SpaceSherpa — Navigate the Future of Space
Thought leadership, interactive tools, and analytical frameworks at the intersection of space policy, AI governance, and international affairs.
50+
Publications
35
Years Experience
4
Interactive Tools
20+
Global Conferences
Dr. Nathaniel (Nate) Dailey
Chief Strategist, Space Program Development
The MITRE Corporation
Dr. Nathaniel (Nate) Dailey is a globally recognized expert in space international affairs and emerging space technologies at The MITRE Corporation. With 35 years of experience, he coined the landmark concept of the "decision-velocity dividend" and has led cislunar governance work at the 63rd UN COPUOS STSC in Vienna.
His work spans space policy, AI governance, post-quantum cryptography, orbital debris liability, and international space norms — bridging the gap between technical innovation and geopolitical strategy.
🎓 Education
- DIA — Johns Hopkins SAIS (2021)
- MIPP — SAIS (2020)
- MPA — American University (2019)
- CEA — Carnegie Mellon (2006)
- BSS — Pace University (1991)
- DLI / Army (1996)
FRAeS
Fellow, Royal Aeronautical Society
IAF TC-26
Co-Chair, Space Debris Committee
IAA STM
Committee Member
SFA VP
VP-International
Space ISAC
Board of Directors
Pi Alpha Alpha
Honor Society | CMU CEA
Signature Analytical Frameworks
Three original frameworks that define the frontier of space strategy, governance, and security — developed through decades of research, policy engagement, and technical analysis.
Decision-Velocity Dividend
A pioneering framework examining how FPGA edge AI creates a decisive competitive moat in space operations. Speed of decision-making becomes a strategic asset — the dividend earned by those who act faster than adversaries can react.
COSMIC Framework
Integrating post-quantum cryptography and Fully Homomorphic Encryption (FHE) for TraCSS — the Traffic Coordination System for Space. COSMIC addresses the cryptographic vulnerabilities of tomorrow's space data infrastructure today.
Cislunar PNT Governance
Mapping the navigation certification vacuum in cislunar space — the region between Earth and the Moon where no international authority currently governs Positioning, Navigation, and Timing. A framework for filling this critical governance gap.
Medium Op-Eds & Commentary
Most Recent First
"The $800 Million Question Nobody in COPUOS Wants to Answer"
February 2026 — A provocative examination of the unresolved financial and liability questions haunting the UN Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space.
The absence of lunar navigation governance is about to become everyone's problem — a deep dive into the cislunar PNT vacuum and its geopolitical consequences.
How economic statecraft tools — sanctions, export controls, investment screening — can be wielded to win the new space race for America.
Summary of remarks delivered at Chatham House on the shifting landscape of space governance under the Trump administration.
Proposing a bold, Reagan-inspired doctrine for space — asserting democratic values and strategic deterrence in the orbital domain.
Why a free-market space economy triumphs over state-directed alternatives — a case for commercial leadership in the new space age.
Reflections on space security and international cooperation from the Royal Aeronautical Society perspective.
Highlights from the Royal Aeronautical Society DC Chapter Space Security Summit held at the Canadian Embassy in Washington.
SFA Spacepower Magazine & Peer-Reviewed Journals
Spacepower Magazine, Spring 2025 — Analyzing the competitive dynamics reshaping the global space order and America's strategic position.
Spacepower Magazine, Pre-Event Edition 2024 — The hidden strategic moves being made in orbit, invisible to the public but decisive for national security.
SFA Magazine, Spring 2024 — Co-authored examination of safe passage norms and their application to contested orbital environments.
Peer-Reviewed: Acta Astronautica
"Moon to Mars" — Published in Acta Astronautica, the flagship journal of the International Astronautical Federation. This peer-reviewed paper addresses the governance and technical challenges of sustained human presence from the Moon to Mars, contributing to the foundational literature of deep space policy.
Interactive Web Applications
Four cutting-edge browser-based tools that make complex space data accessible, explorable, and actionable — built with technologies including Three.js, WebXR, and IGLOO.
NORMSAT
Norms Catalogue
An interactive catalogue of international space norms developed in support of IAF TC-26. Browse, filter, and analyze the evolving landscape of space behavioral standards.
Space Sherpa Cola
Conjunction Alerts
A Three.js-powered 3D visualization of orbital conjunction alerts — bringing satellite collision risk data to life in an immersive browser environment.
Van Allen Beltinator
Radiation Belts
A WebXR experience exploring Earth's Van Allen radiation belts — enabling immersive, spatial understanding of the radiation environment that threatens spacecraft.
Orbital Reckon
Debris Liability
Built on the IGLOO framework, Orbital Reckon calculates and visualizes orbital debris liability — a critical tool for policy makers navigating the Liability Convention.
MITRE Technical Publications
2024–2025
Peer-Reviewed Research
2025 Publications
Trusted Space Data — Breakthroughs in trusted space data frameworks for national security applications.
Economic Resilience — Strengthening space economic resilience against adversarial disruption.
Space Salvage — How space salvage frameworks can unlock new commercial and policy opportunities.
Cislunar Space — Protecting cislunar space and securing strategic stability through 2030.
Human Factors — Leveraging aviation safety frameworks for space operators.
2024 Publications
Circular Economy — Leveraging circular economy principles for space sustainability.
Behavioral Economics — Steering future space governance through behavioral economics insights.
Orbital Capacity — Integrating orbital carrying capacity into international policy constructs.
Climate Action — Space information sharing marketplace for climate action and sustainable development.
Cyber COI — The role of local communities of interest in coordinated space cyber threat response.
Australia — Australia's space epoch: leveraging geolocational and technological advantages.
Norms — Are we closer to international space norms than we think?
Conference Papers
Peer-reviewed technical and policy papers presented at the world's leading aerospace and space situational awareness conferences — IAF, AMOS, and AIAA.
1
IAF 2025
Digital Traceability — Traceability frameworks for space objects in the digital age.
Orbital Classification — Novel approaches to orbital regime classification.
2
AMOS 2023
AUKUS — Space cooperation implications of the AUKUS trilateral security pact.
Coordination — Multi-actor coordination frameworks for space traffic management.
3
AMOS 2022
Risk Information — Risk information sharing in contested orbital environments.
U.S.-China — U.S.-China space situational awareness dynamics.
4
AIAA 2021
SISE — Space Information Sharing Environment architecture and policy implications.
5
AIAA 2020
BESTA — Behavioral Economics for Space Traffic Awareness framework.
Speaking Engagements
Upcoming Events
01
October 5–9, 2026 — International Astronautical Congress, the world's premier space conference.
02
AMOS 2026 — Maui, Hawaii
Advanced Maui Optical and Space Surveillance Technologies Conference.
03
Veneto — Venice, May 2026
International space governance forum in Venice, Italy.
Recent Appearances
COPUOS Vienna — Feb 2026 | UN Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space
UT Austin STM — Feb 2026 | Space Traffic Management Conference
Chatham House — Feb 2025 | With Holla-Maini and van Deelen
SAIS Alumni — April 2025 | Johns Hopkins SAIS
MITRE Civil Space Summit — Annual flagship event
IAC 2024 & IAC 2022 Paris — International Astronautical Congress
AMOS 2024 / 2023 / 2022 — Maui, Hawaii
USIP, Meridian, JHU SAIS — Policy institutes and academic forums
Connect with SpaceSherpa
Reach out to discuss space policy, governance frameworks, research collaboration, or speaking opportunities. Dr. Dailey is actively engaged across the global space community.
Views expressed are his own and do not represent the positions of The MITRE Corporation or any affiliated organization. © 2026 SpaceSherpa.