International Affairs
Biweekly Washington D.C. Updates for the Week Ending on December 6, 2024
Written by: Molly Prochaska
This Week in Washington
- NASA has revised the launch dates for the Artemis missions, with Artemis II now set for April 2026 and Artemis III scheduled for mid-2027.
- President-elect Donald Trump has nominated Jared Isaacman as the new NASA administrator.
- President-elect Donald Trump has appointed Brendan Carr as the new chairman of the FCC.
United States Space Policy Updates
- NASA Administrator Bill Nelson and leadership have announced revised launch dates for the Artemis missions: Artemis II is now scheduled for April 2026, while Artemis III will take place in mid-2027. (NASA, December 5)
- President-elect Donald Trump has nominated Jared Isaacman to serve as the new NASA administrator. (NPR, December 5)
- The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has conditionally approved a license for T-Mobile and SpaceX to use Gen2 Starlink satellites on flexible-use spectrum bands to provide supplemental telecommunication coverage. (Reuters, November 26)
- NASA estimated that continuing the Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover (VIPER) mission would cancel up to four missions and delay up to four more in the Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) program due to cost and schedule overruns, in a letter to the House Science, Space, and Technology Committee (HSST). (SpaceNews, November 26)
- Sen. Eric Schmitt (R-MO), Ranking Member of the Senate Commerce Space and Science Subcommittee, authored an op-ed advocating for the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and FCC to update licensing processes and regulatory reforms to align with the priorities of the commercial space sector. (SpaceNews, November 26)
- The FAA has issued a Revised Draft Environmental Assessment for SpaceX’s proposal to increase Starship launches and landings at Boca Chica, TX to 25 per year, and is accepting public comments until January 17, 2025. (FAA, November 21)
- NASA announced Clayton P. Turner will serve as the Associate Administrator of the Space Technology Mission Directorate (STMD), effective immediately. (NASA, November 18)
- President-elect Donald Trump has appointed Brendan Carr as the new chairman of the FCC. (Washington Post, November 17)
- Sens. Jack Reed (D-RI) and Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) issued a letter to leadership at the Department of Defense (DOD) and Department of Justice (DOJ) urging an investigation into reports of Elon Musk’s conversations with senior Russian officials citing concerns over Musk’s role as a security clearance holder and a government contractor. (Letter 1, Letter 2, November 15)
International Space Policy Updates
- The Taiwan Space Agency (TASA) and the Polish Space Agency (POLSA) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to boost bilateral cooperation. (Focus Taiwan, December 2)
- The European Union (EU) announced that Andrius Kubilius began his tenure as the European Commissioner for Defence and Space, with priorities including improving European competitiveness and security in space, as well as passing a new European space law. (EU, December 1)
- Spaceport 1 in North Uist, the United Kingdom’s (U.K.) launch site for commercial suborbital rockets, is set to be completed in Spring 2025. (Highlands and Islands Enterprise, November 29)
- According to Yury Borisov, Director General of Roscosmos, Russia is seeking to build spaceports in Africa, in countries such as Zimbabwe, South Africa, and Algeria. (Space in Africa, November 27)
- President Bola Tinubu of Nigeria emphasized the need to prioritize space program funding and integrate private industry into the development of the space strategy. (News Agency Nigeria, November 26)
- The U.K. Ministry of Defence (MOD) and Airbus signed a contract for the company to provide new-generation modems to enhance the nation’s satellite communications systems. (Airbus, November 26)
- According to reports, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan of Turkey announced the country will build a spaceport in Somalia. (Turkish Minute, November 21)
- The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and Australian Space Agency (ASA) signed an Implementation Agreement to collaborate on the upcoming Gaganyaan missions for crew and crew module return. (ISRO, November 20)
- The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) and the European Space Agency (ESA) stated the Next Big Cooperations between the two agencies include planetary defense, earth observation, lunar exploration, space science, and potentially missions to Mars.(ESA, November 20)
- The U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission (USCC) released its annual report key concerns include rapid development of AI and Chinese space capabilities; the report lists 32 congressional action recommendations including treating space “as an area of strategic competition.” (USCC, Nov 19)
Space Industry Updates
- Boeing has announced plans to cut 141 jobs across Florida, including 47 positions on the Space Coast. (Florida Today, December 5)
- Airbus, Thales, and Leonardo are reportedly planning a joint European satellite company, “Project Bruno,” to contend with Starlink. (Reuters, December 3)
- Mike Kincaid, former associate administrator for NASA’s Office of STEM Engagement, has been appointed President and Executive Director of the Challenger Center. (Challenger, December 2)
- Redwire Corporation has opened a regional office in Poland to support the development of the International Berthing and Docking Mechanism (IBDM). (Redwire, December 2)
- The Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) awarded Varda Space Industries a contract with a maximum of $48 million for space reentry payload flight tests. (DOD, November 26)
- The Office of Space Commerce (OSC) awarded Slingshot Aerospace a contract to develop the TraCSS web interface, set to launch on TraCSS.gov by late 2025. The contract has a $5.3 million twelve-month development period and includes the potential for four additional years, worth up to $13.3 million in total. (OSC, November 26)
- Under the CHIPS Incentives Awards, BAE Systems Electronic Systems and Rocket Lab were awarded up to $35.5 million and $23.9 million, respectively, for developing chips and solar cells. (NIST, November 25)
- NASA has awarded SpaceX a $256.6 million firm-fixed-price contract to provide launch services for the Dragonfly mission, a rotorcraft lander designed to explore Saturn’s moon Titan, with a targeted launch in July 2028. (NASA, November 25)
- AeroVironment is set to acquire BlueHalo for approximately $4.1 billion. (AeroVironment, November 19)
- SpaceX successfully launched its Starship vehicle on its sixth test flight, but canceled the Super Heavy booster landing, with President-elect Donald Trump, Sen. Ted Cruz, and Gen. Chance Saltzman in attendance. (Starship, November 19)
- NASA plans to award demonstration missions to SpaceX and Blue Origin, expanding their existing contracts to mature the development of large cargo landers under the Artemis campaign. (NASA, November 19)
Reading Corner
IMAX | Interstellar: IMAX Exclusive
To celebrate its 10th anniversary, Interstellar, directed by Christopher Nolan and starring Matthew McConaughey and Anne Hathaway, returns to theaters on December 6th. Select theaters in the U.S. and Canada will screen the film in 70mm IMAX and IMAX Digital formats. The film was nominated for five Oscars and won Best Visual Effects.