Washington Updates

Some of the solutions to many developing nations’ social and economic woes might just come from the most unlikely place – outer space. Solutions from Space: Space Applications for International Development, a Space Foundation white paper released last month, says that the ability of space-based technology to overcome infrastructure and access issues might help solve previously…

As we proceed into the autumn, much of the focus of the space policy community in Washington, D.C., has been absorbing and digesting the recently released Executive Summary report from the committee on the Review of U.S. Human Space Flight Plans. Both the House of Representatives and Senate have already held oversight hearings on the…

August is traditionally a very quiet time in Washington, D.C., when Congress goes out of session for the month to spend time in their home states to meet with constituents. Therefore, the various NASA and the Department of Defense spending bills are paused until Congress reconvenes. There are several space policy reviews that have been…

The following was reported in Russian newspaper, RIA Novosti, on Aug. 18: Despite the current economic crisis, the Russian government has allocated about 80 billion rubles ($2.5 billion) in 2009 for the development of the aerospace industry. According to Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, “We are planning to continue investing heavily in these branches of…

Space Foundation’s Mariel John has been selected to present two papers at the 60th International Astronautical Congress (IAC), being held this October 12-16 in Daejeon, South Korea. Hosted by the International Astronautical Federation (IAF), the IAC is a well-established and well-respected conference that attracts an average of 1,500 participants each year, including members of the global…

The Space Report 2009: The Authoritative Guide to Global Space Activity produced by the Space Foundation has won a prestigious printing award in a state-wide Florida competition. The glossy report on the state of the $257 billion space industry received an Award of Excellence in the environmentally sound materials category of the Printing Association of…