Planetary Radio: Space Policy Edition

The Planetary Society

The politics, policy, and history behind space exploration.

  1. Jul 3

    What's going on with commercial space stations?

    Clayton Swope, deputy director of the Aerospace Security Project and senior fellow at CSIS, joins the show to break down NASA's rocky path toward a commercial replacement for the International Space Station.

    What's going on with commercial space stations?

  2. Jun 5

    A proposal to stifle American science

    Casey Dreier is joined by Liz Ginexi, a former Program Officer at the U.S. National Institutes of Health, to break down a 400-page proposed rule change from the U.S. Office of Management and Budget that could fundamentally reshape how the federal government manages scientific grants.

    A proposal to stifle American science

  3. May 1

    Why humans matter — The philosophy of Artemis II

    Casey Dreier, chief of space policy at The Planetary Society, sits down with Rebecca Lowe, philosophy senior fellow at the Mercatus Center at George Mason University, to explore why human presence in space is so different from robotic missions, and why that difference matters.

    Why humans matter — The philosophy of Artemis II

  4. Apr 3

    Return to Launch — Cape Canaveral's unlikely history

    Casey Dreier, chief of space policy at The Planetary Society, sits down with Stephen C. Smith, author of Return to Launch and Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex communicator, to explore how a remote Florida peninsula became the heart of U.S. spaceflight.

    Return to Launch — Cape Canaveral's unlikely history

  5. Mar 6

    Is there really a space race between the US and China?

    Casey Dreier, chief of space policy at The Planetary Society, speaks with former NASA strategic advisor on China, Patrick Besha, about China’s long-term space strategy and what real competition in space may look like in the decades ahead.

    Is there really a space race between the US and China?

  6. Feb 6

    What a NASA Authorization bill actually does

    Chief of Space Policy Casey Dreier and Director of Government Relations Jack Kiraly break down what NASA authorization bills actually do and why these laws matter for long-term U.S. space policy, from science missions to human spaceflight and planetary defense.

    What a NASA Authorization bill actually does

  7. Jan 2

    Change for the Sake of Disruption at NASA

    After DOGE cuts, mass staff departures, and a blink-and-you-missed-it pivot to Mars, how much did NASA actually change in 2025? Space Policy Online founder Marcia Smith returns to assess a turbulent year.

    Change for the Sake of Disruption at NASA

  8. 12/12/2025

    The Moral Case for Space Science

    Why do we explore space? In this Space Policy Edition rerun, Casey Dreier speaks with philosopher Dr. J. S. Johnson-Schwartz about why space science is a moral obligation, beyond economics or prestige.

    The Moral Case for Space Science
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The politics, policy, and history behind space exploration.

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