Policy & Politics
Senate confirms NASA deputy administrator, NOAA administrator
The Senate confirmed the nominations June 17 of a former astronaut to be the deputy administrator of NASA and of an ocean scientist to lead NOAA.
Japan passes space resources law
Japan’s parliament approved legislation that allows companies to extract and utilize space resources as the head of Russia’s space agency criticized similar national laws on the subject.
ESA and EU to sign partnership agreement
ESA and the EU will sign an agreement next week governing their work on joint projects, one that the agency says will allow ESA members who are not part of the EU to participate on those projects.
Air Force defends choice of Alabama’s Redstone Arsenal to host U.S. Space Command
Acting Secretary of the Air Force John Roth on June 16 pushed back on suggestions that the recommendation to relocate U.S. Space Command from Colorado to Alabama was politically tainted.
Brazil joins Artemis Accords
Brazil became the 12th nation to sign the Artemis Accords, the U.S.-led effort to establish norms of behavior for space exploration, June 15.
Nelson asks Senate appropriators for more HLS funding
NASA Administrator Bill Nelson asked Senate appropriators to provide additional funding so NASA can support a second lunar lander developer, warning that the agency needed to stay ahead of a “very aggressive” Chinese space program.
Op-ed | Making space for ESG
Providing increasingly valuable data and monitoring for Earth-based environmental sustainability efforts is contingent on the long-term utilization of space and, consequently, the sustainability of the space environment itself.
Health care exec to lead UK Space Agency
The UK Space Agency has picked health care veteran Paul Bate to be its next CEO starting Sept. 6.
Senate passes NASA authorization act
The Senate approved June 8 a wide-ranging competitiveness bill that includes a NASA authorization act with a controversial provision about competition in the Human Landing System program.
Colorado lawmakers invite VP Harris to tour space facilities
Colorado lawmakers in a June 9 letter urge Vice President Kamala Harris to visit military and space industry facilities in the state.
New study calls for ‘national dialogue’ on future environmental satellites
The U.S. government is poised to make large investments in environmental monitoring satellites but these efforts are not well coordinated, says a new report by the Aerospace Corp.
House bill would designate space as critical infrastructure
A new House bill would classify space as a critical infrastructure and require the federal government to establish guidelines to protect it.
Nelson to speak with Rogozin on the future of the ISS
NASA Administrator Bill Nelson says he will soon speak with his Russian counterpart in the hopes of continuing longstanding cooperation between the two countries in space even as Russia’s ties to China grow stronger.
Viasat wants FCC to review Starlink’s government funding
Satellite operator Viasat is stepping up efforts to stop Starlink’s growing constellation, taking aim at the nearly $900 million of rural broadband subsidies that SpaceX won in December.
New Zealand signs Artemis Accords
The New Zealand government announced May 31 that it had signed the U.S.-led Artemis Accords governing best practices for space exploration activities, showing a particular interest in the document’s stance on space resources.
