Policy & Politics
Foust Forward | Seeking small victories in space policy
As the House and Senate struggle with pandemic relief and other spending bills, there seems little opportunity for anything space-related to get through Congress.
Bridenstine asks Senate appropriators for full funding for Artemis
NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine urged Senate appropriators to provide full funding of Artemis as some members questioned the agency’s emphasis on its lunar exploration program.
NASA makes push for full funding of Artemis human lunar lander program
NASA used the release of a report on the Artemis program to seek full funding of the effort to return humans to the moon, warning that they had six months to secure its budget to keep a 2024 landing on schedule.
New study looks at space power competition through China’s lens
A concern for the United States will be China’s diplomatic push to win over allies and challenge American leadership in space.
Intelsat taps Maxar for fifth C-band satellite, capping order spree
Intelsat has signed a satellite contract with Maxar Technologies, placing the final order in a one-time surge in manufacturing deals triggered by the Federal Communications Commission’s upcoming C-band spectrum auction.
Space Force gets political boost from Senate supporters
Sen. Cramer: The Space Force caucus will provide an avenue to craft bipartisan legislative ideas.
White House issues cybersecurity space policy
The White House released a new space policy directive Sept. 4 intended to improve cybersecurity of space systems.
Study raises new concerns about lack of governing norms in space
New CSIS report looks at three key governance issues: orbital debris mitigation, rendezvous and proximity operations, and insurance requirements
NASA space technology faces potential budget pressure
Uncertain overall funding and congressional direction to increase funding on specific projects could create pressure on NASA’s space technology program, an agency official warned Sept. 1.
‘Starfleet’ amendment puts Space Force in a political bind
Space Force statement: "We don’t comment on proposed legislation and will announce Space Force ranks when the decision is final.”
Industry supports giving space traffic management work to Commerce Department
Companies and organizations in the space industry support the recommendations of a recent report that the Commerce Department handle civil space traffic management, but say it’s more important that the government settle on an agency and move forward.
Bharti Enterprises asks ISRO for help developing OneWeb user terminals
Indian telecommunications giant Bharti Enterprises is asking India’s space agency to help develop user terminals for OneWeb and to collaborate on providing broadband across the country.
Op-ed | China must be held accountable for its actions on Earth and in space
A disregard for terrestrial international norms has also been witnessed with regard to space.
White House memo adds low Earth orbit research as R&D priority
A White House document has included low Earth orbit research “on new platforms” as a research and development priority for the administration as NASA struggles to win congressional support for its LEO commercialization initiative.
FCC streamlined smallsat licensing regulations published
New FCC regulations will go into effect next week intended to make it easier for small satellites to get licenses for commercial operations.
Foust Forward | Space at the table for everyone
As its first term nears its end, the Trump administration has yet to issue its own national space policy, despite a wave of more specific space policy documents on everything from space traffic management to the Space Force.
