Senate
Former astronaut Mark Kelly wins Senate race in Arizona
Former NASA astronaut Mark Kelly won his race for the U.S. Senate in Arizona Nov. 3 while two members of Congress involved in space issues lost their bids for reelection.
Senate bill would assign space traffic management work to Commerce Department
The chairman of the Senate Commerce Committee introduced a bill Oct. 21 to formally give the Commerce Department space traffic management (STM) responsibilities, but the funding required to carry out that work remains uncertain.
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.
Space Force gets political boost from Senate supporters
Sen. Cramer: The Space Force caucus will provide an avenue to craft bipartisan legislative ideas.
Senate pandemic relief bill offers $1.5 billion for NASA
A coronavirus pandemic spending package introduced in the Senate this week would provide $1.5 billion in supplemental funding for NASA, although agency leadership says the exact amount of money the agency needs to cover its costs remains to be determined.
U.S. SPACECOM nominee Dickinson says countries must be held accountable for actions in space
Dickinson said "norms of behavior" should be established for the space domain.
Inhofe blocks nomination of FCC commissioner over Ligado order
Inhofe said he would block O’Rielly until the nominee “publicly commits to vote to overturn the current Ligado order.”
Senate passes NDAA, removes section on national security space launch
Differences between the House and Senate versions of the NDAA will be negotiated in a conference some time this fall.
House, Senate continue work on space-related legislation
Key members of the House and Senate say they continue to work on space-related legislation, including a NASA authorization bill, but the two branches of Congress appear to remain far apart on their bills.
SASC NDAA authorizes $250 million for Air Force R&D partnerships with launch industry
The Air Force must fund three-year R&D partnerships with companies to help them prepare to meet the requirements of the National Security Space Launch Phase 3 competition.
Coalition of GPS user groups joins fight against FCC’s Ligado decision
Five associations representing users of the Global Positioning System will be joining forces against the FCC.
Senator seeks to restore proposed cuts in NASA science programs
A U.S. senator said June 15 he will work with colleagues to restore cuts to several NASA programs in the agency’s fiscal year 2021 budget request, which would put more strain on NASA’s efforts to return humans to the moon by 2024.
Senate Armed Services advances NDAA, Space Force acquisition reforms not included
The SASC markup of the 2021 NDAA includes several Space Force provisions but none on acquisition reforms.
Senate committee approves NOAA administrator nomination
The Senate Commerce Committee backed the nomination of Neil Jacobs to be the head of NOAA May 20, despite some lingering concerns by some members.
Senators ask Air Force to not terminate partnerships with space launch industry
Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash) and Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.) ask Air Force to keep Launch Service Agreements that were signed in 2018.
House members criticize NASA lunar lander awards
While NASA’s decision to award lunar lander development contracts to three companies won praise from a Senate committee, the leaders of the House Science Committee said they remained concerned about NASA’s approach to returning humans to the moon.
Senate Armed Services Committee schedules hearing on FCC’s Ligado order
Inhofe: "Given that the FCC has made its decision, it’s critical our members understand the national security implications."
Senators ask GAO to review FCC oversight of satellite constellations
Two senators have asked the GAO to review the FCC’s decision to exempt satellite constellations like SpaceX’s Starlink from an environmental review, given those satellites’ effect on the night sky.
Senate Armed Services Committee to conduct ‘paper hearings’ during pandemic
SASC is "committed to continuing congressional oversight and data collection necessary to drafting the NDAA."
