Framing Space Agenda Through Strategic Foresight

The environment that decisionmakers must navigate is fast moving and unpredictable, with complex, interconnected themes and issues. To contextualize, simplify, and focus on the highest-impact and most critical issues that the next administration should address for the space enterprise in the next four years, this introductory chapter provides a detailed issues map that outlines three key themes and, across them, 20 critically important issues, along with links to relevant content. To down-select these issues among hundreds of other important topics and policy areas, CSPS leveraged its expertise in applied strategic foresight and insights to carefully assess the highest-impact, critical pathways for action. The resulting framework offers policymakers a basis to identify, discuss, formulate ideas, and debate strategy on the most critical topics to address to chart a future for U.S. leadership in space—a blueprint for the incoming administration to best navigate issues that will have the biggest impact for U.S. leadership writ large. 

Author: Kara Cunzeman

This paper was published in Space Agenda 2025, an effort by the Center for Space Policy and Strategy (CSPS) at The Aerospace Corporation to highlight and provide insights into some of the major space challenges facing policymakers. You can read the entire list of Space Agenda 2025 papers here.