Sam Wilson
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spacenukesam.bsky.social
Sam Wilson
@spacenukesam.bsky.social
Space and nuke analyst at the Center for Space Policy & Strategy at the Aerospace Corporation, Spanish soccer aficionado
Reposted by Sam Wilson
Der Krieg in der Ukraine macht deutlich, wie stark moderne Verteidigung von Fähigkeiten im Weltraum abhängt. @julianasuess.bsky.social @swp-intsecurity.bsky.social und @spacenukesam.bsky.social erläutern die Ambitionen Polens, im All aktiver zu werden.
www.swp-berlin.org/publikation/...
Polen als aufstrebender Weltraumakteur
Der Krieg in der Ukraine hat deutlich gemacht, wie wichtig weltraumbasierte Kom­munikations- und Aufklärungsdienste für die eigene Verteidigung...
www.swp-berlin.org
September 5, 2025 at 11:26 AM
Reposted by Sam Wilson
🇵🇱🚀 Today @swp-berlin.org published @spacenukesam.bsky.social and my assessment on Poland as an emerging space actor. This is the German version, placed in the context of wider European capabilities.
Polen als aufstrebender Weltraumakteur
Der Krieg in der Ukraine hat deutlich gemacht, wie wichtig weltraumbasierte Kom­munikations- und Aufklärungsdienste für die eigene Verteidigung...
www.swp-berlin.org
September 5, 2025 at 2:02 PM
Reposted by Sam Wilson
Amidst the possible kerfuffle with USSPACECOM being shipped to Alabama, I happened to be reading @spacenukesam.bsky.social 's excellent report on the FY2026 funding for USSF. Congress/WH poured in billions more into ISR for tracking mobile targets. csps.aerospace.org/sites/defaul...
September 2, 2025 at 3:05 PM
Excited that our defense space budget paper is out, which covers the budget dimensions of Golden Dome as well as of other space priorities of the administration. Hope it’s of interest!
csps.aerospace.org/papers/fy-20...
FY 2026 Defense Space Budget: Emergence of Golden Dome | Aerospace Center for Space Policy and Strategy
How does the new missile defense-focused Golden Dome project, arguably the most important development affecting the defense space budget since the inception of the Space Force, alter the level of reso...
csps.aerospace.org
August 6, 2025 at 9:27 PM
For folks interested, our panel on space-based NC3 from Carnegie’s nuclear conference is up featuring @sipri.org’s Nivedita Raju, Pete Hays, and @nktpnd.bsky.social.

m.youtube.com/watch?v=If_1...
Changes to Space-Based Nuclear Command and Control, and Its Implications on Escalation in Space
YouTube video by Carnegie Endowment
m.youtube.com
June 17, 2025 at 6:13 PM
Reposted by Sam Wilson
Poland’s growing role in Europe is coupled with a strong desire to grow its space program, presenting both economic and defense opportunities for both the US and Europe who should seek integration & interoperability, argue our @julianasuess.bsky.social & @spacenukesam.bsky.social @Aerospace 9/10
Poland: Country Brief | Aerospace Center for Space Policy and Strategy
Poland is seeking to expand its space activities. How can the United States benefit from a more mature Polish space program?
csps.aerospace.org
May 15, 2025 at 8:37 AM
Had a terrific time moderating a session on space-based nuclear command and control at Carnegie’s biennial #nukecon. Thanks to our impressive panelists, Peter Hays, @nktpnd.bsky.social, and Nivi Raju, for a rich conversation and to the organizers for putting on a great conference.
April 24, 2025 at 10:45 PM
Reposted by Sam Wilson
@aaronbateman.bsky.social covered the same dynamics from the 1980s excellently in his book on SDI. Recommended reading, it's open access too, so no excuses to not read the digital edition! It's the same strategic problems, same political discourse nonsense.

mitpress.mit.edu/978026254736...
Weapons in Space
A new and provocative take on the formerly classified history of accelerating superpower military competition in space in the late Cold War and beyond.In Mar...
mitpress.mit.edu
January 29, 2025 at 11:45 AM
Happy to speak with Courtney Albon at Defense News for this piece. Based on the unclassified budget, which accounts for nearly 80 percent of Space Force’s budget, the service has mostly focused on proliferation for protecting its spacecraft. www.defensenews.com/space/2025/0...
Money, Musk and mission creep: How Trump could shape DOD’s space drift
The path to a larger Space Force budget isn’t clear — even as Trump, who oversaw the creation of the service, prepares to take office in the coming weeks.
www.defensenews.com
January 3, 2025 at 4:43 PM
Spoke to Mike Brest at Washington Examiner about counterspace challenges. As I noted to him, a primary way in which DOD has been responding to space threats is through proliferation, as shown in the budget materials over the last three years.

