SPP1 - Bryce Kennedy
Transcript
[00:00:00] Andy: Hello, space policy enthusiasts Welcome to the Space Policy Pioneers Podcast. My name is Andy Williams and I'm the Director of Science in Space, a niche space policy consultancy firm. On this podcast, we'll talk to leading space policy experts and hear their informative and inspirational career stories to help you, the listener, learn about the different career paths in space policy and the skills you need to be successful.
If you enjoy this podcast, please help us by leaving a five star rating on your favorite podcast platform and sign up for more information and career resources at www. scienceinspace.co.uk. One final note before we begin, all guests are talking in their personal capacity and are [00:01:00] not representing any official position of their former or current employing organization.
This podcast is for informational purposes only and is not legal or investment advice.
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00:01:16] Andy: Our guest today is Bryce Kennedy. Bryce is currently an adjunct professor at the New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology. And the president of the Association of Commercial Space Professionals, ACSP, a US based non profit aiming to democratize access to space by educating professionals and removing regulatory barriers to entry.
Bryce, welcome to the Space Policy Pioneers podcast.
[00:01:44] Bryce: Thank you so much, Andrew. It's great to be here.
[00:01:47] Andy: Bryce, so you've recently started the Association of Commercial Space Professionals. So can you talk us through the reasons of how that came about and what are the specific problems the organization is [00:02:00] seeking to address?
[00:02:01] Bryce: Sure. So it really started when I was working at a space startup law firm called Aegis Space Law. And one of the things that they focused on just in their own business model was helping startups navigate regulatory hurdles. And what we were seeing was that while it's very profitable from a legal standpoint, it's really crippling. These regulatory barriers were crippling commercial space. Especially with the startups and so we came up with this idea of what if we started training companies on the basics of regulatory frameworks so they didn't necessarily need to hire us and other law firms for the early stage type things.
And Air Force Research Labs came to us, too, because they were seeing a lot of their startups that were getting the SBIR, STTR awards fail because they didn't understand how to navigate, again, the regulatory landscape as [00:03:00] well as government contracting.
And so we said, sure, let's try it. And we put up this boot camp, the first space regulatory boot camp, where we consolidated all this information. We got subject matter experts from around the industry who were extremely kind to come in and donate their time and their effort for this untested type of thing.
Well, it turned out to be a huge hit. We branched off, separated from the law firm completely. We are now a 501 C3 organization. I'm president. I'm no longer working for the firm and we decided to broaden the mission because we saw that unless people have access beyond just law firms to this information, they understand how to navigate it, commercial space isn't going to work. And yeah, that's where ACSP was born. It's only about nine and a half months old and already we’ve become a pretty well known global entity.
[00:03:51] Andy: Yeah. Excellent. So from the perspective of, let's say a small space startup in the US[00:04:00] they're looking to launch a small payload on a rocket. Can you just quickly cover some of the steps that they would have to take and just to help us understand, you know, why is that so difficult?
[00:04:12] Bryce: Yeah. Depends where the startup founders and team are coming from. If they're engineers, what we see with engineers typically is they just focus on the tech because they're obsessive about the tech because space is so hard and you have to be obsessed with that. Or if they're startup founders that kind of, that come from Silicon Valley mindset where traditionally they don't have the regulatory burden that they normally would in their business plan and their operating budget. So when they get to space and they have this, all of a sudden they have all these different entities where they need licensing, they need permissions,
they need authorization, they need all these different steps.
So for an example, say a company wants to do a satellite, they might need an FAA part 450 license. They need a part 25 license from the FCC. [00:05:00] They might need no authorization. They might need export control. Then, regulation, they might need to know if they're follow under the ITAR or the EAR.
They might need to do an environmental impact review from the EPA. So also the coordination with the ITU, International Telecommunications Union. There are so many different agencies that go into this where so many people are just focused on the tech and how does it survive in space and do what it's supposed to do.
That all of a sudden there's, it's almost like an entire other business that exists within it that needs to be stood up to operate in space with the current regulatory regime.
[00:05:38] Andy: Just for the non US listener, I mean, you've essentially listed off all the agencies in the United States which oversee various parts of the space regulation system. And yeah, it is very complex. So, you know, from my perspective, I've been looking at this from the astronomy side, looking at [00:06:00] the regulatory agencies that we need to advocate for to protect dark and quiet skies.
