Nancy C. Wolfson

Nancy C. Wolfson is a Washington, D.C., US-based scholar, lecturer, and researcher. Over 18 years of professional managerial experience combined with her contribution as a peer-review published author in space exploration, sustainability, and planetary defense-related topics has cemented her as an esteemed personality in the space industry. She is the President of Disrupting Space, a company dedicated to developing strategies to assist enterprises in new space-space exploration-related activities. Nancy was elected Vice-Chair of the International Astronautical Federation (IAF) Technical Committee on Planetary Defense (PD) and Near-Earth Objects (NEOs) 2019-2021. She is currently the Vice-Chair of the IAF Risk Management Committee, which involves concentrated efforts toward researching space and defense activities to identify and mitigate potential threats and exploit opportunities that can assist decision-makers.

Nancy’s contribution to planetary defense and Near-Earth objects (NEOs) fields includes the implementation of new initiatives and research projects, including the founding of the IAF’s Planetary Defense and Near-Earth Object Symposium (E10), approved by 30 members of two IAF committees, the IAF bureau, and supported by larger Planetary Defense-NEO community in 2021. Nancy is the Director of the Greenbelt Observatory NEO Detection Program, which is primarily focused on fostering citizen science and engaging amateur astronomers in NEO observation efforts. Additionally, this program aims to expand its reach to multiple small-local observatories in the DMV region of the United States. Nancy is acting as an Expert-Judge for the Unistellar-SETI “Nickname and Asteroid” Program, providing formal recommendations to the International Astronomical Union (IAU) regarding newly discovered asteroids such as NEA 1999 AP10. She is a signatory of the United Nations Asteroid Declaration-100X for Asteroid Day. Nancy has collaborated with different space agency representatives and contributed to various European and US organizations like the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) to raise awareness by enhancing planetary defense and NEO content through launching Special Sessions-Round-tables, educational projects, and research/survey (with two ongoing planetary defense-research projects 2022-2025), presenting the results to UN-COPUOS, UNOOSA, Planetary Defense Conference (PDC), and others.

Nancy was recently elected Chair of the IAF Space Investment Committee, where she focuses on space sustainability, space resources utilization (asteroid mining- UN-ITU ongoing research), and public and private partnerships, providing proposals to foster the diversification of the space economy-budgets for various sectors of the space industry. Nancy has made significant contributions to the space industry through her managerial expertise, research, and educational initiatives. Traveling the world and delivering impactful lectures, Nancy has become a sought-after thought leader on a global stage. Nancy’s ability to communicate complex space concepts in an accessible manner has earned her recognition across academia, corporations, and the general public. Her commitment to continue advancing academic learning, multidisciplinary approach, and passion for advanced scuba diving has driven her success. Nancy aims to democratize access to higher learning, making space concepts accessible to all academia, corporations, and the general public.

Most Recent Publications

ILLA (THE ITALO-LATIN AMERICAN INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATION) 2nd Space Agencies Meeting
“Planetary Defense for Emerging Space Agencies” by Nancy C. Wolfson – Sao Paulo, Brazil, 2023
AEB (BRAZILIAN SPACE AGENCY) SpaceBR Conference
“Asteroid Missions Multiple Applications” by Nancy C. Wolfson – Sao Paulo, Brazil, 2023
PDC (PLANETARY DEFENSE CONFERENCE) – “Planetary Defense Lessons Learned from COVID-19”
By Patrick Michel, Côte d’Azur Observatory – Linda Billings, advisor NASA – Nancy C. Wolfson – April 2021
AGU (The AMERICAN GEOPHYSICAL UNION) “Planetary Defense and Strategic Global Cooperation”
By Nancy C. Wolfson – Chicago, Illinois – 2022
NSS (NATIONAL SPACE SOCIETY)-International Space Development Conference
LauncPad Track: “An Educational Approach to Planetary Defense to Drive Public Support” May, 23rd
Humans to Mars Track: Presentation -“Planetary Defense and Beyond” May 24th
By Nancy C. Wolfson – Washington DC, USA, 2022
IAF-IAC (INTERNATIONAL ASTRONAUTICAL CONGRESS)- Symposium E6.2 – Keynote Speaker
“New Economy for Commercial Sustainability Driving Space Resources and PPP”
By Rainer Horn, Germany – Nancy C. Wolfson, USA – Paris, France, 2022
UNOOSA (UNITED NATION OFFICE FOR OUTER SPACE AFFAIRS) 2021
“Planetary Defense Communication” – Dr. Danielle Wood, Irianna Vlachopoulou and Nancy C. Wolfson
IAF-IAC (INTERNATIONAL ASTRONAUTICAL CONGRESS) – Special Session
“Get Ready to Protect Earth, Planetary Defense in Your Hands” – Washington DC, USA, 2019
By Bill Nye, Planetary Society – Lindley Johnson, NASA – Dumitru Dorin Prunariu, Romanian Space Agency
Mariella Graziano, GMV – Nancy C. Wolfson, IAF Vice-Chair TC on Planetary Defense-NEOs
PDC (PLANETARY DEFENSE CONFERENCE) “ Planetary Defense Communication Ad-Hoc for IWAN”
By Nancy C. Woflson – Washington DC, USA, 2019

To join Nancy’s ongoing initiatives or for interviews and presentations
You can contact Nancy at: NancyPlanetaryDefense@gmail.com
Find Nancy on YouTube: Asteroid Day Event with NASA-Jeffrey Woytach and AIAA-Nancy C. Wolfson
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hJ8cnlbL5l8
Find Nancy on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nancycwolfson/
Find Nancy at the IAF: https://www.iafastro.org/biographie/nancy-wolfson.html
Find Nancy at United Nation Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA): https://www.unoosa.org/documents/pdf/psa/activities/2021/UNIAF/1c_6_wolfson.pdf