Biweekly Washington D.C. Updates for the Week Ending on March 7, 2025

Written by: Molly Prochaska

United States Space Policy Updates

• Sarah Brothers has been reinstated as the head of NOAA’s Commercial Remote Sensing Regulatory Affairs (CRSRA) division within the Office of Space Commerce (OSC). (Breaking Defense, March 5)
• In his first address to a joint session of Congress of his second term, President Donald Trump has reaffirmed support for sending humans to Mars and the creation of a ‘golden dome’ missile defense shield. (SpacePolicyOnline, March 4)
• The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Commercial Remote Sensing Regulatory Affairs (CRSRA) division, part of the Office of Space Commerce (OSC), has been impacted by layoffs implemented by the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). (SpacePolicyOnline, February 28)
• The OSC’s Advisory Committee on Excellence in Space (ACES) has received a ‘stop work’ order, halting meetings until further notice. (Payload, February 28)
• The House of Representatives Committee on Space Science and Technology (HSST) Subcommittee on Space and Aeronautics held a hearing entitled “Step by Step: The Artemis Program and NASA’s Path to Human Exploration of the Moon, Mars, and Beyond.” Read Space Foundation’s summary of the hearing here. (HSST, February 26)
• The U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation held a nominations hearing for Michael Kratsios, nominee to be Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy. (U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation,  February 25)
• Vanessa Wyche, former director of Johnson Space Center, will serve as the acting associate administrator for NASA effective immediately. Stephen Koerner will be named acting director of Johnson Space Center. (NASA, February 24)
• Jackie Jester has been named NASA’s associate administrator for the Office of Legislative and Intergovernmental Affairs. (NASA, February 24)
• Catherine Koerner, associate administrator for the agency’s Exploration Systems Development Mission Directorate, has retired. Lori Glaze has been named as acting associate administrator. (NASA, February 24)

International Space Policy Updates

•  AST SpaceMobile and Vodafone have signed an agreement to create a jointly owned European satellite service business to serve mobile network operators in all European markets. (AST SpaceMobile,  March 3)
• The China Manned Space Engineering Office (CMSEO) and the Pakistan Space and Upper Atmosphere Research Commission (SUPARCO) have signed an agreement on the training of Pakistani astronauts and participation in Tiangong Space Station missions. (SpaceNews, February 28)
• Varda’s second reentry capsule, W-2, has landed at the Koonibba Test Range, a commercial launch and reentry port in South Australia. This marks the first-ever commercial spacecraft to land on Australian soil. (PR Newswire, February 28)
• Türkiye’s TÜBİTAK Space Technologies Research Institute and the Swedish Institute of Space Physics have partnered to conduct scientific research on the moon as part of the country’s lunar exploration goals. (Türkiye Today, February 27)
• South Korea’s third National Space council has approved strategic plans for space transportation, satellites, and space science exploration for the Korea AeroSpace Administration (KASA).  (KASA, February 25)
• European Parliament member Christophe Grudler sent a letter to the European Commission calling for an assessment of alternatives to Starlink connectivity in Ukraine. (Via Satellite, February 24)
• The European Space Agency (ESA) has signed a Memorandum of Intent (MoI) with the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) to apply space technologies to humanitarian crisis responses. (ESA, February 21)

Space Industry Updates

• Intuitive Machines confirmed the touchdown of its Athena lander on the lunar surface. Confirmation of its position and orientation is ongoing. (AP News, March 6)
• Amber McIntyre has joined the Aerospace Industries Association as Senior Director of Civil Space. (ExecutiveGov, March 5)
• Chris Kinman is now Vice President of Business Development and Strategy at Slingshot Aerospace. (LinkedIn, March 4)
• According to Florida governor Ron DeSantis, SpaceX intends to invest at least $1.8 billion to build new Starship launchpads and processing facilities on Florida’s Space Coast. (Reuters, March 4)
• BAE Systems has won a $151 million contract from the U.S. Space Force’s Space Systems Command to advance the command-and-control solution for the FORGE program. (Space Systems Command,  March 3)
• Firefly Aerospace’s Blue Ghost Lunar Lander has successfully touched down on the moon. (Firefly Aerospace, March 2)
• Astroscale Japan has been awarded a 7.27 billion yen contract by Japan’s Ministry of Defense to develop a responsive space system demonstration satellite prototype. (Astroscale, February 27)
• Virgin Galactic announced plans to begin assembly of the first Delta SpaceShip in March, with the goal of a first commercial research spaceflight in the summer of 2026. (SpaceNews, February 27)

Reading Corner

Georgia Institute of Technology | Nunn School Launches New Space Policy Center

The Georgia Institute of Technology has opened a new center devoted to space policy in the Sam Nunn School of International Affairs, the Center for Space Policy and International Relations (CSPIR). The announcement for CSPIR includes a program overview, which contains a research portfolio outlining eight core research themes and lists relevant projects and publications.

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