And, it is a extremely dense landscape. It's very opaque. It's hard to understand. You can't really just go onto the Federal Communications Commission, the FCC's website, and get a sort of easy how to guide of all the different steps that you need to take. So yeah, I get it.
It is very challenging. And you mentioned about ITAR. Could you just talk a little bit about that?
[00:06:36] Bryce: So that falls under the Department of State and it falls under the export regime. And one of the things is, so it stands for International Traffic and Arms Regulation. A while ago, before really commercial space stood up in the U.S., rockets and satellites were seen as weapons.
And so they fell under the ITAR. And there were really strict rules on whether you could export [00:07:00] parts, blueprints, it's a broad landscape, to other countries. It has been softened a little bit where now things fall under the EAR, what we see with the EAR is it's a much lesser standard for export regime if you want to export things. So ITAR is this whole beast and ITAR doesn't just apply to space or EAR. Let me just say that like this, export controls don't apply just to space. It's pretty much everything; it's if you want to ship any type of export. The US has a very very very strict regime on that and what we're seeing right now is a lot of countries that want to do business with the U.S. are prohibited or they don't know how to navigate it. And so they go to other countries. And so while we're trying to protect our IP, we're trying to have security measures in place and all this other stuff, we're also putting a stranglehold on our own commercial industry through [00:08:00] these mechanisms.
And so there's a big debate right now. What needs to be classified under these things? Is it really a weapon? Is it really going to impact security? Is it that, that, that, that, that, that, and yeah, so there's a big dispute over that right now.
[00:08:14] Andy: Okay, so we're seeing some general trends in the space sector at the moment, right? So the launch costs are going down, space is becoming more accessible, and there's more and more companies with some really fascinating and interesting ideas for space projects. So it's no longer the domain of, the large let's say, traditional, U.S. companies.
So is it the case that, I mean, these larger companies they have a lot more resources to be able to navigate the regulatory system. Whereas if you're a startup you have a much smaller team of people and you might not necessarily have the expertise on board.
[00:08:55] Bryce: Yeah, exactly. And I mean, these larger teams also have [00:09:00] lobbyists. They have the smartest minds they can poach from government agencies that help write these regulations. They are definitely leaps and bounds ahead of startups. Also to your point, what you said earlier, someone can't necessarily go on the FCC website and understand how to do a license.
The licensing application itself is very difficult. And what these behemoth companies are doing is, like I said, they're poaching from the people that helped write them, that have this industry knowledge that have been doing it for 20, 30 years. And so they can navigate that a lot. The problem is they also charge, you know, upwards of $2,000 an hour for a startup right now that, I mean, that's virtually impossible for them to do that.
And that's why ACSP was really developed to help bring that information that's predominantly behind a paywall forward. So at least they have a headstart to understand at a basic level where this information exists, how to navigate it. I think go from there.[00:10:00]
[00:10:00] Andy: So this is the space policy podcast. We're trying to help people who want to have a career in space policy, which we can also broaden to include space regulation and space law. So obviously the ACSP is really supporting this mission. So could you tell us some of the key offerings that the organization has and what's in the plan for next year or this year even, because we're now in 2024.
[00:10:28] Bryce: I appreciate you asking. We have our, foundational bootcamp again. It's in Albuquerque, March 4th through the 7th. The first day is really focused for students. So we're going to go a little bit broader. We have Michelle Hanlon from Ole Miss and for all mankind, just a powerhouse in terms of explaining information.
She's also doing something really interesting too, that I think the listeners might be interested in. She's using the outer space treaty as a way for companies to leverage their position with federal agencies. So I've heard most arguments and discussions and trainings for most space law policy things, but I haven't heard that one.
So anyway, that's our bootcamp, where we got started. And we're going to focus on export controls, telecoms and government contracting, including cybersecurity. What we found is those are the big three that really if a person or a company can get down there, you're super ahead of the competition and all the headaches.
