Report from Washington, D.C.
Rose and Sullivan Nominated for Space Positions
President Obama recently nominated several individuals to fill high-level positions in the executive branch that oversee space programs and policy activities. Former NASA astronaut Kathryn D. Sullivan, Ph.D., has been nominated to become the permanent Administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Currently Sullivan serves as the acting NOAA administrator. Frank A. Rose,…
Read the Updated FY 2014 Space Foundation DoD Budget Comparison Report
On Aug. 1, the Senate Appropriations Committee passed its version of the FY 2014 Defense Appropriations Act. The bill would appropriate funds for defense programs, including military satellites, launch vehicles and cybersecurity programs. There is no set date for when the bill will be voted on by the full Senate. However, Sept. 30 marks the…
Borowitz Presents at Secure World Foundation Event
Space Foundation Research Analyst Dr. Mariel Borowitz was a featured panelist at the Secure World Foundation event on July 15, Earth Observation Satellite Data-Sharing: Policies and Partnerships. About 70 people attended the discussion, held at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace in Washington, D.C., including academics and representatives from the Canadian and French embassies and from…
Report from Space Foundation's Washington, D.C., Office
On July 17, the U.S. House of Representatives Appropriations Committee approved its version of the fiscal year funding legislation for the Commerce, Justice, Science and Related Agencies bill, which includes funding for NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) weather satellite programs. The bill would appropriate a topline budget of $16.6 billion dollars…
Three Interns Join the Space Foundation for the Summer
This summer, the Space Foundation is pleased to welcome three interns who will provide valuable assistance to team members at both our World Headquarters and our Washington, D.C., office. Carolyn Belle (pictured, top right) joins us for a 10-week summer internship in the D.C. office. She will be conducting research for the Space Foundation’s research…
Space Foundation Hosts Air Force Space "Lunch & Learn"
In June, the Space Foundation Washington, D.C. office, in coordination with USAF Legislative Affairs and the Air Force Association, hosted a “lunch and learn” session focused on USAF space programs for congressional staffers on Capitol Hill. Nearly 60 staffers participated and speakers included: Gil Klinger, deputy assistant secretary of defense for space and intelligence, Office of…
House Space Subcommittee Update
The House Space Subcommittee introduced draft legislation to reauthorize programs at NASA for two years, including a topline budget of more than $16.8 billion dollars for NASA. The draft legislation comes after the Subcommittee held several hearings this year to gather information that would be used to help inform their bill, including testimony by Space…
FY 2014 National Defense Authorization Act Status
The U.S. House of Representatives passed its version of the FY 2014 National Defense Authorization Act on June 14. The bill provides policy guidance to the Department of Defense (DoD), and authorizes funds to be appropriated for various defense programs, including space. The bill would fully authorize funds for major military space programs outlined in…
Committees with Space Jurisdiction Change Leadership
The opening of the 113th Congress welcomed 84 new members to the House of Representatives and 14 to the Senate. Several committees with jurisdiction over space saw changes to their leadership: Congressman Lamar Smith (R-TX) replaced Congressman Ralph Hall (R-TX) as the chairman of the House Science, Space, & Technology Committee due to term limits.…
White House Update: Budget, Sequestration, Space Sustainability
In January, the White House confirmed it would not submit its FY 2014 budget request to Congress in early February as required by law. The delay is due, in part, to the continued threat of sequestration to the FY 2013 and FY 2014 budgets. Currently sequestration is scheduled to go into effect on March 1.…