Welcome to ISEC
Mission: To be the Launching Pad for your Journey to Space Applying Superior Tools for Informed Decisions
About Us
Our Mission
The journey to space begins well before launch and ISEC can be your guide through the labyrinth of international and domestic space policy and law. Drawing on 40 years of government experience in all space issues, ISEC is an advocate for building the future superhighway to space, the Moon, Mars and other celestial bodies. The superhighway is a technological, economic, and legal continuum with decision points creating new, unanticipated opportunities and ISEC will be there to assist you in making informed decisions.
Our Philosophy
The sculpture, Man and the Expanding Universe, by Marshall Fredericks, "represents this age of great interest, exploration and discovery in outer space…[and] the immensity, order, and mystery of the universe.” The work of ISEC reinforces this vision that embraces the physical dynamism of outer space and the expanding aspirations of the global community to use this realm for the betterment of life on Earth.
What Can ISEC do for You?
Provide Strategic Analysis and Guidance on:
- Civil Society's role in the global space economy
- International commercial collaboration across all aspects of the space enterprise from LEO to the Moon, Mars, and other Celestial Bodies
- Long-term sustainability of space activities
- Transparency and predictability for space operations
- International and domestic frameworks for new space commercial ventures
- Bilateral and multilateral Space Diplomacy
- Opportunities of international collaboration in a competitive environment
- Domestic and international institutions impacting the growth of the global space economy
Ken Hodgkins, ISEC President
CAREER
Ken Hodgkins is a globally recognized strategic thought-leader on international space policy and law and the application of the Outer Space Treaties to new commercial ventures. Throughout his 40 years in government service, Mr. Hodgkins has been a driving force for multilateral and bilateral initiatives focused on improving transparency, predictability, interoperability, resiliency and the safe and responsible use of space. Mr. Hodgkins brings a unique perspective to international space endeavors having dealt with every aspect of the use of outer space at the diplomatic and agency levels for economic growth, national security, scientific discovery, foreign policy and improving the quality of life for the global community.
Mr. Hodgkins has managed a vast array of civil, commercial, and national security challenges as the overall scope and nature of the space enterprise rapidly evolved. Mr. Hodgkins worked in the National Environmental Satellite and Data Service’s International Relations Office (1980-1986) and the Department of State's Office for Space and Advanced Technology, where he was Director from 2007-2020. During his tenure in State, he was the United States Representative to the UN Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space. He was a key figure in the development of U.S. national space policies and directives and diplomatic initiatives to sustain the use of the International Space Station and move human activity from low Earth orbit to the Moon through the Gateway and Artemis programs. Mr. Hodgkins conceived and established the International Committee on Global Navigation Satellite Systems (ICG), the first International Space Exploration Forum (ISEF), the Committee on Earth Observation Satellites (CEOS), and the first Space Enterprise Summit (SES). Mr. Hodgkins was the lead negotiator on international guidelines on Remote Sensing of the Earth, the Use of Nuclear Power Sources in Space,
Mitigation of Orbital Debris and the Long - Term Sustainability of the Space Environment.
Mr. Hodgkins is regularly contacted for conference speaking and by the space trade press on international space policy and law. He has been a guest lecturer at the University of Georgetown Law School, University of Nebraska Law School, the GWU Space Policy Institute, University of California Berkley Law School, the American University Law School, and the European Space Policy Institute.
AWARDS AND AFFILIATIONS
Co-Chair, Off-World Approach - Hague Institute for Global Justice
Career Member of the US Senior Executive Service
Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters - University of Maine
International Cooperation Award - American Institute for Aeronautics and Astronautics
Associate Fellow - American Institute for Aeronautics and Astronautics
Advancement of International Cooperation Award - American Astronautical Society
Award for Lasting Contributions to the Advancement of the Astronautical Sciences - International Academy of Astronautics
US Secretary of State's Career Achievement Award
GNSS Leader to Watch in 2009-2010 - "GPS World"
Member of the Hague Institute for Global Justice's Honorary Expert Panel
Member the International Board of Trustees of the International Academy
for Space Law
Member elect of the International Academy of Astronautics (IAA) and the International Institute of Space Law (IISL).