So that's where we're leveraging those trainings. On top of that, we're doing a lot of research. We're starting to have white paper initiatives, advocacy. The big thing again is we're here to remove the barriers to entry. We want everyone to have a place in space and we're starting on the regulatory front because that's kind of our wheelhouse.
But we also have huge student initiative that's being built out as well, where we're working with schools, to the point of your podcast where we can [00:12:00] start laying out blueprints with organizations of what a potential pathway into space would look like. So that's the other big portion that we're doing right now.
And we also offer membership with a ton of offerings from a lot of different organizations.
[00:12:17] Andy: Yeah, that sounds excellent. And so you have this qualification, the commercial, sorry, what's it called?
[00:12:23] Bryce: The CSRP, the commercial space regulatory professional. Yeah. We try to, we try to use as many words as possible anytime we're describing, such a legal move. Yeah, and that, that was born from the first boot camp. It's a very difficult exam and the reason we made it so difficult. So the certification has some teeth.
If you are able to pass that, you're going to have a really good handle on the information. Eventually what we're doing is we're building out different levels of that certification, kind of like a project manager, a PMP type certification, where we're banking on it having[00:13:00] some real power within the industry itself.
We're not there yet, but the more and more we continue these bootcamps, this is our third bootcamp. The more than we'll, I think we'll really be able to get to that.
[00:13:11] Andy: Yeah. And there's one thing that I personally really like is the ACSP newsletter, so you're publishing, is it a monthly space policy newsletter? And I think, and I'll put this in the show notes for the listeners to subscribe, but I think it's a really succinct digest and it's got this fantastic section, which tells you what you need to know.
Which is a good resource.
[00:13:35] Bryce: Yeah. Will Lewis, one of the attorneys who does FCC licensing and Morgan McKelvey, they both put a tremendous effort on this. We were debating whether we could increase the cadence, but right now it's such an undertaking because to your point, it is succinct.
We're looking for the most bang for your buck, even though it's free, where people can click on this and, you know, every company [00:14:00] should check this newsletter out because it'll really help position them for success and every person too.
[00:14:08] Andy: So who are some of the clients that you've had on your courses and who is engaging so far and what's the reception been like?
[00:14:18] Bryce: Well, that was the thing. We were really nervous because these trainees, they could potentially be quite dry they're regulatory but when we got former head of commerce under space commerce Kevin O'Connell and Karen Shenowork, formerly SpaceX, Steve Shin, deputy CFO of NASA.
We had all these speakers that started pouring in because they're so tired of seeing companies fail their own companies, failure, from all these fronts where they're like, we are going to donate our time and do this. And that really, that in the educational portion, because again, this information doesn't exist.
There is no training on the regulatory front that we can find. And so, we saw a huge amount of attorneys. We saw law [00:15:00] students. The other thing we saw that was really surprising were a lot of business development people. But it does make sense because you can't escape these regulations.
Pretty much no matter where you are in the organization at this stage, you can't escape the regulations. You have to have some little kind of just, broader macro level, oversight of these. You know, where these things exist. And you can start to point people and ask the questions.
So we saw those, we saw a lot of government people that are doing government contracting on the other side, contracting officers. Then the other thing, which was really interesting, we saw a lot of people who had been in the industry for years, they'd worked for the Lockheeds, they worked for the Boeings.
They now are retired and now they're leading: they've been tapped to be CEOs or CFOs or COOs of these new startups, and all of a sudden the liabilities on them. And so while they had a team of attorneys taking care of it and they didn't really need to know it in these big organizations, now they're responsible for that. Like, are they gonna get [00:16:00] these licenses? And how early do we need to build the licensing structure into their business plans? So those are the crews that we're really seeing a lot of.
[00:16:10] Andy: yeah. So it's interesting. You mentioned the business development and something I always tell my mentees and the people that I'm coaching that, and I'm mainly focusing on people in space policy. But I say, okay, you really need to learn about business, about how industry works, even though it's not the core of your job it's really important to understand, the overall context in which you're operating.
And I can imagine that the exact same could apply to something like business development in a startup that you need to know the overall regulatory landscape just to make sure that your business development strategy is fitting along with the timelines and the potential obstacles that you might be facing.
