Washington Updates

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…

Space Foundation Research Analyst Dr. Mariel Borowitz was a featured panelist at the Secure World Foundation event on July 15, Earth Observation Satellite Data-Sharing: Policies and Partnerships. About 70 people attended the discussion, held at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace in Washington, D.C., including academics and representatives from the Canadian and French embassies and from…