Washington Updates

This week in Washington, Congress passed a $1.5 trillion omnibus spending bill including a slight overall increase to NASA’s budget, military leaders emphasized that China is a greater national security threat than Russia, Bahrain and Romania signed the Artemis Accords, and China announced plans to open its space station to commercial partners. Space Foundation Virtual…

The space community looks to the International Space Station and the future of international collaboration as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine continues to escalate. China denies the rocket stage set to impact the Moon was from the 2014 Chang’e 5-T1 mission. Virtual Space Foundation Events Interview with Joy White Space Systems Command (SSC) Executive Director Joy…

This week in Washington, D.C., House Representatives signed a letter to House Appropriators requesting an additional $50 million in military space funds, Space Force issued requests for procurement and cyber security support, the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation members pushed for a NASA Authorization Bill, and a United Nations meeting on norms of…

This week in Washington, D.C., NASA announced a shift towards Gateway construction instead of Lunar landings after Artemis 3, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) sued to block Lockheed Martin’s acquisition of Aerojet Rocketdyne, longtime military space advocate Representative Jim Cooper will retire from Congress, and news broke that Congress may require a short-term continuing resolution…

This week in Washington, D.C., the Biden-Harris Administration commits to extending International Space Station (ISS) operations through 2030, Space Force’s Orbital Prime program called for space debris removal proposals, and Military Chiefs, including Space Force leadership warned the House Appropriations Committee against an extended continuing resolution (CR) for the FY22 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA).…