Space Policy Trends, with Jacqueline Feldscher (Payload)

What do a baseball enthusiast, a craft beer podcast host, and a space journalist have in common? A role at Payload! Today's Pathfinder podcast features a very special guest: Payload’s very own Managing Editor, Jacqueline Feldscher. Fresh out of college, Jacqueline aspired to become a sports reporter, but D.C. soon drew her into the worlds of policy, national security, and, fortuitously for us, space. After stints at renowned media organizations such as Politico and Defense One, she felt the irresistible pull of the startup world. Answering that call, she took the leap and joined Payload as a Senior Reporter to only quickly be promoted to Managing Editor. A sneak peek… Jacqueline joins Mo today to discuss a variety of key policy trends that will shape the space industry over the next few years including: The Upcoming Presidential Election Space Debris RegulationCommercial Spaceflight RegulationsThe Artemis AccordsThe Future of Space Command HQ Be sure to check out more of Jacqueline’s work by signing up for her weekly newsletter, Polaris.• Chapters • 00:00 - Introduction 00:34 - Who is Jacqueline and what do you do at Payload? 02:20 - What drove your interest in journalism? 03:38 - From sports to government & national security 06:14 - Your background prior to Payload 08:57 - Why go from established media to a fledgling startup? 10:24 - Insight into your craft 12:50 - Role of media in the space industry 14:22 - What is Polaris? 16:14 - Trends shaping space policy 18:36 - Debris removal regulation roadblocks 22:57 - Artemis Accords, more bark than bite? 26:00 - What happens if SpaceX lands on Mars? 28:15 - Commercial spaceflight moratorium 31:48 - 2024 Presidential Elections 37:08 - Do you think the battle for Huntsville is over? 38:22 - Aliens?! 39:27 - Investigative journalism in the industry 41:20 - Challenges transitioning from a senior writer to an editor of a publication? 43:14 - Favorite space topic to cover? 44:23 - Views on the Kessler Syndrome 45:35 - What do you enjoy most about Payload? 46:24 - Who's the bigger baby? 46:56 - Jacqueline's beer podcast 48:34 - Advice for aspiring space journalists • Show notes • Sign up for Polaris! — https://polaris.payloadspace.com/ Jacqueline's socials — https://twitter.com/zeno_power Mo's socials — https://twitter.com/itsmoislam Payload’s socials — https://twitter.com/payloadspace / https://www.linkedin.com/company/payloadspace Pathfinder archive — Watch: https://www.youtube.com/@payloadspace Pathfinder archive — Listen: https://pod.payloadspace.com/episodes • About us • Pathfinder is brought to you by Payload, a modern space media brand built from the ground up for a new age of space exploration and commercialization. We deliver need-to-know news and insights daily to 15,000+ commercial, civil, and military space leaders. Payload is read by decision-makers at every leading new space company, along with c-suite leaders at all of the aerospace & defense primes. We’re also read on Capitol Hill, in the Pentagon, and at space agencies around the world. Payload began as a weekly email sent to a few friends and coworkers. Today, we’re a team distributed across four time zones and two continents, publishing three media properties across multiple platforms: 1) Payload, our flagship daily newsletter, sends M-F @ 9am Eastern (https://newsletter.payloadspace.com/) 2) Pathfinder publishes weekly on Tuesday mornings (pod.payloadspace.com) 3) Polaris, our weekly policy publication, hits inboxes Tuesday (https://polaris.payloadspace.com/) 4) Parallax, our weekly space science briefing, hits inboxes Thursday (https://parallax.payloadspace.com/)