On February 13, a select group of experts, leaders, and policymakers from public and commercial space came together for the first-ever Space Leadership Forum, hosted by Aerospace's Center for Space Policy and Strategy and the Space Foundation. Their conclusions? Move fast and buy things.

The invite-only event at Amazon's HQ2 in in Crystal City, VA was conducted under Chatham House Rule, meaning the content can be discussed but not who said what. Fortunately, the collaborative environment produced a number of insights that need no individual authority to recommend them.

You can download a detailed write-up here of the topics discussed on stage and in the small, specific breakout tables. But here are a few items that stood out from the rest:

•Think commercial first. Instead of assessing whether program requirements can be met by a commercial capability, approach commercial services as the default, then augment only in areas where they fall short. Agencies should seek to replicate some of the effective practices and approaches NASA has adopted in this area, while understanding their limitations.

•Policy, processes, and authorities may not be the primary problem. The necessary national policies and acquisition processes and authorities to leverage commercial space have actually been around for decades. The bigger challenges are the culture, incentives, and enforcement of those policies that have kept the United States from implementing them. We have the tools, we just need to do the work.

•Identify, shape, and monitor signposts for a healthy commercial sector. If you can't measure it, you can't be sure you're improving it. Civil and defense agencies can help companies only if they know where and when help is needed.

There's plenty more interesting information where that came from, plus some practical next steps determined by the breakout sessions on things like supply chain resilience, competition for critical minerals, and export controls. This event was a huge success and we hope to host many more like it!