[00:16:54] Bryce: hundred percent. I'm glad you suggest that. I haven't heard a lot of people suggest that. I think a lot of people try to stay in their own, you know, [00:17:00] wheelhouse. And I, again, for space, it's a beast. You know, you're gonna need to have eyes on the prize on all fronts.
One of the best decisions I did was I went back to school. I got my master's in global policy and space leadership, but it was a business degree. And so we really double down on every corner of what running a business looks like. And I have to say that was one of the most helpful things that I did. I'm not saying you need to go get a master's, but people can definitely, learn about business elsewhere,
[00:17:31] Andy: yeah. Yeah. So let's jump to that. So you've had quite a diverse and wandering career path. So can you tell us a little bit about your professional background and your journey? And what was it about the space sector that attracted you in the end?
[00:17:48] Bryce: you know, looking back on my career, I think. I'm a seeker. So one of the things I want to tell your listeners, because I know we're going to get to this question at some point, is one of the best piece of advice [00:18:00] looking back that I wish I had a mentor to tell me is you need to understand who you are in terms of your process and the way that you work and learn, right?
I'm 43. I joined the space industry around 41. It took me 41 years to get here. 41 years. And I'm not saying everyone else has to do it like that. Other people are go getters. There's a brilliant, brilliant woman named Laura Cummings. She knew exactly what she wanted, she wanted space. Bailey Reichelt, same thing; young she got in super early, she founded the Aegis Space law. Yes, they had a wandering path and all this other stuff, but for me, not the case. I and I wish I had someone that allowed me to have that space and understand my path is different than most people, different than an aerospace engineer, different than a typical attorney.
So when I started, I wanted to be an actor. That was the thing. So back in college, I had a business degree from Penn State University. Great. But all I wanted to [00:19:00] do was acting. So I went out to Hollywood. I got on a show. I had hair back then. I was in The TV show Charmed for one episode.
I got my screen actor guild card, which is a really big highlight in Hollywood. And then it didn't pan out and I decided to go to law school. Go to law school. I was sure I was going to work. I wanted to do international arbitration. I worked for the Department of Justice and the criminal division, dangerous drugs.
Anyway and we tried some really cool cases. You know, one of the biggest ones was taking down the FARC at least the head of the FARC in Columbia. But I didn't really like that. That was, it was funny because it was just business as usual. Another figurehead popped up and I was like, hey, I don't want to do this. This is thing. And then there was some ethical issues that I just didn't resonate.
And so, you know, I followed this path and I worked for a law firm. I worked on Wall Street for a while. And we worked and we defended the mortgage backed security brokers like Goldman and all those guys. And again, ethical. I was like, is this really where I want to, do I really want to defend the [00:20:00] guys who created the problem? So I quit. And I started studying more of the self. I wanted to know what made people tick. Because I'm a first principles type of guy. I like, I really want to get down to the minutiae in terms of what the problem is and what is causing it.
For the most case, everyone has the same type of thing. And so I built an executive coaching company. I worked for Boston consulting group for years and it was great. It was fantastic. I worked with high profile people. We did it all through COVID, but eventually my wife and I were at this retreat in upstate New York and I remember seeing this huge plan on the wall of one of the, I don't know, one of the people that lived there and it's called the integrated space plan.
I have it on my wall right now, and if anyone sees it, you should look at it and download it. It's from Rockwell International. It's called the Integrated Space Plan, February 1989. It is a flow chart that is just a total mess of chaos, but there were [00:21:00] some things in it that really struck me where it was sponsored by NASA and there's these different parts of it where at the bottom.
And it's a hundred year plan to put people into space at the bottom it goes, “humanity begins to transition from a terrestrial to a solar species.” On the other side, around 2038, it goes, “Gaia proliferates.” And
I'm reading these things. I was like, are these from scientists? Are these from engineers? This sounds like a sci fi type thing, but something clicked and I was like that. That's what I want to do. And I started peeling back the onion. It's okay, maybe I'll dust off my law degree even though I swore I'd never do it again. And seeing who protects space. What that looks like. And eventually, I started in LLM with Ole Miss. Michelle Hanlon became an incredible advisor to me.
Aegis Space Law brought me on for a bit. And yeah, and then I took my master's program and really just immerse myself in the industry. And now under ACSP, I get to do pretty much [00:22:00] again, what took for so many years. I get to now help people get into space, and I also get to work on the regulatory legal policy part. So it's the merging of kind of both of myselves into one.