www.washingtonexaminer.com/policy/space...
US adversaries shrinking the gap in space - Washington Examiner
The United States is still the top space power but its adversaries are closing the gap, according to military officials and national security experts.
www.washingtonexaminer.com
December 16, 2024 at 7:05 PM
So happy to see this debate series paper out on sustained space maneuver as part of space warfighting. This is a series we started last year and has featured impressive folks, including @katieinspace.bsky.social, @bleddb.bsky.social, @thomasgroberts.bsky.social
csps.aerospace.org/papers/exoti...
Exotic Space Warfare: Military Importance of Sustained Maneuver | Aerospace Center for Space Policy and Strategy
Given the increasing competition and emerging threats in space, should sustained space maneuver (SSM) be an essential warfighting principle for the U.S. Space Force?
csps.aerospace.org
December 12, 2024 at 5:56 PM
Reposted by Sam Wilson
Despite the disruption in South Korea last week, the country's aspirations in space remain bold, extending far beyond the Yoon administration alone. @spacenukesam.bsky.social and I wrote about opportunities for US-ROK space collaboration for the Korean Economic Institute:
keia.org/publication/...
US-South Korea Relations in Space: A New Era for Partnership - Korea Economic Institute of America
keia.org
December 10, 2024 at 4:56 PM
Reposted by Sam Wilson
It was a pleasure to be on the Downlink podcast with @spacenukesam.bsky.social to discuss US space diplomacy with South Korea. We have a paper with the Korean Economic Institute of America coming out later this week on the same topic!

You can listen here:

podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/t...
Space Competition: Trump’s South Korean Space Opportunity
Podcast Episode · The DownLink Podcast · 12/01/2024 · 34m
podcasts.apple.com
December 2, 2024 at 1:39 PM
Look forward to participating in this event on Monday
November 30, 2024 at 7:10 AM
Reposted by Sam Wilson
Ok, here is an updated version of my space policy starter pack.

Let's make #BlueSpace the best platform for space news, space econ and space law discussions.

@sharestuff.bsky.social

go.bsky.app/PRWt1qf
November 19, 2024 at 12:17 AM
Thanks to @spacenews.com.web.brid.gy for covering our recent paper. Until commercial markets fully develop, DOD may need to play a more active role with promising commercial space firms if it wants to ensure it can use those services in the future. spacenews.com/on-national-...
Pentagon sends mixed signals on space innovation
The Pentagon is putting $13 billion behind its talk of embracing commercial space, committing serious money to low-Earth orbit satellite services. This marks a dramatic increase in spending on comm…
spacenews.com
November 18, 2024 at 4:58 PM
Had a great conversation about US-ROK space cooperation today at the Korea Economic Institute. Here’s the link for folks who are interested: keia.org/event/broade...
Broadening the Alliance: New Frontiers in US-South Korea Cooperation - Korea Economic Institute of America
Please join KEI on November 13, 2024 at 10 AM ET for a discussion on new frontiers in US-South Korea cooperation.
keia.org
November 13, 2024 at 9:25 PM
Reposted by Sam Wilson
More details on the history of this (and other space regulatory reform issues) can be found in our chapter in Space Agenda 2025: https://buff.ly/4hk71HH
Space Regulatory Reform Is a Wicked Problem Still Worth Tackling | Aerospace Center for Space Policy and Strategy
Space regulatory reform is an urgent issue with many challenges. How can the next administration make progress toward change?
csps.aerospace.org
November 12, 2024 at 4:58 PM
Reposted by Sam Wilson
Come intern with us! The Aerospace Corporation Center for Space Policy & Strategy is looking for three graduate interns to join us for summer 2025 for paid positions in space policy and strategic foresighting. Apply here:
2025 Space Policy Graduate Intern
The Aerospace Corporation is the trusted partner to the nation’s space programs, solving the hardest problems and providing unmatched technical expertise. As the operator of a federally funded…
buff.ly
November 4, 2024 at 3:58 PM
Space folks, we released our space agenda series with 16 different chapters on a variety of pressing space policy issues. Here’s one I contributed to on the tenuous financial footing of many commercial space firms and how DOD should respond: csps.aerospace.org/papers/lever...
Leverage and Preserve: Need for DOD to Strengthen Support for U.S. Commercial Space | Aerospace Center for Space Policy and Strategy
As the United States increases its use of commercial space assets and services, venture capital investment presents both opportunity and challenge. Could anchor tenancy be the answer?
csps.aerospace.org
November 9, 2024 at 4:38 AM
Reposted by Sam Wilson
In a nutshell: it’s far too soon, too far away from anywhere that matters, and we just don’t know enough about the Moon, and can barely manage basic exploration missions up there.
May 14, 2024 at 3:39 PM
Reposted by Sam Wilson
Happy to see this out - first in a new debate series from Aerospace Corp. In this one I write the counterargument that cislunar space just isn’t militarily significant and the Lunar enthusiasts should not distract the US Space Force from Earth orbit priorities.

csps.aerospace.org/papers/high-...
High Ground or High Fantasy: Defense Utility of Cislunar Space | Aerospace Center for Space Policy and Strategy
With the Moon’s reemergence as a central topic in U.S. space policy, how will a debate on the importance of cislunar space help policymakers and non-specialists understand the potential military dimen...
csps.aerospace.org
May 14, 2024 at 3:31 PM
Oh hey BlueSky! Kota Umeda and I have an article out in Asia Policy on U.S.-Japanese security cooperation in space (specifically on missile warning). Hope it’s of interest! www.nbr.org/publication/...
Space-Based Missile Warning: An Opportunity to Deepen U.S.-Japan Security Cooperation
Japan's pursuit of its own satellites reflects, at least in part, the country’s push toward achieving a more independent capability.
www.nbr.org
January 31, 2024 at 5:05 AM
Great to talk to Christian Davies in this @financialtimes.com piece on South Korea's space program
November 16, 2023 at 7:22 PM