Congressman George Whitesides, Major General Steve "Bucky" Butow, and SpaceX SVP Global Business Tim Hughes | The Final Frontier for American Power: Securing Leadership in Space

In this panel discussion at the Hill and Valley Forum, leaders from the commercial space industry and government discuss America's space superiority, with SpaceX's Tim Hughes highlighting the transformative impact of reusable rockets, Congressman George Whitesides emphasizing the need for acquisition reform and risk tolerance, and former Space Force executive Bucky discussing how economic power in space is essential for military power in space.

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@gtwhitesides (George Whitesides) @zebulgar (Delian Asparouhov)

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⁠Timestamps:

(0:00) Preview

(0:24) Applause and introduction by moderator Delian

(1:22) Discussion on the current state of commercial space activities

(3:23) SpaceX's Tim Hughes on Starship development and reusability

(5:30) Congressman Whitesides on bringing space industry perspective to Congress

(9:27) Bucky on space as a contested domain and military strategy

(12:33) Whitesides on defense acquisition reform and regulatory challenges

(15:27) Tim Hughes explaining the meaning of "commercial" in space industry

(18:55) Bucky on procurement process reform and agile development

(20:08) Whitesides on risk tolerance and development challenges in government

(22:01) SpaceX's biggest challenges as a rapidly growing space company

(23:38) Panel discussion on America's goals for the Moon and Mars

(25:20) Closing remarks