So yeah that's my background.
[00:22:16] Andy: Well, that is an amazing story. And I really like this that you, you've tried out several different things and now you're kind of integrating all this experience into the current project. So that is amazing. So thank you for sharing that. So just a follow up question on that. So you've mentioned about the the course at Mississippi and the Thunderbird course.
On this podcast so far one of the questions always arises is, should I do a degree in space policy or space law, in order to transition into the sector? What are your thoughts on that?
[00:22:51] Bryce: So when I joined Ole Miss, it was, I hadn't been in school for decades. And. I didn't know where to begin, so I joined there. [00:23:00] I ended up not finishing the LLM because I joined Aegis and they're like, you have a job. That was my whole point, was to get a job from the LLM.
They're like, you have a job, you don't need to. I was like, okay, cool, I'll save some money. With the Masters at Thunderbird, I knew I needed a deep dive injection into the space industry on the commercial side because I have the legal background. I needed the commercial. I really wanted to go into an area that I wasn't familiar with. And so something like that was really good.
The thing that I want to make people aware of is you got to be super clear of why you're doing it. If it's for a job sometimes these programs are very difficult in terms of getting you a job and if that's the case you want to understand their alumni network.
You want to understand what the percentage of filling jobs for students. You want to understand the opportunities for internships and all these different things. You want to get super crystal clear where they have hard facts, [00:24:00] not just a bunch of fluff. And so if that's the case please do it for that reason.
However, for me, I wanted a fast, deep injection into the industry and I wanted a network. That was my thing is I needed I knew I needed a network. This was an instantaneous network. And I have to say it was probably while it was very expensive, from Thunderbird, especially that a portion of my classmates are on my board because I spent a year in the trenches with them going through one of the hardest degree programs I've gone through and I know them inside out. I know I can trust them. I know the way that they think and the fact that they're, you know, one is one star general, another guy is head of KPMG for the U.S.A partner of the U.S., another was former NASA, FAA, Boeing, And so that was really beneficial to me. But again, I didn't really have that mapped out. So that's why I say if you're going in, you got to have a really clear path, a clear understanding of [00:25:00] what you want out of it.
And it might not be the thing that they're actually selling you on. Again, if it's a network, great, love it. Then any degree really helps. You want to make sure you have enough students. You want to see the caliber of students. You want to see who they have outreach with. If it's for a job, just be very, very careful that they have a robust program to insert you into the job force. And yeah, those are the two things that I would look out for.
[00:25:25] Andy: Yeah, I think that's some good advice. And of course it depends, what stage you are in a way in your space career development. So I think if you're early career I think you have a lot more flexibility, obviously to try working in different roles at first and build up organically this networking experience.
But then for people like you who have already had one career already or two or even three, and now you're trying to move into the space sector and you know that there are more and more people like this because the space sector is pretty exciting. Then, yeah, I can see that something like the Thunderbird course is an excellent choice, [00:26:00] although, obviously I have to say that you need substantial financial resources to be able to do a course like that.
[00:26:06] Bryce: They give good scholarships though. They're still in the early stages where they give substantial scholarships to students. So I would definitely apply for those, even if you don't think you would make it.
[00:26:17] Andy: Yeah. So I'm going to put all these in the show notes just so the listeners can take a look. So where do you see the future now of Space policy and space law?
[00:26:31] Bryce: It is an uphill battle. There is no doubt because the thing is a lot of people don't understand space. And so when people don't understand space, I don't know if we don't really understand space yet, or the total impact. I mean, here's the thing, the people in space understand the impact of space and what it's capable of, but it is a small group. It is a small group, which, for all those people out there that are thinking about doing it, that's a real benefit right now that it's a small group.
Sorry, one [00:27:00] caveat back to the thing of if you're entering space, I highly recommend blindly writing to people on LinkedIn. It's how I was able to navigate. I just wrote, I read a couple books, I found a couple names and I said, “Hey, what do you think? Hey, what do you think? Hey, what do you think? What do you think?”
