Rand Simberg

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Rand Simberg is an American aerospace engineer, space policy analyst, author, blogger, and commentator. He supports commercial space development, sensible regulation of human spaceflight, clear property rights in space, and a willingness to take calculated risks to expand space exploration and settlement.

Early life and education
He was born in Flint, Michigan. He earned two Bachelor of Science degrees from the University of Michigan: Engineering Science and Applied Mathematics with a focus on astronautical engineering. He later earned a Master of Science in Technical Management from West Coast University in Los Angeles.

Career
Simberg has more than 40 years in the space industry. He worked as an engineer and manager at The Aerospace Corporation and Rockwell International. Since 1993, he has been an independent consultant in space technology, commercialization, business development, regulatory policy, and entrepreneurship, focusing on commercial human spaceflight. He was an adjunct scholar at the Competitive Enterprise Institute. His writings have appeared in many outlets, and he runs the Transterrestrial Musings blog. He is active on X as @Rand_Simberg and @Simberg_Space. He has spoken at events such as the 2020 Free Market Forum at Hillsdale College, discussing space economics and market-driven development.

Publications and views
Simberg wrote Safe Is Not an Option (2013), arguing against excessive risk aversion in space policy and for calculated risk to enable progress. He has contributed to The New Atlantis on space commercialization and reform, with essays on topics like cost reductions, space vision, and property rights in space. He has written for Popular Mechanics, USA Today, National Review, Fox News, Reason, The Weekly Standard, and SpaceNews, among others. His work generally promotes private-sector innovation (SpaceX, Blue Origin) and treats space as essential for humanity’s long-term future.

Awards
In 2011, Simberg received the NewSpace Journalism Award from the Space Frontier Foundation for satirical animations critiquing NASA policy, especially the costs and delays of the SLS and Orion programs.

Personal life
He is based in Jackson, Wyoming, with homes in Redondo Beach, California, and Golden, Colorado. He describes himself as a "recovering aerospace engineer."

Legal note
In early 2024, a DC jury found him guilty of defaming climate scientist Michael Mann in a CEI column. The column compared Mann to Jerry Sandusky of climate science. The jury awarded Mann $1 in nominal damages and $1,000 in punitive damages. Mann also owes Simberg legal fees related to the case, and nearly half a million dollars to Simberg and the CEI for losing an anti-SLAPP case.