SWF Director of Private Sector Programs Ian Christensen moderated a panel at the 2023 ASCENDxTexas conference organized by AIAA in Houston, Texas. The panel entitled “Characterization of Risks and Barriers – Perceptions vs Realities” focused on the risks, and tools to mitigate them, to the future of space exploration activities; and included speakers from KBR, SAIC, and Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory. Themes discussed included communicating the benefits and outcomes of space exploration activities relative to public perceptions; maintaining workforce engagement, and the challenges of transitioning from a government driven activity to one driven by both commercial and government activities.