International Affairs

Biweekly Washington D.C. Updates for the Week Ending on January 24, 2025

Written by: Molly Prochaska

This Week in Washington

  • Janet Petro has been appointed to serve as Acting NASA Administrator
  • Troy Meink has been appointed to serve as Secretary of the Air Force.
  • Finland has become the 53rd Artemis Accords signatory.

United States Space Policy Updates

  • The Senate Commerce Committee (SCC) voted unanimously to advance Sean Duffy, President Trump’s nominee for Secretary of Transportation. (SCC, January 22)
  • SCC has scheduled a nomination hearing for Howard Lutnick, President Trump’s nominee for Secretary of Commerce, on January 29. (SCC, January 22)
  • The House Science Committee (HSST) announced new and returning committee members for the 119th Congress. (HSST, January 22)
  • President Trump appointed Janet Petro, the Director of Kennedy Space Center, to serve as Acting NASA Administrator, effective immediately. (NASA, January 20)
  • The Senate Armed Service Committee (SASC) voted to advance Pete Hegseth, President Trump’s nominee for Secretary of Defense, with a 14-13 vote. (Breaking Defense, January 20)
  • President Trump appointed Troy Meink, the Principal Deputy Director of the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO), to serve as Secretary of the Air Force, and Lt. Col. Matthew Lohmeier to serve as Undersecretary of the Air Force. (Air and Space Forces Magazine, January 18)
  • The Department of the Air Force has confirmed that Derek Tournear, Director of the Space Development Agency (SDA), has been placed on administrative leave, pending the results of an investigation. (SpaceNews, January 16)
  • Rep. Vince Fong (R-CA) reintroduced two pieces of bipartisan legislation: the MACH Act, co-sponsored with Rep. Kevin Mullin (D-CA), which aims to establish the MACH Program at NASA to support scientific experiments with commercial hypersonic companies; and the ACERO Act, co-sponsored with Rep. Jennifer McClellan (D-CA), which seeks to authorize NASA’s ACERO project to develop drone technology to improve wildfire response operations. (Rep. Fong, January 14, Rep. Fong, January 16)
  • The House Appropriations Committee (HAC) announced its committee roster, including the leadership and membership of its subcommittees, for the 119th Congress. (HAC, January 15)
  • Utah State Senator Jerry Stevenson (R) introduced a bill that seeks to form a committee that would examine the scientific and tourism benefits a spaceport would bring to the state. (KUTV, January 14)

International Space Policy Updates

  •  The European Space Agency (ESA) and the Estonian Space Office have announced that Estonia will host the agency’s new space cyber range, a dedicated space cybersecurity testing ground. (ESA, January 23)
  • The Korea AeroSpace Administration (KASA) plans to invest 806.4 billion won ($562.5 million) in research and development according to its 2025 budget, a 43.3% increase from 2024. (Yonhap News Agency, January 23)
  • The Indian Space Research Organization’s (ISRO) Space Docking Experiment (SpaDeX) was successfully completed, docking two spacecraft in orbit. (ISRO, January 23)
  • Finland has become the 53rd signatory of the Artemis Accords. (NASA, January 21)
  • The Turkish Space Agency (TUA) and Axiom Space have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for mutual cooperation in fields such as space technology, aerospace, textiles, material science, advanced manufacturing, communications, and life sciences. (Axiom Space, January 18)
  • The U.S. and Norway signed a Technology Safeguards Agreement (TSA) for launches from Andøya Spaceport.  (Government of Norway, January 16)
  • KASA held a practical seminar with ESA to strengthen their cooperation in space, which included discussions on an MoU currently under negotiation.  (KASA, January 15)
  • Rocket Factory Augsburg (RFA) has received permission from the UK Civil Aviation Authority to conduct launches from SaxaVord Spaceport. (Civil Aviation Authority, January 14)
  • Starlab Space, a joint venture from Voyager Technologies, Airbus, Mitsubishi Corporation, and MDA Space, announced the opening of its first overseas subsidiary in Bremen, Germany. (PR Newswire, January 13)

Space Industry Updates

  • Planet Labs announced that Gen. John W. “Jay” Raymond, former Chief of Space Operations of the U.S. Space Force (USSF), has been elected to Planet’s board. (Planet, January 23)
  • Voyager Technologies submitted a registration statement to the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) relating to a proposed initial public offering (IPO). (Voyager Technologies, January 21)
  • Redwire announced an agreement to acquire drone maker Edge Autonomy for $925 million, a manufacturer of military uncrewed aircraft systems, marking a significant move into the defense technology sector. (Redwire, January 20)
  • Voyager Space has rebranded as Voyager Technologies and reorganized its operations into three divisions: Defense and National Security, Space Solutions, and Starlab Space Solutions. (Voyager Technologies, January 16)
  • Blue Origin’s New Glenn rocket successfully reached its intended orbit during the NG-1 mission. (Blue Origin, January 16)
  • The National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency has announced 13 selectees for the $200 million Luno B commercial data indefinite delivery, indefinite quantity contract. (NGA, January 15)
  • Stoke Space announced that it raised $260 million in a new Series C investment round. (Stoke Space,  January 15)
  • Dr. John Plumb, former Assistant Secretary of Defense for Space Policy, has been named Head of Strategy at K2 Space. (Linkedin, January 15)

Reading Corner

The Center for Strategic and International Studies | Why Should the United States Prioritize Mars?

In response to President Trump’s inaugural address, where he emphasized prioritizing U.S. space exploration efforts on Mars, Clayton Swope, deputy director of the Aerospace Security Project and senior fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, raises five critical questions regarding the strategic importance of Mars and the future of American Mars missions.

Written by Molly Prochaska and Amanda Nguyen.


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