International Affairs
Biweekly Washington D.C. Updates for the Week Ending on August 9, 2024
Written by: Molly Prochaska
This Week in Washington
- Sens. John Hickenlooper (D-CO) and Mike Crapo (R-ID) introduced S.4952, the Dark and Quiet Skies Act.
- Canada and the U.S. have concluded negotiations for the Canada-U.S. Technology Safeguards Agreement.
- NASA is evaluating options to have astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, who flew to the ISS aboard the Boeing CST-100 Starliner, return on a SpaceX Crew Dragon in early 2025.
United States Space Policy Updates
- The RAND Corporation released a “Report of the Commission on the National Defense Strategy,” emphasizing the need to strengthen partnerships with commercial companies and allied countries to maintain the U.S. advantage and deter adversaries in space as it becomes a “warfighting domain.” (RAND, July 29)
- The Government Accountability Office (GAO) released a report recommending NASA to document its plans for addressing the “significant challenges” of the Artemis Gateway program to ensure it remains on schedule. (GAO, July 31)
- The Office of Space Commerce (OSC) will roll out “Phase 1.0” of its Traffic Coordination System for Space (TraCCS) on September 30, initially involving a small group of beta users and a limited subset of space monitoring and tracking data sources. (Breaking Defense, August 5)
- The Senate Appropriations Committee (SAC) unanimously passed the FY25 Defense Appropriations bill in a 28-0 vote. The bill would provide $852.2 billion for the Department of Defense, a 3.3 percent increase from FY24, including over $1 billion for classified U.S. Space Force (USSF) unfunded requirements. (SAC, August 1)
- Sens. John Hickenlooper (D-CO) and Mike Crapo (R-ID) introduced S.4952, the Dark and Quiet Skies Act, would create a Center of Excellence overseen by National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) to develop best practices to reduce light and noise interference that disrupts industry and academic space research. (S.4952, August 1)
- Christine Powell, Manager of Rocket Propulsion Test Program at NASA Stennis Space Center, has been selected as the NASA Stennis Deputy Director, effective August 12. (NASA, August 5)
- Gen. Stephen Whiting, Commander of U.S. Space Command (USSPACECOM), announced that the command has submitted its FY27 “integrated priorities list” to the Joint Force, which includes “space fires,” “missile defeat effects,” “resilient, timely operational space command and control,” space system cyber defenses, and an “assured satellite telemetry, tracking, and commanding architecture.” (Breaking Defense, August 6)
- The U.S. Army is considering creating a dedicated space career field for enlisted soldiers, with Lt. Gen. Sean Gainey, Commander of the Army’s Space and Missile Defense Command, supporting the establishment of an Army Space Military Occupational Specialty (MOS). (SpaceNews, August 6)
- NASA is evaluating options to have astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, who flew to the International Space Station (ISS) aboard the Boeing CST-100 Starliner, return on a SpaceX Crew Dragon in early 2025 due to safety concerns, with a decision anticipated by mid-August. (SpaceNews, August 7)
- The CA Coastal Commission conditionally approved SpaceX’s request to increase annual launches at Vandenberg Space Force Base to 36, with seven environmental conditions attached. However, USSF representatives rejected three of these conditions, including those related to biological resource monitoring and sonic boom mitigation. (Noozhawk, August 8)
International Space Policy Updates
- Secretary of State Anthony Blinken, Japanese Minister of Foreign Affairs Yoko Kamikawa, and Japanese Minister of Defense Minoru Kihara attended the U.S.-Japan Security Consultative and Committee, where they committed to reinforcing bilateral coordination on cross-domain operations, including space, to strengthen future deterrence capabilities. (DOD, July 28)
- Secretary Anthony Blinken, along with the Foreign Ministers of Australia, India, and Japan, reaffirmed their commitment to the safe and peaceful use of outer space and emphasized the importance of space in the Indo-Pacific region. (DOS, July 29)
- U.S. and Australian officials are reportedly in discussion with SpaceX about launching and recovering its rockets off the Australian coast. (Reuters, July 30)
- NordSpace Corporation announced a $5 million investment for the construction of the first phase of Spaceport Canada. (EINPresswire, July 31)
- Canada and the U.S. have concluded negotiations for the Canada-U.S. Technology Safeguards Agreement (TSA), with a final review underway before the agreement is signed. (Government of Canada, August 2)
- Saudi Arabia’s Communications, Space and Technology Commission (CST) released its “Digital and Space Sustainability in Saudi Arabia” report, highlighting the important role of space technologies in achieving sustainable development goals. (CST, August 5)
- Axiom Space announced the upcoming Axiom Mission 4 (Ax-4) will include astronauts from the U.S., India, and Hungary, and a Polish European Space Agency (ESA) astronaut. (Axiom, August 5)
