ABSTRACT
Civil, commercial and military space policy must meet practical demands and requirements in the present, at acceptable cost. Having said this, the process of space policy interferes with these rational outcomes. The actors associated with space policy-making serve individual and organizational interests and goals, rather than being guided by an objective, rational standard. The process leads to space programmes and projects that are not well optimized, cost too much and are not on schedule. Herein, space policy-making is introduced and explained. The case of
national security space (NSS) policy-making is then examined through the example of the USA. Then space policy-making in the USA is assessed in the cases of export controls of commercial satellites and in the development of space launch systems. Space policy has to accommodate a broad range of perceptions and interests, from practical issues of national defence, commerce and technology, to less quantifiable characteristics, such as the contribution of space exploration and development for societal benefit and to the achievement of humanity as a spacefaring species.
