24
July 2018
Past Event
Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross and Congressman Lamar Smith on the New Era in Space

Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross and Congressman Lamar Smith on the New Era in Space

Past Event
Hudson Institute, Washington, D.C. Headquarters
July 24, 2018
Apollo 11 view of the Earth rising over the surface of the moon
Caption
Apollo 11 view of the Earth rising over the surface of the moon
24
July 2018
Past Event

1201 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W., Suite 400
Washington, DC 20004

Speakers:
Hon. Wilbur Ross

U.S. Secretary of Commerce

Hon. Lamar Smith (R-TX)

Chairman, Committee on Science, Technology & Space, U.S. House of Representatives

Earl Comstock

Director, Office of Policy and Strategic Planning, U.S. Department of Commerce

Hon. Ian Steff

Deputy Assistant Secretary for Manufacturing and Acting Assistant Secretary for Global Markets and Director General of the United States and Foreign Commercial Service

Dr. Steve Volz

Assistant Administrator for Satellite and Information Services, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce

James Uthmeier

Senior Advisor & Regulatory Reform Officer, Office of the Secretary of Commerce, U.S. Department of Commerce

Brandt Pasco

Adjunct Fellow

Kevin O’Connell

Director, Office of Space Commerce, U.S. Department of Commerce

Dr. Joe Pelton

Director, Space and Advanced Communications Research Institute, George Washington University

Maintaining U.S. leadership in the face of global competition warrants a reevaluation of the U.S. political and legal landscape governing space. On July 24, Hudson Institute was joined by the Secretary Wilbur Ross and House Science, Space, & Technology Committee Chairman Lamar Smith to discuss the Department of Commerce's evolving role in the space sector.

The web of national, regional and international institutions—organized to guide and serve an industry undergoing dramatic transformation—needs to be updated. Rising to meet this challenge, Congress and the Executive Branch have been working together to reshape the legal environment for the commercial use of outer space. Keynote addresses by Secretary Ross and Congressman Smith will be followed by a panel with senior government officials responsible for executing the reform agenda laid out by the Trump Administration.


# First video: Introduction by Hudson President and CEO Kenneth Weinstein and Keynote Address by Congressman Lamar Smith.
# Second video: Discussion with Secretary Wilbur Ross.
# Third video: Panel Discussion: Regulatory Efficacy & Efficiency in Space Commerce.

Related Events
27
January 2026
In-Person Event | Washington Convention Center
Apex Defense Conference 2026
Featured Speakers:
Bryan Clark
Nadia Schadlow
Timothy A. Walton
(US Army photo)
27
January 2026
In-Person Event | Washington Convention Center
Apex Defense Conference 2026

Apex Defense, in collaboration with Hudson Institute, will host a dynamic defense technology event that unites warfighters, acquisition professionals, startups, small and medium businesses, investors and industry leaders to tackle operational challenges from the seabed to space.

(US Army photo)
Featured Speakers:
Bryan Clark
Nadia Schadlow
Timothy A. Walton
29
January 2026
In-Person Event | Invite Only
Pax Silica: Under Secretary of State Jacob Helberg on the AI Race and Economic Security
Featured Speakers:
Jacob Helberg
Joel Scanlon
Getty Images
29
January 2026
In-Person Event | Invite Only
Pax Silica: Under Secretary of State Jacob Helberg on the AI Race and Economic Security

Please join Under Secretary Helberg and Hudson Executive Vice President Joel Scanlon for a discussion on the Pax Silicia initiative, America’s strategy to win the global AI race, and the new geopolitical imperatives of economic security and technology.

Getty Images
Featured Speakers:
Jacob Helberg
Joel Scanlon
04
February 2026
In-Person Event | Invite Only
US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer on the Future of Trade Policy
Featured Speakers:
Ambassador Jamieson Greer
Peter Rough
Getty Images
04
February 2026
In-Person Event | Invite Only
US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer on the Future of Trade Policy

Please join Ambassador Greer for a fireside chat with Senior Fellow Peter Rough on the Trump administration’s first year back in office and what’s next for US trade policy.

Getty Images
Featured Speakers:
Ambassador Jamieson Greer
Peter Rough
10
February 2026
In-Person Event | Hudson Institute
Assistant Secretary of War Michael Cadenazzi on Rebooting America’s Defense Industrial Base
Featured Speakers:
Michael Cadenazzi
Nadia Schadlow
DVIDS
10
February 2026
In-Person Event | Hudson Institute
Assistant Secretary of War Michael Cadenazzi on Rebooting America’s Defense Industrial Base

Join Hudson for a conversation with Assistant Secretary of War for Industrial Base Policy Michael Cadenazzi, who leads the DoW’s efforts to develop and maintain the US defense industrial base to secure critical national security supply chains.

DVIDS
Featured Speakers:
Michael Cadenazzi
Nadia Schadlow