Congress
Omnibus spending bill gives Space Force its first separate budget
The package approved by Congress for fiscal year 2021 provides $696 billion for the Defense Department, including $15.2 billion for the U.S. Space Force.
NASA receives $23.271 billion in fiscal year 2021 omnibus spending bill
Congress will provide NASA with nearly $23.3 billion in the final fiscal year 2021 omnibus spending bill, restoring several science programs but falling far short of the funding sought for a lunar lander program.
Republicans confirm Rogers as ranking member of the House Armed Services Committee
Rep. Mike Rogers (R-Ala.) on Dec. 3 was officially selected as the ranking member of the House Armed Services Committee in the 117th Congress.
Space Force says it has a plan to fix gaps in weather data
Congress for years has been critical of the U.S. Air Force's weather satellite programs.
Commentary | Senate Democrats: Stand against China, protect U.S. space programs
U.S. Sen. Cory Gardner argues that contracting provisions he added to a draft NASA authorization act last year would help safeguard U.S. space technology against Chinese efforts to steal it.
Congressional report refutes claim that a Space National Guard would be ‘cost neutral’
CBO estimates that standing up a Space National Guard would cost about $100 million a year.
Air Force: Report on space acquisition reforms ‘not finalized’
A report sent to Congress last week proposing changes to Space Force acquisition programs was an “initial version” and not the final product, the Air Force said.
Space agencies working on a ‘unified message’ on industry stimulus
The Space Acquisition Council is collecting data on the state of the defense supply chain.
Space Force officials defend plan to consider alternatives to a Space National Guard
DoD is taking a "clean sheet" look at how reserve components would support the U.S. Space Force
Op-ed | H.R. 5666 will launch the U.S. in the wrong direction
In his Feb. 3 SpaceNews opinion piece, Louis Friedman argues that the NASA authorization bill that recently cleared a House space subcommittee is best direction for America in space. The bill, H.R. 5666, would require the United States to abandon the moon after a flags and footprints lunar landing (while effectively preventing commercial firms from participating). We could not disagree more.
Spending bill highlights ongoing debate on Commerce Department’s role in space traffic management
Language in a fiscal year 2020 spending bill suggests that Congress is unlikely to act soon on the future of the Office of Space Commerce or the Commerce Department’s proposed role in handing civil space traffic management.
NASA to receive $22.6 billion in fiscal year 2020 spending bill
A final fiscal year 2020 spending bill released by congressional appropriators Dec. 16 would give NASA more than $22.6 billion, but falls short of the agency’s request for lunar lander development.
HASC Chairman: Single-contractor bid for new ICBM is ‘troubling’
Smith said he offered to help Boeing but the company wasn't interested.
Senate defense appropriators support DoD space request, propose ‘tactical responsive launch’ program
The SAC-D fully funded the $1.2 billion request for the National Security Space Launch program.
U.S. Space Command and National Reconnaissance Office will join forces to defend space
The intelligence community and the DoD agreed to align U.S. Space Command and the NRO into a unified defense structure.
