Report from Washington, D.C.

The update from Washington, D.C., is by Space Foundation Government Affairs Associate Tommy Sanford Dec. 2 – The U.S. House of Representatives passed the Space Launch Liability Indemnification Extension Act, H.R 3547. The bill would extend the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) commercial launch indemnification authority for another year. Senator Bill Nelson (D-FL) introduced a similar…

The update from Washington, D.C., is by Space Foundation Government Affairs Associate Tommy Sanford Nov. 5:  The U.S. Senate Select Committee on Intelligence approved S. 1681, the Intelligence Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2014. The legislation’s accompanying committee report, S. Rpt. 113-120, contains language that would require the Intelligence Community (IC) to review policies related…

The Space Foundation routinely tracks relevant NASA, NOAA and National Security Space authorization and appropriations bills. Now, with increasing attention to all-things-cyber, the Space Foundation is expanding its reporting to include similarly-styled documents with respect to cyberspace. There are many legislative proposals currently being considered in Congress regarding cybersecurity, and certainly more can be expected.…

On Thursday Nov. 21, President Obama signed the new National Space Transportation Policy. Under the policy, NASA will continue to lead the expansion of a domestic commercial space industry for low-Earth orbit transportation, while developing a heavy lift launch capability to take humans further than they have ever explored. This was the product of an…

On Sept. 20, the House Science, Space, & Technology Subcommittee on Space held a hearing on “NASA Infrastructure: Enabling Discovery and Ensuring Capability.” The hearing was called to review the findings of NASA’s Office of Inspector General (OIG) February 2013 report on NASA’s aging infrastructure and antiquated facilities. Paul Martin, inspector general for NASA, testified…

The House Science, Space, & Technology Subcommittees on Oversight and on Environment held a joint hearing on Sept. 19, “Dysfunction in Management of Weather and Climate Satellites.” The hearing was called to update Congress on the progress that NOAA and NASA have made on the next generation geostationary and polar-orbiting satellites, Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite…

Proposed Fiscal Year (FY) 2014 appropriation bills that would fund NASA, NOAA and Department of Defense, amongst other Federal agencies, are still waiting to be adjudicated by the full Senate and House of Representatives. The 2013 fiscal year ended Sept. 30 without Congress having agreed to either a Continuing Resolution (CR) or FY 2014 appropriation…

The Space Foundation Washington, D.C., office has moved to a new address in Arlington, Va.: Space Foundation Washington, D.C., Office1655 N. Fort Myer Drive, Suite 910 Arlington, VA 22209 Phone: 202.618.3060 The new office is conveniently located a block and a half from the Rosslyn metro station. The team currently working from the new location includes:…

President Obama recently nominated several individuals to fill high-level positions in the executive branch that oversee space programs and policy activities. Former NASA astronaut Kathryn D. Sullivan, Ph.D., has been nominated to become the permanent Administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Currently Sullivan serves as the acting NOAA administrator. Frank A. Rose,…

On Aug. 1, the Senate Appropriations Committee passed its version of the FY 2014 Defense Appropriations Act. The bill would appropriate funds for defense programs, including military satellites, launch vehicles and cybersecurity programs. There is no set date for when the bill will be voted on by the full Senate. However, Sept. 30 marks the…