Interaction of policy choices and technical requirements for a space transportation infrastructure

Abstract This paper first presents a framework and analysis methodology for understanding the environment in which political aspects and technical aspects of politico-technical space system design interact, as well as how impacts flow from the political domain to the technical domain in this environment. Next, a space transportation infrastructure is presented, describing its elements, objectives and relevant policy directions. Then the space transportation infrastructure is analyzed according to the framework, and important insights are discussed.