International Affairs
Biweekly Washington D.C. Updates for the Week Ending on February 21, 2025
Written by: Molly Prochaska
United States Space Policy Updates
- The Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee held a hearing to examine spectrum auction delays. (Congress.gov, February 19)
- The House Science Space and Technology Committee (HSST) Space and Aeronautics Subcommittee has announced a hearing set for February 26, entitled ‘Step by Step: The Artemis Program and NASA’s Path to Human Exploration of the Moon, Mars, and Beyond’ (HSST, February 19)
- NASA Associate Administrator Jim Free announced his retirement, effective Saturday, February 22. (NASA, February 19)
- The National Science Foundation (NSF) has dismissed 168 probationary employees, approximately 10% of its workforce. (The Hill, February 18)
- The House Committee on Armed Services (HASC) Chairman Mike Rogers (R-AL) and Ranking Member Adam Smith (D-WA) sent a letter to Chief of Space Operations General Chance Saltzman, requesting a list of infrastructure, programs, and processes that are no longer relevant or not producing intended effects. (HASC Republicans via X, February 14)
- HSST Chair Brian Babin (R-TX) and Ranking Member Zoe Lofgren (D-CA) have sent a letter to the Government Accountability Office that requests a review of the Department of Transportation’s implementation of Part 450. (HSST, February 12)
- Rep. Ken Calvert (R-CA) introduced the Space Infrastructure Act, which directs the Secretary of Homeland Security to designate space systems, services, and technology as critical infrastructure. (Ken Calvert, February 10)
- The Texas Space Commission has approved grant applications from Blue Origin, Firefly Aerospace, Intuitive Machines, SpaceX, and Starlab Space, totaling $47.7 million. (Texas Space Commission, February 10)
International Space Policy Updates
- The Indian National Space Promotion and Authorization Centre (IN-SPACe), an agency in the Indian Department of Space (DOS), has established the Technology Adoption Fund, investing $57.7M to promote the Indian commercial space sector. (Payload, February 20)
- The creation of eight Beijing-based labs focused on space research was announced at the Beijing Commercial Space Industry High-Quality Development Conference.(SpaceNews, February 18)
- Former head of Roscosmos Yuri Borisov has been appointed as special presidential representative for international space cooperation. (Reuters, February 18)
- Following Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit with President Donald Trump, the two leaders released a joint statement pledging cooperation in the space sector and announcing initiatives to foster collaboration in space innovation. (White House, February 13)
- The U.K. Ministry of Defence awarded Airbus a £127 million contract to develop a pair of SAR imaging satellites (Airbus, February 11).
- The China National Space Administration (CNSA) and Pakistan’s Space and Upper Atmosphere Research Commission (Suparco) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to have a Pakistani rover fly on the Chang’e-8 mission. (SpaceNews, February 10)
- President Donald Trump and Japanese Prime Minister Ishiba Shigeru released a joint statement stating the intent to continue partnership in space, including the upcoming Crew-10 mission and lunar surface exploration as part of the Artemis missions. (White House, February 7)
Space Industry Updates
- True Anomaly announced the development of a factory in Long Beach, expanding the company into Southern California. (True Anomaly, February 19)
- Michael Sheetz, formerly a space reporter at CNBC, has joined Firefly Aerospace as Director of Investor Relations. (LinkedIn, February 19)
- Michael Creech is now Vice President of Strategy and Business Development at Firefly Aerospace. (LinkedIn, February 18)
- Jared Stout is now Chief Government Relations and Communications Officer at Axiom Space. (Axiom Space, February 14)
- Firefly Aerospace announced that it has been awarded a $21.81 million contract to launch VICTUS SOL, the United States Space Force’s (USSF) next Tactically Responsive Space Mission. (Firefly Aerospace, February 14)
- Lt. Gen. John Shaw, USSF (Ret.) has joined the advisory board for Scout Space. (LinkedIn, February 13)
- Blue Origin announced plans to lay off about 10% of its workforce, citing rapid growth in recent years. (CNN, February 13)
- Boeing will issue layoff notices to approximately 200 employees working on the Space Launch System (SLS). (Bloomberg, February 12)