From robotic arms designed to remove space debris to technologies that could just as easily disable a satellite, the same new space capabilities can serve both peaceful and military purposes. Yet there’s no universally agreed-upon definition of what qualifies as dual-use—making governance, transparency, and international cooperation far more complicated. Researchers at the RAND Corporation are now taking a look at this idea, to explore why that definition gap matters, how different regions of the world view the issue, and what it could mean for the future of space security and sustainability. I recently got the chance to speak with two of those researchers. Bruce McClintock is lead of the RAND Space Enterprise Initiative, and Krista Langeland is a senior physical scientist at the RAND Corporation.

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India is opening the door wider to foreign investment in areas like satellite manufacturing, launch vehicles, and space infrastructure. At the same time, it still has local content rules and regulatory requirements that U.S. companies need to navigate.

To talk through what that means for American businesses—and how the U.S. and India are shaping their commercial space relationship in 2026 and beyond—I recently spoke with Liz Pullin, special counsel at Jenner & Block.

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I had the privilege of speaking with Dr. Brandon Thorne, the new Senior Vice President for Energy Programs at the Universities Space Research Association. With more than 20 years of leadership across nuclear science, national labs, and national security, he steps into this role as USRA sharpens its focus on advanced nuclear innovation, AI-enabled energy systems, and emerging quantum technologies. We discussed what this new era of energy transformation means for the nation and what’s next for USRA.

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With the recent passage of the 2026 NDAA, we’re digging into one of the biggest questions facing U.S. national security right now: if defense spending rises toward $1.5 trillion in 2027, what should that money actually deliver—especially for the U.S. Space Force?

My next guest argues that any meaningful boost in defense funding should prioritize the Department of the Air Force, including a Space Force that’s still young, understaffed, and working to consolidate America’s military space responsibilities.

David Deptula is Dean of the Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Power Studies. We spoke about what the ideal funding situation for the Space Force could look like.

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Beginning our show today with Kelle Wendling—an accomplished aerospace and defense executive with more than three decades of leadership experience across space systems, ISR, and government contracting.

Wendling recently joined the Board of Directors at Sidus Space, bringing a career that includes senior roles at L3Harris Technologies, where she helped lead major growth and innovation efforts supporting U.S. and international government customers.

I had the chance to ask her about her past experiences and what she thinks could be on the horizon for the commercial space industry.

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What do Olympic-level athletics and cutting-edge astrophysics have in common? Discipline, curiosity, and a deep respect for gravity. Why am I bringing that up, well I recently had the pleasure of speaking with Isabelle Connor, a senior astrophysics major whose path to studying black holes and cosmic turbulence began in elite gymnastics and an early fascination with space. Isabel is also one of those recently named Distinguished Undergraduate Awardee from the Universities Space Research Association.

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When people think about the space economy, they often picture rockets and distant planets—but none of it works without infrastructure. I was recently joined by Phil Scully, General Partner at Balerian Space Ventures, to explore how investors are building the plumbing of the new space economy.

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Space is getting more crowded—and sometimes, objects go missing. But there is at least one way of finding lost space junk. I recently had the chance to talk to Jeff Shadix, Vice President of Space Surveillance and Systems at Slingshot Aerospace, about a real-world mission to track down a lost Russian satellite in medium Earth orbit.

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