch this project. We are indebted to our anonymous donor, who believed in us