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Public Policy and Government Affairs
State of Space 2020: A Summary
On February 11, 2020, the Space Foundation presented the State of Space 2020 at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C. Attended by hundreds of members of the space community, the media, and the government, the event featured discussions covering the priorities, challenges, and opportunities in space in the year 2020, and the years ahead.…
Washington, D.C. Update for the Week Ending Feb. 23, 2020
Welcome to another edition of the latest space news from Washington. Although it was a short week for policy makers due to the Presidents’ Day holiday, it was still a busy week in the nation’s capital. With the release of President Trump’s budget last week, there was plenty of discussion on how the numbers would…
Washington, D.C., February Newsletter
As the impeachment trial in the Senate came to a close, legislative activities in Congress began to pick up. Some highlights coming in the next week include the House Committee on Space, Science and Technology’s hearings on space traffic management, planetary defense, and space weather, as well as the release of the President’s FY2021 budget.…
Space Policy Review — 2019
As we launch into the new year, here’s a recap of some of the key space policy activities, legislation, and funding that resulted from government action in 2019. Government Funding/Appropriations On December 20, 2019, President Donald Trump signed the FY2020 Consolidated Appropriations bill (H.R. 1158) into law (Pub. L 116-93), finalizing appropriators’ efforts to combine…
Year-End Newsletter from Washington D.C.
As the holiday season begins, all eyes in D.C. are focused on the House’s debate on the Articles of Impeachment. Lawmakers nevertheless made substantial efforts in passing the FY2020 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) on Wednesday (Dec. 11) which authorizes a new Space Force and $738 billion for defense. Upcoming Events Dec. 17 –…
Washington, D.C., Weekly Space Activity Report
The Space Foundation’s Washington, D.C., team prepares this weekly report of space activity on the Hill. It is published on Mondays on the Space Foundation homepage. Space Industry Updates Nov. 5-6: At the Air Force Space Pitch Day, the Air Force awarded startup Launcher $1.5 million for E-2 rocket engine development and testing. Over the…
Washington, D.C., Weekly Space Activity Report
The Space Foundation’s Washington, D.C., team prepares this weekly report of space activity on the Hill. It is published on Mondays on the Space Foundation homepage. Space Industry Updates On Oct. 25, the Air Force posted a request for information and began a study of the launch industry as the next major national security procurement…
Washington, D.C. Space Activity Updates
The Space Foundation’s Washington, D.C., team prepares this weekly report of space activity on the Hill. It is published each Monday on the Space Foundation homepage. Space Industry Updates Friday, Oct. 4, marked the beginning of World Space Week, a global celebration of space activity. Twenty years ago, the United Nations declared that World Space…
September Washington, D.C., Space Activity Wrap-up
Space Industry Updates The week of Sept. 19, the Artemis program was criticized in several House oversight hearings. On Sept. 23, NASA signed a contract with Lockheed Martin for six to 12 Orion spacecraft to be built at Johnson Space Center in Texas. Previously, NASA’s decision to award Alabama’s Marshall Spaceflight Center the leading role…
September Space Activity on the Hill
Congress returned on Sept. 9 after a month-long August recess. Last week, the Senate focused on appropriations markups and a nomination hearing for Secretary of Air Force and Army. There is increasing pressure as Congress attempts to pass the bill and prevent a government shutdown by Sept. 30. Although another lengthy government shutdown is unlikely, there…