Washington Updates

Legislative activity in Washington, D.C., slowed down in August as Congress recessed for the month to return home to their families and constituents. Congress adjourning for a summer break has long been a tradition going back to 1791, but it was not until Congress passed the Legislative Reorganization Act in 1970 that August officially became…

Because much of U.S. activity in space is decided by officials in Washington, D.C., the Space Foundation has a dedicated office in our nation’s capital. In Washington, the Space Foundation serves as a trusted source of information and promotes the message that space and investment in space capabilities benefits all peoples, and that America must…

On July 17, the Senate Appropriations Committee passed its FY 2015 Department of Defense Appropriations bill. The bill includes funding for military space programs. The U.S. House of Representatives passed its version of the FY 2015 Department of Defense Appropriations bill in late June. With only a few legislative days remaining on the calendar before…

During July, the Space Foundation hosted two briefings to update congressional staff on NASA programs for human deep space exploration. The briefings included a panel of NASA’s industry partners working on the Space Launch System (SLS) and the Orion crew spacecraft. Panelists provided an overview of the programs, including progress that has been made and plans…

On July 1, the U.S. Department of State and the Republic of Korea held their first bilateral meeting on space cooperation in Washington, D.C. The discussions included high-level government officials from both the U.S. and Republic of Korea governments. Following the meeting, the Space Foundation hosted a networking reception and luncheon for participants, as well…

The Space Foundation held a briefing for the 2014 release of its annual publication The Space Report. The June 5 briefing was held in the Russell Senate Office Building in Washington, D.C., and was attended by more than 50 people representing U.S. House of Representatives and U.S. Senate staff from various committees that handle space.…