International Affairs
Biweekly Washington D.C. Updates for the Week Ending on July 12, 2024
Written by: Molly Prochaska
This Week in Washington
- The 2024 NATO Summit was hosted in Washington D.C. from July 9 to 11.
- The House Appropriations Committee approved the FY25 Commerce, Justice, and Science and Related Agencies Appropriations Act in a 31-26 vote.
- The House Science Space and Technology Committee unanimously approved the NASA Reauthorization Act of 2024 in a 38-0 vote.
- Ariane 6 has made its inaugural flight from Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana.
United States Space Policy Updates
- The U.S. Space Force (USSF) announced the implementation of the new Space Force Generation (SPAFORGEN) readiness model to enhance the organization, training, and equipping of Guardians for Great Power Competition. (USSF, July 1)
- Space Florida has announced the expansion of two new spaceport territories with the designation of Homestead Air Reserve Base and Tyndall Air Force Base as Florida spaceport territories. (Space Florida, July 1)
- NASA has selected astronaut Andre Douglas as the backup crew member for the Artemis II mission. (NASA, July 3)
- NASA astronaut Patrick G. Forrester, former Chief of the Astronaut Office, announced his retirement after 31 years of service. (NASA, July 3)
- The Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC) introduced S. 4638, the Senate version of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for FY25, which authorizes $911.8 billion for military and national security programs. (SASC, July 8)
- Senator Jim Inhofe (R-OK), the former Chairman of the SASC, has passed away at 89. (Senate, July 9)
- The House Appropriations Committee (HAC) held a markup on H.R.9026, the Commerce, Justice, and Science and Related Agencies (CJS) Appropriations Act for FY25, which allocated a budget of $25.178 billion for NASA. The bill was approved by the full Committee in a 31-26 vote. (HAC, July 9)
- The House Science, Space, and Technology Committee (HSST) conducted a markup on H.R. 8958, the NASA Reauthorization Act of 2024, which provided support and direction to the agency on human space exploration, the International Space Station (ISS), and other NASA missions. The bill was unanimously approved by the full Committee in a 38-0 vote. Read Space Foundation’s summary of the markup here. (HSST, July 10)
- Rep. Greg Lopez (R-CO) was sworn in this week to complete the six months remaining in former Rep. Ken Buck’s term and has joined the HSST as its newest member. (HSST, July 11)
- This month, Reps. James Baird (R-IN), Charles Fleischmann (R-TN), Claudia Tenney (R-NY) have joined as co-sponsors of the Taiwan and American Space Assistance (TASA) Act. (H.R. 7661, July 10)
International Space Policy Updates
- The United Nations Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (UNCOPUOS) has agreed to establish the Action Team on Lunar Activities Consultation (ATLAC). (UNOOSA, June 25)
- Abdullah Al-Sawah, the Saudi Arabian Minister of Communications and Information Technology (MCIT), met with several White House officials including Chirag Parikh, Executive Secretary of the National Space Council (NSpC), to discuss investments in the space economy and developments in the Saudi space industry. (MCIT, June 29)
- NASA Administrator Bill Nelson announced that NASA-funded researchers are applying for access to Chang’e-6 lunar samples. (CNN, July 1)
- King Frederik X and Queen Mary of Denmark, and Múte Bourup Egede, Prime Minister of Greenland, visited the Pituffik Space Base to discuss strengthening partnerships with the U.S. in space. (USSF, July 1)
- Yury Borisov, Director General of Roscosmos, approved the schedule for constructing the Russian Orbital Station (ROS), with the first module launch planned for 2027. (Tass, July 2)
- Kazakhstan signed onto the China-led International Lunar Research Station (ILRS) agreement. (SpaceNews, July 5)
- The Swedish government has implemented its inaugural defense and security space strategy, focused on expanding its space capabilities and enhancing international space security. (Swedish Government, July 5)
- The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) has issued a call for project proposals ranging from lunar water resource exploration technology to commercial satellite constellations. (JAXA, July 5)
- The European Space Agency (ESA) successfully launched Ariane 6 from French Guiana. (ESA, July 9)
