A sampling of links to recent space policy, politics, and government (US and international) related space news and resource items that I found of interest (find previous space policy roundups here):

• Schedule:
  • What’s Happening in Space Policy December 6-12, 2020 – SpacePolicyOnline.com
  • XXXI General Assembly Postponed [from August 2021] to August 2022 – IAU
• Biden space:
  • SWF Provides Space Policy and Sustainability Recommendations for the Incoming Biden Administration – Secure World
    • Op-ed | Building Back Better: Critical first issues for a successful Biden space policy – SpaceNews
    • Space Policy and Sustainability: Issue Briefing for the Biden Administration – SWF (pdf)
    • Space policy advice for Biden: Tone down war rhetoric, fix military acquisitions – SpaceNews
  • What to expect from the Biden administration’s military space policy – Axios
• Trump space:
  • Vice President Mike Pence coming to KSC to chair his final National Space Council meeting – ClickOrlando.com
• NASA Management:
  • Exploding Stovepipes | Wayne Hale’s Blog
  • Senate committee advances NASA CFO nomination – SpaceNews
• SLS/Orion:
  • Component failure in NASA’s deep-space crew capsule could take months to fix – The Verge
  • NASA’s Orion capsule suffers failure that could add months to timeline – Florida Today
  • White House asks Congress to remove Europa Clipper SLS requirement – SpaceNews
• Lunar programs:
  • NASA Defines Science Priorities for First Crewed Artemis Landing | NASA
  • A 4G network on the Moon is bad news for radio astronomy – The Space Review
• Congressional space:
  • Senate committee advances NASA CFO nomination – SpaceNews
  • From Astronaut to Senator: Mark Kelly Takes Office – SpacePolicyOnline.com
  • Congresswoman Eddie Bernice Johnson Re-elected to Serve as Science, Space, and Technology Committee Chairwoman | House Committee on Science, Space and Technology
  • Lucas Returns as Ranking Member of House Science Committee | Committee on Science, Space, and Technology
• Commercial space:
  • NASA Selects Companies to Collect Lunar Resources for Artemis | NASA
  • NASA selects four companies for lunar sample purchases – SpaceNews
  • NASA agrees to purchase moon rocks for $1 – Geekwire.com
  • NASA considering commercial Mars data relay satellites – SpaceNews
  • NASA Awards Contract for Flight and Integration Services | NASA
  • New SpaceX Cargo Dragon Docks to Station – Space Station/NASA
  • NASA Science, New Airlock Heads to Space Station on SpaceX Cargo Craft | NASA
• ISS:
  • SpaceX CRS-21 Launches With Life Science from the National Lab – ISS National Lab
  • Busy December Sees Crew Ramping Up for Space Cargo – Space Station/NASA
• Space law:
  • Op-ed | No, Mars is not a free planet, no matter what SpaceX says – SpaceNews
• Space traffic:
  • Taking out the trash: One man’s mission to tidy up the space environment – SpaceNews
  • Space Force Should Hire Commercial Tracking Services ASAP: 2021 NDAA – Breaking Defense
  • Space Café Recap “Moriba’s Vox Populi 02” on the lack of transparency, predictability, and accountability – SpaceWatch.Global
• FCC rural broadband program:
  • Irene Klotz on Twitter: “FCC selects 180 companies to participate in Phase 1 of ambitious project to bring high-speed internet to rural communities in the U.S. Winners include @SpaceX, which was awarded $885.5 million over the next 10 year, to provide Starlink service to 642,925 communities in 35 states“
  • Winning Bidder Summary – FCC Rural Digital Opportunity Fund Phase I Auction – Attachment A (pdf)
• US states space:
  • Rubel: Changes Needed At Spaceport America | KRWG
  • Spaceport America board approves process for hiring new director – Las Cruces Sun
  • Spaceport audit report alleges impropriety | Las Cruces Bulletin
• US Defense space:
  • Launch:
    • Air Force to End Launch Services Agreements with Northrop Grumman, Blue Origin by End of Year – Via Satellite
  • Pentagon, Industry Investing in Space Force Simulations – National Defense Magazine
  • ‘War in space’ would be a catastrophe. A return to rules-based cooperation is the only way to keep space peaceful – The Conversation
  • AIA: Hill, DoD Must Change Relations For Faster Space Acquisition – Breaking Defense
  • NDAA negotiators reach agreement, bill headed for House and Senate votes – SpaceNews
  • Raymond: Space Force will be candid with industry about tech needs – SpaceNews
  • Op-ed | DoD partnerships with startups drive innovation in space technology – SpaceNews
  • Incoming Utah lawmaker running bill to add Space Force to state code – The Salt Lake Tribune
  • Raymond: Air Support Coming to US Space Command – Air Force Magazine
  • The rise of military space powers – Axios
  • The many ways foreign powers can mess with satellites – Axios
  • Space Force can ramp up protection of space architecture as launches hit light speed – Washington Examiner
• Space industry:
  • Space Café WebTalk Recap: Claudia Kessler on empowerment of women for space – SpaceWatch.Global

