In the past five years, the number of active satellites in Earth orbit has more than quintupled. This breakneck growth in the commercial space industry has turned entrepreneur, investor, and policymaker eyes to the skies, but in the process, has boxed out the historic stewards of the space domain: scientists. Explorers and pioneers across human history have learned that uncharted territory hides unprecedented challenges, but the consequences of decisions made toward occupying the “final frontier” do not abide by international borders. The new entrants rapidly monopolizing the space environment therefore ignore the warnings and concerns of scientists not only at their own risk, but at the risk of everyone living under increasingly crowded skies.In this talk, Josh Reding ’15, an engineering specialist with The Aerospace Corporation. will explain how astronomers are trying to inform and guide space policymaking, both informally through volunteer action and advocacy and formally in domestic and international policy fora.