- 17 NATO members are collectively contributing over $1 billion to leverage commercial and national space assets to implement the Alliance Persistent Surveillance from Space (APSS) Initiative. (NATO, July 9)
- A government-industry working group on space capabilities convened for the first time at the NATO Summit Defense Industry Forum. Following their recommendations, plans to develop a NATO commercial space strategy were announced. (Breaking Defense, July 10)
- NASA Deputy Administrator Pam Melroy visited Japan and South Korea to participate in the 6th Summit for Space Sustainability and 45th Scientific Assembly of the Committee on Space Research (COSPAR). (NASA, July 10)
Space Industry Updates
- The USSF is collaborating with SpaceX to track Starlink satellites and debris during their reentry to Earth. (Breaking Defense, June 28)
- NASA awarded SpaceX a $69 million firm-fixed-price contract to provide launch services for the Compton Spectrometer and Imager (COSI) mission. (NASA, July 2)
- Blue Origin and Stoke Space have been contracted to participate in the USSF Orbital Services Program (OSP-4). (USSF, July 3)
- Polaris is targeting July 31 as the earliest launch date for Polaris Dawn. (X, July 3)
- Avio is set to become the sole launch provider for Vega following the completion of Vega flight 29 by Arianespace. (SpaceWatch, July 8)
- Kongsberg Satellite Service (KSAT) has announced plans to open an office in Tokyo to increase its presence and integration into the Asian space market. (KSAT, July 8)
- Axiom Space has awarded Gravitics a $125 million contract to provide a pressurized spacecraft for Axiom’s commercial space station. (Gravitics, July 9)
- Japan LEO Shachu, Inc., a subsidiary of Mitsui & Co., is reportedly planning to develop a “Japan Module” for use by commercial space stations. (SpaceNews, 9)
- NASA and Boeing intend to set a new target return date for Starliner following an agency-level readiness review scheduled for late July. (NASA, July 10)
Space Leader Spotlight
Dr. Andre Douglas
This week’s space leader is NASA astronaut Dr. Andre Douglas. Dr. Douglas started his astronaut training at NASA in 2022 and graduated in March this year. He was recently selected as a backup crew member for the upcoming Artemis II mission.
Dr. Douglas graduated with a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering at the U.S. Coast Guard Academy in 2008. After graduating, Dr. Douglas was commissioned into the Coast Guard in Cape Canaveral, Florida. He later earned a master’s degree in mechanical engineering and a master’s degree in naval architecture and marine engineering from the University of Michigan as part of a dual degree program. Dr. Douglas earned his third master’s from Johns Hopkins University (JHU) in electrical and computer engineering, as well as a PhD in systems engineering from George Washington University while concurrently working full-time at the JHU Applied Physics Laboratory (APL).
During his career in the Coast Guard, Dr. Douglas led various humanitarian relief efforts and provided comprehensive technical support to the Coast Guard Marine Safety Center. For his service, Dr. Douglas was awarded two Coast Guard Achievement Medals. After retiring from active duty, Dr. Douglas worked at the JHU APL on projects such as the Mars Moon eXploration (MMX) spacecraft and Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) planetary defense mission. During his tenure at APL, Dr. Douglas was awarded three Special Achievement Awards in 2016, 2018, and 2021. Currently, Dr. Douglas is an advisor in the Coast Guard Reserve’s Commandant’s Advisory Group while serving as a NASA astronaut.
Throughout his career, Dr. Douglas has been dedicated to supporting and furthering the development of planetary defense and space exploration programs. We congratulate Dr. Douglas on his selection as a backup crew member and thank him for his contributions to the space community and country.
Reading Corner
United States Space Command | 2024 Commander’s Reading List
Gen. Stephen Whiting, Commander of U.S. Space Command (USSPACECOM) has released his inaugural reading list, comprising of nine books and a podcast. The themes of his selection focus on strategic behavior in space, artificial intelligence (AI), and Chinese foreign policy. As stated, the reading list aims to inspire meaningful and creative discussions about the ideas presented and historical lessons learned from the material.
Written by Molly Prochaska, Chantal Li, and Amanda Nguyen.