The Biden administration held its first National Space Council meeting last week. Chaired by Vice President Kamala Harris, the group of cabinet members and space policy stakeholders helps steer the White House’s space policy aspirations.
This first meeting in Washington, D.C. focused largely on space junk and climate change. We’ll speak with Space Policy Online editor Marcia Smith about the administration’s space agenda and the path forward for President Biden’s space program.
Then, space junk caused by a Russian anti-satellite missile test forced space station astronauts to shelter in their docked spacecraft. While Russia downplayed the risk of the test, the U.S. government condemned the action.
It’s the latest space-based event highlighting important ethical issues when it comes to the use of space and militarization of low-Earth orbit. To talk more about these questions we’ll speak with Brian Green, director of technology ethics at the Markkula Center for Applied Ethics at Santa Clara University and author of the book Space Ethics.
