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��ɫ��Ƶ researchers have been shaping space exploration for decades and now are expanding into space law.��

As more nations launch satellites, space probes, and military hardware into orbit, policy has become an increasingly critical field in the U.S. and beyond.��

Marcus Holzinger is a professor in the Ann and H.J. Smead Department of Aerospace Engineering Sciences and the inaugural holder of the Hatfield Endowed Professor in Space Policy & Law, a position created to shape the future of legal frameworks for space and serve as a bridge between academic research and real-world governance.

“The university brings a nonpartisan, technical perspective to the table, which is incredibly important,” Holzinger said. “When you’re talking about aircraft policy, where they fly, how high and how low, you wouldn’t want to make those decisions without anyone who knew how an airplane worked. We want to provide that necessary information to form cogent policy, but for space.”

��ɫ��Ƶ also recently created the Colorado Space Policy Center to bring together academic majors across the university and further boost research and engagement in industry, civil, and military space. It is being led by who served as director of the Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics for nearly 30 years.

“We have one of the best concentrations of space scholars in the nation,” Holzinger said. “There’s also a very large space industry here in Colorado. There are a lot of people interacting across academia, industry, and government. This is the right place, at the right time, with the right people.”

��ɫ��Ƶ already teaches non-engineering courses on space policy and has a Space Law Society for students. In addition, the aerospace department has revised its PhD practicum requirements to offer a policy option.

“Traditionally the practicum has been mentoring or teaching. We changed that so students could fulfill it by applying their technical skills to benefit society. We’ve now had students do that by interning at the state legislature, in federally funded research and development centers,
and at think tanks,” Holzinger said.

He is hoping to further integrate students into the space policy sphere. The Hatfield Professorship only began in June 2025, but Holzinger said he has already been contacted by many students interested in learning more about space policy.

“I’m really excited overall about the work being done here,” Holzinger said. “We’re drawing upon ��ɫ��Ƶ’s technical expertise and strengths to be a real center of mass and resource for policymakers, through the students we graduate and the expertise we can provide.”