Introducing Open Lunar Foundation Fellow, Rachel Williams

Meet the Celestial Citizen-sponsored fellow from the latest OLF research cohort!

Nov 11, 2022

Greetings Celestial Citizens,

Recently, we announced the exciting news that Rachel Williams will be Celestial Citizen’s first sponsored Open Lunar Foundation Fellow!

Rachel is an operations and policy strategist working at the intersection of technology, policy, and discovery. She has been involved in the early stage development of commercial space startups, social good initiatives, and grassroot non-profit organizations. With a background in policy and advocacy, Rachel is passionate about building companies and programs with effective teams and deep missions. She is currently working at The Launch Company, making access to space cheaper, faster, and more reliable through automation and process.

We’re honored to support Rachel and her work at Open Lunar Foundation! And for the benefit of our subscribers, we sat down with Rachel to get better acquainted with her and her work. You can check out our conversation below…

Interview with Rachel Williams (Open Lunar Foundation Fellow)

When did you know you wanted to work in the space industry?

I sort of stumbled into the space industry when I joined The Launch Company, my current company. I did not have a strong science background growing up, so unlike many children, my deep enamor with space came in my later teenage years.

When I first started working in space, I wrote myself off as being substantially valuable because of my lack of industry background. Over the past years, I’ve realized I was incredibly incorrect with my assumption and now hold a leadership role in the space. Space needs people with burning curiosity and diverse backgrounds to question the status quo and accelerate the industry. We’ve all got something to contribute - space is for me, you, and every living being.

Why did you decide to apply for the Open Lunar fellowship?

In the past year, I read the book Doing Good Better by William MacAskill which focuses on strategically making the largest impact in the world at an individual level, for the sake of long-term humanity. By targeting our efforts on the most effective and critical causes, we each have an enormous power to make the world a better place. As we know, there are only a number of players seriously working in the realm of space sustainability/policy.

We’ve seen the destruction that lack of enforcement has taken on our earth (e.g., climate crisis, overfishing). Life and the environment are so fragile, and it’s important we are strategic with our development of space. Open Lunar Foundation is doing that work - strategically spearheading a peaceful, cooperative future on the Moon for all life through.

Tell us about the project you plan to work on.

I am working to develop the concept of a Lunar Registry. Currently, there is no authoritative way to track objects and activities which take place on the lunar surface. As traffic increases to and on the moon, a registry of lunar missions, objects, and activities is pivotal for safe coordination between different actors. The Registry will provide information that prevents conflicts and promotes transparency and collaboration as core values for the Lunar community. This Registry will be accessible to humans and machines with multi-stakeholder development.

From your perspective, what is the biggest challenge we’re facing right now as we enter the next phase of human space exploration? How should this problem be tackled?

We need more open collaboration between private companies and governments. Space is far too challenging to pursue alone, and we are doing humanity a disservice by working in secret / not collaborating between private companies and governments. In order to really succeed we need collaboration to create standards, policies and precedents. Collaboration can significantly lower the barrier to access to space.

What do you hope to do with your career?

I strive to make the largest impact in the spaces I work in. I think of myself as a ‘builder’ and wish to continue to build people, companies, systems, and programs that will better humanity’s long-term future.

Have your experiences working with nonprofits shaped your perspective on humanity’s future in space? If so, how?

Absolutely. Nonprofits often exist because of a problem and can mobilize with the aim of solving some of the most critical issues that humanity faces today. They can bring together a variety of actors that might not else come together for the sake of the mission. Some might be referenced as the greatest example of human cooperation for the sake of good. Space actors need to be mobilizing on issues to ensure humanity’s sustainability, and ethical, and long-term presence in space. We are seeing these efforts with organizations like Open Lunar and Breaking Ground Trust, and I am excited for the industry to continue to collaborate in creative ways.