International Affairs
Biweekly Washington D.C. Updates for the Week Ending on September 19, 2025
Written by: Molly Prochaska
United States Space Policy Updates
- Senators John Hickenlooper (D-CO), John Cornyn (R-TX), Ben Ray Luján (D-NM), and Roger Wicker (R-MS) and Representatives Dale Strong (R-AL), George Whitesides (D-CA), and Vince Fong (R-CA) reintroduced the Spaceport Project Opportunities for Resilient Transportation (SPACEPORT) Act (Senator John Hickenlooper, September 19)
- The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has released the new NOAA Space Weather Portal (SPOT). (NOAA, September 15)
- The House Appropriations Committee held a markup on the Fiscal Year (FY) 2026 Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies Bill. (House Appropriations Committee, September 10). Read Space Foundation’s report of the markup here.
- The Senate Committee on Commerce, Science & Transportation Subcommittee on Commerce, Science, Manufacturing, and Competitiveness held a hearing entitled ‘AI’ve Got a Plan: America’s AI Action Plan’. (Senate Committee on Commerce, Science & Transportation, September 10). Read Space Foundation’s report of the hearing here.
- The Department of Commerce’s Office of Space Commerce (OSC) has lost 40% of its current-year funding. (SpaceNews, September 9)
- Space Development Agency (SDA) Director Derek Tournear has stepped down from his position. (Breaking Defense, September 8)
- Congressmen Jason Crow (D-CO) and Jeff Crank (R-CO) introduced legislation to support and strengthen cooperation between the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue countries, or the ‘Quad’. (Congressman Jason Crow, September 8)
International Space Policy Updates
- U.S. Space Command and U.K. Space Command announced that they have completed their first ever coordinated satellite maneuvers. (SpaceNews, September 18)
- The United States and United Kingdom have released a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) regarding the Technology Prosperity Deal, noting ‘AI for space’ as an area of collaboration. (UK Government, September 18)
- At least 35 Russian space companies are moving to Russia’s newly opened National Space Center. (Tass, September 13)
- The United Kingdom government announced a five-year £250M fund to stimulate the country’s defense industrial strategy. (Payload, September 12)
- The UAE’s Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre (MBRSC) has signed a MoU with the Corporación Autónoma Regional de Cundinamarca (CAR) and Colombian Space Agency (AEC) for cooperation in space science and technology. (Satellitepro ME, September 12)
- The appointment term of Canadian Space Agency President Lisa Campbell has been extended for an additional year. (SpaceQ, September 10)
- The 13th U.S.-EU Space Dialogue was held in Washington, D.C.. (U.S. Department of State, September 10)
- The European Commission’s 2025 Strategic Foresight report indicated space security and infrastructure as key areas of long-term thought. (European Commission, September 9)
Space Industry Updates
- SES Space & Defense selected former Intelsat and L3Harris director Ray Lindenmayer as vice president of business development. (GovConWire, September 15)
- The Space Force Association announced that former Assistant Secretary of Defense for Space Policy, the Honorable John F. Plumb, has joined its Advisory Board. (EIN Presswire, September 15)
- Firefly Aerospace pitched its rockets to the Pentagon for use in the proposed Golden Dome missile defense system. (SpaceNews, September 11)
- Rendezvous Robotics raised $3M in funding to develop self-assembling structures in orbit to overcome constraints of what will fit in a rocket. (Payload, September 11)
- ispace-EUROPE completed the mission definition review for MAGPIE, a lunar rover planned to investigate water ice on the Moon’s south pole. (ispace, September 10)
- Anduril, LeoLabs, and Varda Space Industries collaborated on a demonstration to monitor orbital maneuvers preceding a hypersonic reentry. (SpaceNews, September 8)
- Synthetic aperture radar company ICEYE appointed former Mitsubishi deputy general manager Yasuhiro Tsukahara as CEO of ICEYE Japan. (ICEYE, September 5)
Reading Corner
NASA | Advancing NASA – Houston We Have a Podcast
Houston We Have a Podcast, the official podcast of NASA’s Johnson Space Center, celebrated its 400th episode with a special guest. Secretary of Transportation and acting NASA Administrator Sean Duffy joined the podcast to discuss his journey and vision for NASA’s next steps. Topics discussed range from Secretary Duffy’s first days at the agency, the role of industry in low Earth orbit, and the Artemis program.