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space jam!<br>Jul 10, 2026

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We are Rebecca, Max, and Aakrith. We are researchers at The Mercatus Center, a research organization dedicated to classical liberal ideas. Rebecca is a philosopher, Max is an economist, and Aakrith is a political scientist. Together, we are the Space Team, and this is our Substack.<br>We’re here to persuade you that space policy is increasingly important. And that getting space policy right offers humankind astonishing opportunities. In particular, we’re currently thinking hard about innovation, competition, federalism, property rights, and life in space.<br>Here’s what you can expect, if you subscribe:<br>Every Tuesday morning: a ‘top three things to look out for this week’ piece, written by Aakrith or Max

Every Friday lunchtime: an op-ed or short piece of policy analysis, written by one of the three of us

At least once a fortnight: a longer-form piece, written by one of the three of us or an exciting guest writer

At least once a month: a quick ‘five questions’ interview with a leading space expert

Occasional extras!

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more about us!

Rebecca Lowe is Philosophy Senior Research Fellow at the Mercatus Center. She writes the philosophy Substack the ends don’t justify the means, hosts a podcast called Working Definition, and is working on two books, Freedom in Utopia and Speaking Freely. She has a PhD in political philosophy from KCL, and degrees from Cambridge and Birkbeck. Before Mercatus, she worked at various UK think tanks and for an investment company. She often writes about space, and until recently served as Consulting Space Philosopher at the strategic space advisory firm AstroAnalytica. Her space publications include an article on the value of space activity for Economic Affairs, a follow-up piece for the American Philosophical Association on the value of private space activity, and a viral paper on lunar property rights for the Adam Smith Institute. Other recent highlights have included appearing twice on the Planetary Society’s podcast, and giving a keynote talk for the Flight Software Workshop at APL.<br>Aakrith Harikumar is Space Policy Research Fellow at the Mercatus Center, where he specializes in the international political economy of space, and security and defense policy. He holds an M.A. in International Relations from the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS). His master’s thesis compared the institutional governance practices of NASA and the Indian Space Research Organization. He enjoys exploring big questions about how governments and private companies work together, how institutions shape innovation, and how countries compete and cooperate in emerging technologies. Among other languages, he speaks Hindi and is currently learning Mandarin. His writing on Space Jam will range from lunar governance to great-power competition to the culture of exploration.<br>Max Harden is an incoming Research Fellow and Emerging Scholar at the Mercatus Center, where he will specialize in state-level space policy and space environmentalism. He’s interested in how state and local governments can support dynamic labor and capital markets for the space industry. He recently graduated from Florida State University with a bachelor’s degree in economics and philosophy. His undergraduate thesis examined state aerospace labor markets across major hubs, showing how local institutions contribute to employment growth. Prior to his current role, he worked on Mercatus’s Labor Policy Project under Liya Palagashvili, and as a space philosophy intern to Rebecca Lowe. He has also worked as a research assistant at Florida State’s Devoe Moore Institute and the Institute for Governance and Civics, where he focused on Florida’s labor markets and on aerospace policy.

Thanks to gpt for the metro picture!

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