Washington Updates
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…
Read More
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…
Read More
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…
Read More
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).…
Read More
This week in Washington, D.C., the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) passed the Senate, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) announced an end to the Commercial Astronaut Wings Program, and the Biden Administration nominated Frank Calvelli to direct Space Force acquisitions. Former US Senator Bob Dole and Former Johnson Space Center Director Mark Geyer both passed…
Read More
This week in Washington, D.C., the Biden/Harris Administration convened its first National Space Council meeting, signed an Executive Order on the National Space Council, called for new international norms of behavior in the wake of the Russian ASAT test, and NASA announced new partnerships to develop a commercial space station. The government avoids shutdown with…
Read More
This week in Washington, D.C., President Biden signed the infrastructure bill into law, the Artemis Program faced major schedule updates and discrepancies between NASA’s A-Suite and Office of the Inspector General, Vice President Harris and French President Macron announced a joint space and cybersecurity partnership, and the Russian anti-satellite missile test raised concerns about space…
Read More
This week in Washington, D.C., the House allocations of the Build Back Better Act sharply reduced allocations to NASA infrastructure repairs and climate change projects, a federal judge ruled against Blue Origin’s protest of the NASA Human Landing System contract, Space Force introduced a new commercial technology funding program called Orbital Prime, and the Decadal…
Read More
This week in Washington, the Senate Appropriations Committee exceeded NASA’s budget request for FY22 but only added $100 million to be spent on the Human Landing System, the Lucy mission successfully launched from Cape Canaveral, Congress hosted two hearings on the future of deep space travel and international partnerships, and William Shatner went where very…
Read More
This week in Washington, the Senate voted to extend the debt ceiling, NASA reassigned Astronauts Nicole Mann and John Cassada from Boeing’s Starliner flight to the SpaceX Crew-5 mission, and the HPSCI approved the creation of a separate National Space Intelligence Center. Space Foundation Online Content Women in Space: The Dr. Sally Ride Quarter Story Space…
Read More