Policy & Politics
Op-Ed | It’s Time to Rescind the Moratorium on Regulation of Commercial Spaceflight
As commercial human spaceflight enjoys a breakout 2021, it doesn't make sense for Congress to keep safety regulators handcuffed through 2023, argues the author of "Bringing Columbia Home."
Lawmakers ask Air Force Secretary to ‘pause all actions’ on Space Command relocation
Sen. Michael Bennet (D-Colo.) and other lawmakers are asking Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall to suspend all activities related to the relocation of U.S. Space Command from Colorado Springs to Huntsville, Alabama.
Government shutdown could delay NASA’s Lucy asteroid mission
A NASA asteroid mission that has remained on schedule for a mid-October launch despite disruptions caused by the pandemic is now facing a new challenge: the threat of a federal government shutdown.
Op-ed | Putting the UK’s new space strategy into action
The UK's National Space Strategy has not come a moment too soon as orbits become increasingly important and competitive for technology, communications and security. The UK cannot afford to be left behind. Nor can it afford to be subscale.
British government releases national space strategy
The British government released a highly anticipated space strategy Sept. 27 that outlines its plans to turn the country into a major global space power, but does away with a key metric it had been using to measure its progress.
House committee presses NOAA on commercial weather data and space traffic management
Members of the House Science Committee asked the new administrator of NOAA to make more use of commercial satellite data and take action on space traffic management.
NASA urged to avoid space station gap
NASA needs to ensure that commercial space stations are ready before the International Space Station is retired to avoid a “space station gap” with geopolitical consequences, industry officials and other advisers warn.
Court filing outlines Blue Origin’s case against NASA SpaceX lunar lander award
Blue Origin is seeking to overturn NASA’s award of a lunar lander contract to SpaceX by arguing that SpaceX’s proposal failed to meet requirements for reviews that made it “unawardable.”
Op-ed | GPS Offers Lessons for the Infrastructure of Tomorrow
Today, some of the more innovative uses of GPS are those that work together with other emerging technologies, thereby enabling smarter, more efficient functionality.
Space sustainability makes slow progress at the United Nations
Diplomats and other experts see signs of progress at the United Nations on addressing space sustainability but caution it may will take many years before any sort of binding agreement emerges.
FAA releases draft environmental report on SpaceX Starship orbital launches
A draft environmental assessment released by the Federal Aviation Administration suggests that SpaceX will be able to proceed with orbital Starship launches from Texas, but with a number of mitigations required.
Space community ponders right-of-way rules for space traffic
The growing number of satellites in orbit is leading to calls to develop formal “right of way” rules, although there is no consensus on what those rules should be and how they should be established.
‘Taiwan must secure a strategic position in space industry’s supply chain’: president
Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen said Sept. 14 the country “must secure a strategic position in the space industry’s supply chain” by leveraging its competitive edge in semiconductor and precision engineering.
House Science Committee advances budget reconciliation package
The House Science Committee approved its portion of a massive budget reconciliation spending bill Sept. 9, making no major changes to its NASA provisions.
VP wants more diversity in the National Space Council’s industry advisory group
A notice could appear in the Federal Register as early as next week seeking nominations for the National Space Council’s industry advisory group, the council’s executive secretary Chirag Parikh said Sept. 9.
UN space office seeks consensus on space traffic management
The United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs is poised to assist the international community in tackling the challenges posed by an increasingly diverse set of actors launching and operating spacecraft.
