White House
White House nominates NOAA administrator, NASA CFO
The White House announced April 22 its intent to nominate an ocean scientist to be the next administrator of NOAA, and a Defense Department official to be NASA’s next CFO.
Space industry relieved to see National Space Council retained
The Biden administration’s decision to continue the National Space Council has won approval, and relief, from the space industry, who see it as the latest sign that the White House is not contemplating major changes to space policy.
Widespread support for Nelson nomination to lead NASA
President Joe Biden’s nomination of former senator Bill Nelson as the next administrator of NASA has won widespread support from both members of Congress and the broader space community.
White House not making near-term plans to nominate a NASA administrator
The White House said Feb. 23 has no schedule for nominating a NASA administrator as a new round of rumors swirl about who might be selected to lead the agency.
Perseverance landing wins broad political praise
President Biden and other political figures congratulated NASA for the successful Perseverance rover landing, but the bigger challenge may be turning that support into funding for the agency’s exploration programs.
White House endorses Artemis program
The White House gave its support for NASA’s Artemis program of lunar exploration, but offered no details on potential changes it may make in the scope and schedule of the effort.
White House executive order promotes development of space and defense nuclear power systems
Less than a month after issuing a policy directive on space nuclear power, the White House released an executive order Jan. 12 seeking to promote the development of small nuclear reactors for space and defense applications.
White House releases space nuclear power strategy
The White House released a new space policy directive Dec. 16 intended to serve as a strategic roadmap for the development of space nuclear power and propulsion technologies.
Trump administration’s national space policy formalizes Space Force role
The Trump administration released a new national space policy Dec. 9 that recognizes the U.S. Space Force as the primary organization responsible for defending the nation’s interests in 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.
White House withdraws nomination of FCC commissioner O’Rielly
Michael O’Rielly had been nominated in March for a new five-year term as member of the Federal Communications Commission.
NASA invited to White House to present coronavirus projects
A day after discussing the agency’s coronavirus relief work for the media, NASA took those projects to the White House for a presentation to President Donald Trump.
White House looks for international support for space resource rights
An executive order by the White House April 6 seeks to establish international support for the U.S. position that space resources can be used by companies and organizations, and to head off alternative international legal regimes.
White House warns Congress about Artemis funding
The White House warned Congress in a recent letter that without funding increases for its exploration programs, NASA won’t be able to achieve the goal of landing humans on the moon in 2024.
House passes spending bills to end shutdown
The House of Representatives, now under Democratic leadership, passed spending bills Jan. 3 that would fund government agencies that have been shut down for nearly two weeks, but the bills face a presidential veto threat.
White House report: Defense industry faces ‘unprecedented challenges,’ China’s ‘economic aggression’ a threat to national security
DoD business practices, market trends, globalization and manufacturing costs make “future access to space qualified domestic industrial sources uncertain.”
NASA to study converting centers into FFRDCs
The White House has directed NASA to study the possibility of converting one of more of its field centers into federal labs, revisiting a proposal made nearly 15 years ago.
New policy directive implements commercial space regulatory reforms
A new policy President Trump will sign May 24 will implement a series of regulatory reforms to support commercial space recommended by the National Space Council earlier this year.
New National Space Strategy emphasizes “America first” policies
A new National Space Strategy announced by the White House March 23 fits into an “America First” theme of the Trump administration, seeking to protect American interests in space through revised military space approaches and commercial regulatory reform.
White House resubmits NASA and NOAA nominations
The White House formally resubmitted nominations for leaders of both NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to the Senate Jan. 8, a procedural move even as the path to their confirmations becomes narrower.