And people in the industry, it's still small enough and they've gone through the pains and they are passionate about space that vast majority of people will give you the time of day just to have a quick conversation or answer a quick question that will help steer your path.
It's a lot of legwork, but it is well worth it. So anyway back to the thing, I think the U. S. is trying to finally get on board. Especially at the governmental level, there's a long way to go. There's not a lot of incentive yet to move fast, especially at the government agencies.
They're getting a lot of pressure, but at the same time, there's still the issuing the licenses. So it's not enough pressure where they feel that their jobs are threatened. They're doing a lot of hard work,[00:28:00] with trying to come up with rapidly expanding technologies.
But at the same time, to me, it's not moving fast enough. I think there are a lot of people that have analyzed the outer space treaty to death, which is really great. But this is why I think people need the business background because space is commerce. Space is commerce. It's just another medium for commerce.
Just like the oceans, just like the air, just like space is commerce. And so I think. the best kind of policy in laws moving forward is having that diverse opinion where you have the humanitarian aspect, where you have the strict legal aspect, where you have the strict business aspect. If we can get those type of people on the same page to discuss where we can move forward, I'm really hopeful that we can actually make some really impactful law and policy in the future.
If we can't, on the negative side, my, my kind of [00:29:00] apocalyptic brain says the only way, and this is just U.S. centric because that's what I know, that we will be able to advance it quickly is through a disaster or war. Those are the two options that I see things moving quickly.
[00:29:14] Andy: You know, and there's so many new things coming that have never been before, like in space manufacturing or space tourism, space based solar power mining on asteroids, lunar resource extraction. And yeah the rule set is very, very nascent at the moment for most of these topics.
And like you're saying, the regulatory system isn't there. It's not so clear. So yeah, I'm very interested to see how the governments are adapting to these changes and creating rules that are sensible and environmentally conscious but also that are allowing the commerce, like you say, to actually go forward.
So I think it's an exciting time for sure. [00:30:00] So my next question was going to be about advice, starting along this career path, and you already started answering, saying to reach out to people in the industry. So I think LinkedIn is a really fantastic tool. I think I'm seeing that there's a kind of space community that is forming there.
So yeah for a young person starting out, reaching out to people is a good idea and I want to take this opportunity to say young people start writing introduction messages in your connection requests because when you're a busy person and you have, 500 connection requests gets a bit difficult.
And the worst that someone can say is no, sorry, I don't have time. I always respect someone for reaching out because it takes a bit of bravery to do that. So yeah, I think that's a good piece of advice. So what other advice could you share to the space policy [00:31:00] enthusiast listening?
[00:31:01] Bryce: So let's just say from the legal standpoint, I think one of the things that you could really hone in on is understand what make real quick side note. I remember when I was in law school. I was like, I want to work for Hollywood again. It couldn't drop this acting thing. I want to work for Hollywood and I want to be a Hollywood agent and a Hollywood lawyer.
So I took this class on entertainment law. You know what it was just contracting law. It was just, it was the same. It was, it had a shiny coat on it, the veneer that made it look like it was something, it was just, it was contract law. Space is the same way. It might have a shiny veneer from a legal standpoint and all this other stuff, we could say space lawyers and all. But, right now it's the same type of laws that make everything terrestrially move as well. So to do that, I scream from the mountaintops. You want to look at where the broadest intersections are. So export controls, if you want to know [00:32:00] that, look at ITAR, EAR, learn that inside and out.
You become invaluable. you'll become invaluable. You could work probably for any space company. It is hard. I gave up on it. If you were, earlier in the podcast, my, my rambling about it wasn't too cohesive because I dipped my toe in and it was just too much. I was like, I'll leave that to the pros, but if you can get good at that, great.
Telecon, licensing, know that inside out, start to go down that rabbit hole. Who are the best? When I was brought on to Aegis, they were like, Hey, maybe you can be our FCC attorney. I was like, sure. I'm an attorney. I can figure out how to do that. No way. It was an obscene undertaking. And I was looking for a mentor to help to guide me and I ended up finding my replacement, Will Lewis, who writes the newsletter. He had been in the FCC for years and worked on Amazon, all these things, but he had a decade of experience under his belt. It's not something you could just jump into. So those are the type of things I really encourage people right now.
