Policy & Politics
House panel wants details on Space Force plans to upgrade launch infrastructure
The House Armed Services Committee’s subcommittee on strategic forces in its markup of the 2022 National Defense Authorization Act raises concerns about the state of the U.S. space launch infrastructure.
U.K. to strengthen regulations for Starlink, OneWeb and other NGSO constellations
British telecoms regulator Ofcom is proposing rule changes that would affect Starlink, OneWeb and other satellite constellations operating in non-geostationary orbits (NGSO).
Report calls on government agencies to better coordinate spectrum
An interagency dispute about the use of a spectrum band for weather forecasting versus terrestrial wireless services illustrates the need for the federal government to reform its spectrum management processes, a report concluded.
Op-ed | Commerce Department, NOAA ensuring U.S. remains a world leader in space commerce
Space traffic management stuck in gridlock? The U.S. Commerce Department and NOAA say they will be ready this fall to "lay out procurement strategies, organizational framework, and governance approach for civilian space situational awareness services."
Space executives: Regulations and incentives needed to curtail collisions and debris
Safe deployment of satellites is going to be increasingly difficult in the absence of globally accepted rules and incentives to make space a sustainable environment, industry executives said.
House appropriators approve NASA spending bill with revised lunar lander and nuclear propulsion language
The House Appropriations Committee passed a spending bill July 15 that leaves intact overall funding for NASA but tweaks language regarding the Human Landing System and nuclear thermal propulsion.
NASA seeks proposals for commercial space station development
NASA is seeking proposals for a program to support the development of commercial space stations, even as funding for that effort is in jeopardy in Congress.
House appropriations bill supports increase to NASA’s budget
A House appropriations subcommittee advanced a spending bill July 12 that would provide NASA with a small increase over what the administration proposed for fiscal year 2022, but does not address some key areas of concern.
Op-Ed | Who wants to step up to a $10 billion risk?
A proposed satellite constellation would be registered in Papua New Guinea, which has not stepped up to accept specific international responsibility or liability for the activities of commercial entities it has licensed.
Nelson says Artemis plans pending decision on GAO protest
NASA Administrator Bill Nelson told a House committee June 23 that NASA is awaiting a decision from the GAO on protests of the agency’s lunar lander contract before releasing more details on plans to return humans to the moon.
Op-ed | NOAA is stalling U.S. space traffic management
Rather than move forward with efforts to work with industry on space traffic management solutions, the Commerce Department is funding studies of topics that in some cases were addressed in a report last year by NAPA, risking both U.S. leadership in the field and space safety generally.
House hearing rehashes longstanding commercial space transportation issues
A House aviation subcommittee hearing on commercial space transportation June 16 plowed familiar ground, revisiting a wide range of issues that have yet to be resolved.
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.
