Operational Arms (working notes)
Astronautica's work is distributed across three entities — a Foundation, a Cooperative, and a Ventures arm — each with its own operational focus. This page documents the arms within each entity and how they might function once activated.
The intention is for every arm to remain open, transparent, and interoperable. Deliverables, meeting notes, and tooling should default to open licenses wherever possible.
Planned arms & focus areas
🏛️ Foundation-Level Arms
Strategic, cross-cutting work that serves the entire ecosystem.
Strategic Intelligence & Foresight
Researches technology, policy, and socio-economic factors shaping cooperative launch pathways. Produces the Space Timelines and curated news.
Public Narrative & Mobilization
Crafts storytelling, outreach, and fundraising campaigns. Manages the Astronautica brand across all entities.
Regulatory Pathfinding
Explores cooperative law, space treaties, licensing requirements. Serves all entities and manages cross-entity compliance.
🧩 Cooperative-Level Arms
Member-facing activities with democratic governance. Members vote on standards and protocols.
Human Performance & Readiness
Builds physical, mental, and operational readiness programs for future crews.
Mission Logistics & Systems
Plans coordination tools, member services, and mission runbooks.
Hardware & Technical Evaluation
Evaluates hardware partnerships, open-source designs, and testing protocols.
Provides technical due diligence for Ventures.
Partnerships & External Relations
Develops relationships with launch providers, research labs, and allied cooperatives.
📈 Ventures Programs
Investment and capital activities. Autonomous on individual decisions within Foundation-approved parameters.
Pitch → Incubator → Accelerator
Full startup pipeline from initial pitch through incubation to acceleration for space-adjacent ventures.
Growth-Stage & External Investments
LP/GP fund structured around a clear thesis: fund what we'll need to buy.
Portfolio Company Grant Support
SBIR/STTR support for portfolio companies.
General research grants are pursued by the Foundation directly.
Founding committee ideas
Committees are initial working groups for each arm. Seats, mandates, and rotation schedules below are placeholders—use them to inform recruitment conversations.
| Arm | Proposed Roles | Primary Mandate | Open Tasks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Think Tank | Research Lead, Futures Analyst, Partner Liaison | Create quarterly strategic briefs and scenario analyses. | Define research scope, build citation workflow, recruit fellows. |
| Legal | General Counsel (volunteer), Policy Analyst, Compliance Lead | Draft charter language, map licensing requirements. | Engage pro bono counsel, set document repository, plan review cadence. |
| Signal & Story | Creative Director, Media Lead, Fundraising Strategist | Tell our story, mobilize supporters, produce educational content. | Outline brand voice, identify channels, design fundraising pilots. |
| Finance | Treasurer, Risk Officer, Grants Lead | Model budgets and funding scenarios, plan transparent reporting. | Select accounting tools, design dues model, document risk policies. |
| Engineering | Chief Engineer (volunteer), Systems Architect, Safety Officer | Define technical roadmap and vet potential partnerships. | List candidate technologies, create open-source guidelines, seek advisors. |
| Training | Lead Instructor, Flight Doctor, Simulation Director | Draft readiness programs and set assessment standards. | Gather existing curricula, identify facility partners, plan medical review. |
| Operations | Mission Producer, Systems Administrator, Member Success | Stand up coordination tools and support structures. | Evaluate platforms, prototype workflows, define service metrics. |
| Alliance | Partnership Steward, Diplomatic Liaison, Community Advocate | Develop relationship pipeline and joint mission opportunities. | Draft partner criteria, create outreach kit, map ecosystem. |
Rotation lengths (12–18 months) are still undecided. We need to test what cadence keeps energy high without burning people out.
Participation model (for discussion)
The matrix below is speculative. It captures how members might engage with arms and squads once the cooperative is active. Feedback welcome.
Primary Arm
FocusYour home base. You attend meetings, help build core capabilities, and steward documentation.
Secondary Arm
SupportA secondary lane where you cross-train or provide targeted help when the arm needs extra lift.
Mission Squad
DeliveryShort-term, goal-oriented teams that mix multiple arms to ship a specific outcome.
Guilds
DepthNiche groups inside arms (e.g., propulsion guild) that go deep on a topic and share knowledge broadly.
Open questions & next steps
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How do Foundation-level arms and Cooperative-level arms coordinate when their work overlaps?
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How does the Engineering arm provide technical due diligence to Ventures without conflicts of interest?
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What onboarding requirements should each entity set before taking on volunteers?
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How do we uphold open-source principles while respecting export controls, safety protocols, and Ventures' portfolio companies' IP?
Add to this list as you discover new unknowns. Documenting what we don’t know keeps conversations honest while we are still one person bootstrapping the idea.