The space industry, I don't think [00:33:00] is strong enough necessarily to focus solely on space. So look for that kind of hybridization where a degree can go both ways That can work terrestrially as well as space oriented. And then for non space people, this is the thing I'm seeing to for people that are transitioning, say, from a strong sales background, a strong marketing. The space industry, they need to be educated that you don't have to have worked in space to be a good marketer, you don't have to work in space for 20 years to be a good salesperson. Sales is sales. Marketing is marketing. You just need to understand the product. We're all humans. We could figure it out. This isn't, partly rocket science, but for the most part, we can figure it out.
And so one of your jobs if you're in a transition phase with a set of skills that you want to go into the space industry is educating the potential hiring manager of why these set of skills are complimentary to the industry. We just hired a fundraiser and, a few people on the board were [00:34:00] asking; you have only fundraised in the arts.
How's that complimentary to space? How will that work? Which is a fair question. And her answer was great. Everyone wants to make an impact. Everyone wants to be inspired. Everyone wants to believe that they're making a change. Everyone wants to have an effect.
And so we're just taking basic human things. Space is no different. Sure, she has to learn the space industry and all this other stuff, but that root and understanding of humans translates across the board. So that's what I always tell people. You're going to have to educate a lot of people in the industry of why your skills are compatible. The last thing I want to say is when I was teaching a bunch of engineers some space law and policy, you want to be careful with your educational background and kind of the myopic view a lot of institutions ingrained in people like, Oh, this is the only way that you can do X, Y, Z.
So here in New Mexico, a lot of the institutions are like, you should only work for the laboratories. We have a few national laboratories in the Los Alamos. [00:35:00] And. I brought on Megan Crawford from Space Fund to come to these engineers and be like, “hey, you guys are young, you don't have a ton of debt, you can eat ramen, you could sleep on couches. Work for startups! They are dying for engineers.” And this is something that they hadn't heard. And she's like, you're not going to make money. You're going to have to, you know, suffer through the Gronk, but you will have more training, more experience in two years than if you got that cushy job and have the earning potential vastly greater than if went in at $150,000 or whatever it is, and then it's slow increments up. And so those are the other things.
Though, the greatest thing I heard from someone is offer them something. I remember when I first started in the industry, I called up NanoRacks, not called, I LinkedIned them. And I wrote, I go, I will sweep your floors if I can help put a commercial space station into space. And [00:36:00] I went to, and it was great. The CEO forwarded me on to the legal guys and forwarded me on to this, that, that thing. It never worked out, but just that thing. It's I will do whatever. I will clean your shoes. It's a bit exaggerated, but have an offer where it'll benefit them. And you'll get a lot of traction, actually, if you're at that stage.
[00:36:20] Andy: Yes. I think particularly with the smaller companies. Like you say they tend to be much more flexible and open to opportunity. So if you do a bit of research and I know people have done this, they've identified a particular need for something and made a proposal and ended up getting a job based, based on their proposal. So it is really possible. Obviously you've got to do a bit of research and it's got to be a sensible proposal, but it is possible. So yeah, I think that's some great advice.
So Bryce, it's been a real pleasure talking to you. Let's wrap up here. Where do you see yourself then as part of the big picture? What's the overall impact then that [00:37:00] you want to have on the world?
[00:37:03] Bryce: My goal is to have a critical mass of people into space. I think people still think it's an either or type thing, Earth or space. To me, the absolute extreme conditions of space and the, again, I use the word obscene requirements to sustain life in space that we see with the ISS, the shuttle missions with any type of thing like that.
It's obscene. It's an obscene undertaking. But what comes from that technology will expedite any kind of technological impacts on earth. Because we had to figure it out in space, it will naturally apply to Earth and I truly believe that it will really relieve a lot of the suffering that we will see here.
And my goal is to just open that door so everyone has access to space where they belong. It is the new frontier. It is [00:38:00] opportunity at all levels, and I believe that I don't think a regulatory regime, I don't think a country, I don't think any type of hindrance should keep people from going to space.
To me also, it's an evolutionary step of humanity. The only reason we've ever evolved is because we decided to get off our piece of land and migrate. Or sail the oceans. Or learn how to fly. Space is the next evolutionary step in humanity. And so that's where I see myself and humanity at large. And it's also my wish.
