Space in the Digital Era: Security, Competition, and Governance Beyond Earth

In this episode of Cache Me if You Can, we explore how space has become a central arena for geopolitical competition, economic activity, and national security in the digital age. Once dominated by government-led exploration, space, particularly low Earth orbit, is now crowded with commercial actors, new technologies, and emerging security risks that challenge existing rules and norms. Our guest, Audrey M. Schaffer, senior vice president of global policy and government strategy at Slingshot Aerospace and former director for space policy at the National Security Council, draws on her experience across the White House, Department of Defense, State Department, and NASA to unpack today’s evolving space threat environment. We discuss China’s growing space ambitions, the role of commercial satellites in modern conflict, the intersection of AI and space security, and how the United States can lead on governance, sustainability, and norm-setting to protect its competitive edge beyond Earth.