International space

• Australia:
  • Opinion: Australia’s space sector should aim higher by Malcolm Davis – SpaceWatch.Global
• China:
  • China Focus: Unfurling China’s flag on moon – Xinhua
  • China completes first spacecraft rendezvous, docking in lunar orbit – Xinhua
  • China Joins Race to Mine Moon for Resources – Voice of America
  • China’s Chang’e-5 probe completes drilling, sealing of lunar samples – CGTN
  • Op-ed | China, the moon, Mars, and beyond — an opportunity for human cooperation – SpaceNews
  • China to launch new imaging satellite for Arctic routes monitoring – Xinhua
• Europe
  • ESA purchases world-first debris removal mission from start-up – ESA
  • COVID-19 drug research and bio-mining launching to Space Station – ESA
• France:
  • French CNES to track small-scale fishing with Nemo device – SpaceWatch.Global
• India:
  • Not just business scope, foreign companies to now get space tech access – Times of India
  • Chennai-based startup Agnikul signs non-disclosure agreement with Department of Space – The Hindu
  • New space policy may take local companies global: Sivan – The Economic Times
  • India’s human space flight mission Gaganyaan likely to be delayed by one year due to COVID-19 pandemic – FreePressJournal.in
• Japan:
  • Japan’s Asteroid Sample Return Capsule is Back on Earth – SpacePolicyOnline.com
  • Hayabusa2 capsule retrieved – NHK WORLD
  • Japan’s Hayabusa2 mission delivers the first subsurface asteroid samples to Earth – CBS News
• Russia:
  • Russian spaceport officials are being sacked left and right | Ars Technica
• UAE
  • Launch success for UAE’s FalconEye satellite | Thales Group
• UK:
  • Row over investment kicks off between companies involved in spaceport battle | Press and Journal

Webcasts:

** Dongfang Hour China Aerospace News Roundup 30 Nov – 6 Dec 2020 – SpaceWatch.Global –

Topics discussed:

1. 1. Chang’e-5 Lunar Return Mission
   2. Charming Globe Completes a Massive RMB 2.4 Billion Pre-IPO Round of Funding
   3. Recommended article on Yaogan

** Episode 27 Salvage in Outer Space, Part II – Michael Listner/Space Law & Policy Solutions – Space Thoughts – YouTube (Part I)

** Space Law, the Artemis Accords and When Things Go South – Constellations Podcast

This episode marks a departure from our normal content, which typically includes topics such as the impact of SDN on ground systems, space exploration, rocket launches and so much more. Instead we will discuss space law and its impact on such issues as orbital debris, geospatial analytics and space tourism among others. To guide us through this discussion our guest today is Randy Segal, a partner in Hogan Lovells. We talk about the nuances of the Outer Space Act, a 50-year-old agreement recently updated with the Artemis Accords and Randy explains the impact of Space Law on public-private space partnerships as well as its impact on the weaponization of space. Randy concludes with a consensus on procedures and platforms for everything space; situational awareness, traffic management, debris mitigation, space sustainability.

** International Space Station 20th Anniversary Panel Expanding the Market in Low Earth Orbit – NASA

NASA is committed to stimulating the low-Earth orbit economy as the next step in humanity’s exploration and expansion into the solar system. Low-Earth orbit provides an ideal environment for crew training, fundamental and applied research, and advanced systems development, as well as other activities. In recognition of the 20th anniversary of continuous human presence aboard the International Space Station, listen as NASA Public Affairs Officer Gary Jordan sits down with some of the most influential people leading these commercialization efforts and learn how the space station will play a critical role in NASA’s goal to develop a robust commercial economy in low-Earth orbit. Joining the conversation are Mike Read – International Space Station Business and Economic Development Manager at NASA, John Mulholland – Vice President and Manager for the International Space Station Program at Boeing, Christine Kretz – Vice President of Programs and Partnerships for the International Space Station U.S. National Lab, Jeffrey Manber – Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder at Nanoracks, Rich Boling – Vice President of Corporate Advancement at Techshot, Phil McAlister – Director of Commercial Spaceflight at NASA, Benji Reed – Senior Director of Human Spaceflight at SpaceX, and Ven Feng – Deputy Manager of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program.

** E43 – The Modern Missile Threat (with Sam Wilson and Steve Dunham) – Aerospace Corp – Center for Space Policy & Strategy (CSPS)

** Space Café WebTalk BLACKOPS#1 by Ralph Thiele – 12. November 2020  – spacewatch. global – News Room – YouTube

In this special Space Cafè “Black Ops by Ralph Thiele #1”, Colonel (Ret`d) Ralph Thiele, Chairman of the Berlin based Political-Military Society, President of Euro Défense-Germany, and Managing Director of StratByrd Consulting, Germany talked with his guests about the Implication for Security & Defence coming with the the LEO & MEO wave.

His guests in this session were:

John Munoz Atkinson – Director, Business Development, Global Governments at SES Networks
Alexandra Stickings – Research Fellow for Space Policy and Security at RUSI

** Tim Anderson – How Could The Success Of SpaceX Starship Change The Space Industry? – Cold Star Technologies – YouTube

Commander Tim Anderson is not only a US Naval Reserve officer with responsibilities in war planning, but is also in a defense contractor role managing ship repairs and modernization. In this interview hosted by Jason Kanigan of the Cold Star Project, Commander Anderson discusses how government and Department of Defense makes up its mind on spending, and how you can make use of that process. We also dig deep into the potentially great impact of SpaceX Starship on the space industry: payload variants, areas of operation, effect on industry players and more. Why? The dramatic rise in cargo capacity offered and drop in launch and transportation costs promised–even if the numbers are nowhere near as rosy as predicted.

** Sunday, Dec. 6, 2020 – Dr. Michael Gleason discussed “national security with our space forces”.

** The Space Show – Tuesday, Dec.1.2020 – Derek Webber discussed lunar commercial development as laid out in his Space Review article of Nov. 15, 2020, ,Lunar commerce: a question of semantics?

** December 2, 2020 Zimmerman/Batchelor podcast

** December 3, 2020 Zimmerman/Batchelor podcast

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