[00:38:33] Andy: Well, thanks for sharing that. Very inspirational note, Bryce. It has been a pleasure to talk to you. Thank you very much.
[00:38:40] Bryce: Thank you Andrew.
[00:38:43] Andy: We hope you've been inspired by our journey through space Policy Careers on the Space Policy Pioneers podcast. If you are passionate about [00:39:00] carving your path in the cosmos, don't miss out. Head over to www.scienceinspace.co uk to explore our exclusive space policy, career coaching services, and supercharge your career today.
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Shownotes
Title: The Association of Commercial Space Professionals and Bryce Kennedy
Bio: Bryce Kennedy, Esq., Mgm., is the President of the Association of Commercial Space Professionals (ACSP), where he launched the Space Regulatory Bootcamp–training and advocating for regulatory reforms in the space industry. Before his role at ACSP, Bryce worked at Aegis Space Law as a Business Development/Regulatory Attorney, shaping regulatory strategies with key agencies in the US including the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Federal Communications Commission (FCC), and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), and influencing the strategic direction of commercial entities in the space sector. Bryce co-founded The Other 50, a corporate coaching firm known for driving growth and implementing transformative systems for clients, including the Boston Consulting Group. Academically, he serves as a professor at New Mexico Tech University, teaching space law and policy. He has a Masters in Global Management and Space Leadership from Thunderbird School of Global Management, and a Juris Doctor from The Catholic University of America, Columbus School of Law.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/brycekennedy/
Disclaimer: All guests are talking in their personal capacity and are not representing any official position of their former or current employing organization.
Episode Summary: In this podcast episode, Andy Williams, the Director of Science in Space, talks with Bryce Kennedy, the president of the Association of Commercial Space Professionals (ACSP). They discuss the importance of making understanding of the regulatory landscape more accessible in the evolving space industry, and the need for commercial space professionals to navigate complex regulations. Bryce also shares his fascinating career journey and provides insightful advice for those seeking a career in the space policy and regulatory fields. Listen in for a comprehensive exploration of the future of space access and regulatory hurdles.
01:14 Meet Bryce Kennedy: Space Policy Expert and Educator
01:45 The Birth of the Association of Commercial Space Professionals
03:50 Understanding the Regulatory Hurdles in the Space Industry
06:28 The Impact of ITAR on the Space Industry
08:11 The Changing Landscape of the Space Sector
09:56 The Role of ACSP in Supporting Space Policy Careers
17:24 Bryce's Diverse Career Path and Journey to the Space Sector
21:00 Discovering a Passion for Space
21:21 Transitioning into the Space Industry
22:26 The Value of Education in Space Policy and Law
23:17 Advice on Choosing a Degree Program
26:20 The Future of Space Policy and Law
26:48 Networking and Career Advancement in the Space Industry
27:20 The Challenges and Opportunities in Space Regulation
29:47 Career Advice for Space Policy Enthusiasts
36:39 The Impact of Space on Humanity
Links and Resources:
Association of Commercial Space Professionals (ACSP): https://acsp.space/
Aegis Law Firm: https://aegis.law/
Bailey Reichelt, Aegis Law: https://www.linkedin.com/in/baileyreichelt/
SBIR / STTR funding: https://www.sbir.gov/about
Overview of US regulatory steps for space activities: https://www.spacefoundation.org/space_brief/us-space-regulations/
US Federal Communications Transparency Initiative - started in late 2023 to increase the accessibility of regulatory information: https://www.fcc.gov/space/transparency-initiative
ACSP Bootcamp: https://acsp.space/abq24bootcamp/
Michelle Hanlon, Executive Director of the Center for Air and Space Law at the University of Mississippi School of Law: https://law.olemiss.edu/faculty-directory/michelle-hanlon/
ACSP Newsletter: https://acsp.space/newsletter/
Thunderbird School: https://thunderbird.asu.edu/degree/executive/executive-master-global-management-space-leadership
Laura Cummings https://www.linkedin.com/in/laura-cummings13/
Integrated Space Plan: https://www.spacesafetymagazine.com/spaceflight/integrated-space-plan/
