Why have the costs of acquiring space systems been so high? What are the sources of the problems? To answer these questions, RAND researchers examined the sources of cost growth of Air Force space systems and undertook an extensive study of two space systems--the Space Based Infrared System-High (SBIRS) and the Global Positioning System (GPS)--including an evaluation of their sources of cost growth, an assessment of their approaches to technical risk assessment, and an examination of their acquisition policy adaptations and industrial base environments. The researchers recommend independent program assessment for space systems that emphasizes technical and program factors, and a modified organizational structure that maintains cost analyst independence. They also summarize the cost estimating best practices of several other government organizations.

In response to historically high cost growth in the acquisition of space systems, the Under Secretary of the Air Force, in accordance with National Security Space (NSS) Acquisition Policy, directed the Air Force acquisition community to support the development of independent, accurate, and timely cost analyses to make the acquisition of NSS systems more realistic in terms of estimated costs. In turn, the former commander of Air Force Space Command (AFSPC), Gen Lance W. Lord, and the former commander of the Air Force Space and Missile Systems Center (SMC), Lt Gen Michael Hamel, asked RAND Project AIR FORCE to assess cost-estimating requirements and capabilities of SMC cost-estimating organizations as well as their resources, tools, methods and processes and to recommend an enhanced approach to cost analysis aimed at improving cost-estimating for space systems and increasing the understanding of factors that influence their cost. The study was sponsored by the former commander of SMC, General Hamel. The project technical monitor was Col Delane Aguilar, SMC/FMC. The research was conducted within the Resource Management Program of RAND Project AIR FORCE as part of a multiyear study entitled Air Force Space Systems Costs. The initial data collection was completed in May of 2006 and the final update was provided in February of 2007, with frequent updates in between. The final briefing was presented to General Hamel on March 13, 2007, and to Gen Kevin P. Chilton, the former commander of Air Force Space Command, on March 21, 2007. This monograph should interest government personnel involved in cost estimation and acquisition of defense systems, the military space acquisition communities, and those concerned with current and future acquisition policies.

Practitioners operate in a necessary reality. We work in a space where project performance is above theory or methodology. In the best environments, delivery and an affirmative culture are what matter most. In the worst, it is politics and survival. In any environment we are challenged to adopt best practices and adapt our style to the environment in which the project is occurring. This is a book about those best practices and practitioner experiences. It is a must have reference and guide book for project managers, general managers, business leaders and project management researchers. This book is the result of the hard work and dedication of more than 35 authors from more than 15 countries across four continents. It brings a diversity of experience, professional and personal. It includes practitioners, leading academics, renowned theorists and many who straddle those roles. The chapters cover experiences in software, large scale infrastructure projects, finance and health care, to name a few. The chapters themselves take many forms. Check out the table of contents to get a deeper sense of the topics included. All provide real-world guidance on delivering high performing projects and show you how to build, lead and manage high performing teams. The Practitioners Handbook of Project Performance is complete in itself. It can also be an enticing start to an ongoing dialogue with the authors and a pleasurable path to get deeper into the subject of project performance. Find your favorite place to begin learning from these chapters, to begin taking notes and taking away nuggets to use in your everyday. But don’t stop there. Contact information and further resources for this diverse team of experts authors are found throughout. The Practitioners Handbook is a modern guide to the leading edge of project performance management and a path to the future of project delivery.

This book examines transatlantic politics through an analysis of 60 years of US-European strategic interaction in space. The significance of space politics for the study of transatlantic relations receives surprisingly little scholarly attention. As a theatre of interaction, transatlantic space politics reflects the vicissitudes of European and US power in the international system. An understanding of space politics is therefore vital in understanding the status and prospect of the transatlantic order. Using established IR theories, the author investigates transatlantic space politics and proposes a theoretical explanation, which is distinct from the conventional wisdom of the transatlantic security community. More specifically, he distinguishes between the constitutive and regulatory effects of the transatlantic security community, an approach rarely employed in other research in the field. Overall, this book suggests not only that the transatlantic institutional pillar requires repair, but also that the ideational factors need to be revitalised in order to consolidate the transatlantic alliance. This book will be of much interest to students of space power, transatlantic politics, strategic studies, foreign policy and IR/security studies in general.

1. Introduction / 2. Space system fundamentals / 3. Reviewing a cost estimate / 4. Space vehicle cost crosschecks / 5. Common issues in estimating space programs / 6. Resources for space system cost estimation / 7. Recommendations.