- Secretary Anthony Blinken and Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong signed the Landsat Next 2030 International Partnership Initiative, recognizing Australia as a partner in the Landsat Next satellite mission, which will provide critical insights into Earth’s land surfaces, surface waters, and coastal regions. (DOS, August 5)
- Brazilian President Lula da Silva and Chilean President Gabriel Boric signed a Space Cooperation Agreement outlining plans for a new National Space Center, scheduled to be completed by the second half of 2025, with a focus on satellite production and space data analysis. (Government of Chile, August 6)
- The upper stage of a Chinese Long March 6A rocket, which deployed 18 Qianfan satellites, was observed breaking up into a field of over 700 pieces of orbital debris. (SpaceNews, August 9)
Space Industry Updates
- Lockheed Martin released a white paper entitled “A Vision for Humanity’s Future in Space,” detailing an approach for establishing a human presence on the moon in the 2040s. (Lockheed Martin, July 30)
- CACI International was awarded a $450 million contract to support the USSF and the DOD’s Joint Navigation Warfare Center (JNWC). (CACI, July 30)
- Kelly Ortberg was named the new President and CEO of Boeing, succeeding Dave Calhoun. (Boeing, July 31)
- Dan Jablonsky, former President and CEO of Maxar Technologies, has been appointed CEO of Ursa Major. (Ursa Major, August 1)
- Booz Allen Hamilton implemented the first generative artificial intelligence (AI) large language model (LLM) system aboard the International Space Station National Lab (ISSNL). (Booz Allen Hamilton, August 1)
- Voyager Space announced it will continue as a subcontractor to Lockheed Martin, developing a solid-propulsion roll control subsystem for the Next Generation Interceptor (NGI). (SpaceNews, August 5)
- Axiom Space announced that CEO Mike Suffredini will transition to a position on the company’s Board of Directors, with Dr. Kam Ghaffarian, co-founder and Executive Chairman, serving as interim CEO. (Axiom, August 6)
- Rocket Lab and Kongsberg Satellite Services (KSAT) announced a partnership to develop a new global ground station service to “support efficient and reliable communications.” (Rocket Lab, August 6)
- Exolaunch and Impulse Space have signed a Strategic Partnership Agreement to enhance payload delivery services, with Exolaunch providing separation systems and mission management, and Impulse Space offering its orbital transfer vehicles, targeting launches as early as fall 2024. (Exolaunch, August 7)
- Firefly Aerospace announced a multi-launch agreement with L3Harris for up to 20 launch on Firefly’s Alpha rocket, including 2 to 4 launches annually from 2027 to 2031, in addition to an existing deal for three Alpha launches in 2026. (Firefly, August 7)
- SpaceX plans to build three new rocket landing zones on Florida’s Space Coast, with construction taking place at Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station and pad 39A at NASA Kennedy Space Center. (Florida Today, August 8)
Space Leader Spotlight
Dr. Paul Bate
This week’s space leader is Dr. Paul Bate, the CEO of the United Kingdom Space Agency (UKSA), a position he has held since September 2021. Under his leadership, the UKSA sponsored the Farnborough Airshow, which was held in the UK in July this year. At the event, the UKSA announced a £33 million investment in various space technology projects.
The UKSA is an executive agency within the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology. As Chief Executive of the UKSA, Dr. Bate leads a team of over 300 experts who provide technical expertise and guidance to the UK government’s space sector, with a focus on advancing space-based technology development, astrophysics, and sustainability initiatives.
Dr. Bate began his career as an Engagement Manager at McKinsey & Company after earning his PhD in Particle Physics from the University of Manchester in 1999. Prior to his current position, Dr. Bate served as Vice President at Babylon Health and was the Executive Director of Strategy and Intelligence at the Care Quality Commission. Dr. Bate also held various positions as a civil servant in the UK government, working as a policy advisor on health and adult care under Prime Minister David Cameron, and as a delivery unit health targets and finance team leader under Prime Minister Tony Blair.
We commend Dr. Bates for his leadership and contributions at the UKSA, which will prove invaluable to the agency’s role in the global space economy, and the UK’s space strategy.
Reading Corner
MITRE | Improving U.S. Space Capabilities Integrated Deterrence
MITRE released a report entitled “Improving U.S. Space Capabilities Integrated Deterrence,” which outlines steps for the new presidential administration to enhance space domain integration and deterrence. The report recommends declaring the U.S. stance on attacks against its space systems, adjusting the FY2026 budgets to improve space system resiliency, and signaling American defensive capabilities in space.
Written by Molly Prochaska, Chantal Li, Amanda Nguyen, and Jennie Anderson