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):

• Space legislation:
  • House subcommittee advances NASA authorization bill – SpaceNews.com
  • NASA authorization bill advances in House. Proposed limits on commercial partners spur concern | Space.com
  • House Subcommittee Clears NASA Authorization Bill, But It’s Just the Beginning – SpacePolicyOnline.com
  • NASA has been touting Trump’s moon plan for nearly a year. Now it faces its first real test in Congress. – The Washington Post
  • Industry Reactions to New NASA Authorization Bill Vary Widely – SpacePolicyOnline.com
  • Bridenstine Politely Responds to House Committee’s 2020 NASA Authorization Bill – SpacePolicyOnline.com
  • Bridenstine concerned about aspects of House NASA authorization bill – SpaceNews.com
  • House NASA Bill Cancelling Lunar Base Makes No Sense – Even To Go To Mars | The Daily Caller
  • National Space Society Recommends More Commercial Emphasis in House NASA Authorization Act of 2020 – National Space Society
  • Coalition For Deep Space Exploration Statement Regarding H.R. 5666 – Explore Deep Space
  • House Draft NASA Authorization Bill is the Greatest Hits of Terrible, Dead-End Space Policy – Main Engine Cut Off
• James Webb Space Telescope:
  • GAO warns of more JWST delays – SpaceNews.com
  • Report: Webb telescope has just a 12 percent chance of making launch date | Ars Technica
  • James Webb Space Telescope: Technical Challenges Have Caused Schedule Strain and May Increase Costs – U.S. GAO
    • Full Report (PDF, 42 pages)
• SLS/ISS:
  • The Space Launch System is an irredeemable mistake – The Benchmark/Medium
• NASA ISS research:
  • International Space Station U.S. National Laboratory Annual Report for Fiscal Year 2019 – ISS Nat. Lab
• NASA commercial space stations:
  • NASA Selects First Commercial Destination Module for Space Station | NASA
  • NASA picks Axiom to build three private commercial modules on ISS | Behind The Black
  • NASA Picks Axiom Space for Commercial LEO Module – SpacePolicyOnline.com
  • Bigelow Aerospace sets sights on free-flying station after passing on ISS commercial module – SpaceNews.com
• Commercial crew:
  • Boeing takes $410 million charge to cover potential additional commercial crew test flight – SpaceNews.com
  • GAO warns SpaceX, Boeing launch schedule will affect Space Station staffing – HoustonChronicle.com
  • GAO Worries About Commercial Crew Contingency Plans as Boeing Takes Pre-Tax Charge for Potential OFT Reflight – SpacePolicyOnline.com
  • NASA Commercial Crew Program: Significant Work Remains to Begin Operational Missions to the Space Station – U.S. GAO
    • Full Report (PDF, 27 pages)
• NASA’s other commercial initiatives:
  • 2020 Opportunities for Public-Private Partnerships | NASA
  • In a Space Industry First, NASA Grants KBR the Right to Train Private Astronauts at NASA Facilities | KBR
  • NASA taps KBR Inc., Axiom Space for major commercial space work – Houston Business Journal
• Orbital traffic:
  • Close call as two satellites avoid collision – NASASpaceFlight.com
  • 2 satellites will narrowly avoid colliding at 32,800 mph over Pittsburgh on Wednesday – Space.com
  • Potential satellite collision shows need for active debris removal – SpaceNews.com
  • Space Traffic Is Surging, And Critics Worry There Could Be A Crash – NPR
• Satellite spectrum regulation:
  • C-Band Alliance pegs satellite spectrum clearing costs at $3.3 billion – SpaceNews.com
  • Amazon seeks swift approval of Kuiper network despite SpaceX opposition – GeekWire
  • OneWeb, U.S. senator, urge FCC to act on 2018 request for 1,260 more satellites – SpaceNews.com
  • EOS Defense Systems USA to acquire Audacy’s business, license – SpaceNews.com
• Satellite cybersecurity:
  • Space Cybersecurity Information Sharing Group Moves Forward – SpacePolicyOnline.com
• American states space:
  • New Mexico:
    • Spaceport America: New tenants announced, $1B economic impact – Las Cruces Sun-Times
    • Our Economic Impact: Comprehensive Economic & Fiscal Impact Analysis of Spaceport America – Spaceport America
    • Spaceport America prepares to welcome two new companies | KRQE News 13
    • Spaceport America adding millions to local economy | KOB 4
  • Florida:
    • Space Florida supports bill to streamline bond financing – Orlando Sentinel
    • Jacksonville’s Cecil Spaceport is counting down to ‘liftoff’ – The Florida Times-Union – Jacksonville, FL
  • Michigan:
    • Sawyer in running for spaceport designation, activity – The Mining Journal
  • California:
    • Another shot at bringing a SpaceX rocket plant to San Pedro is in the works – Daily Breeze
    • SpaceX may build Starship rockets in Port of Los Angeles – CNBC
• US military:
  • Rocket Lab kicks off busy year with NRO launch – SpaceNews.com
  • Satellites at war: A week of U.S.-Iran tensions sum up military reliance on space – SpaceNews.com
  • Editorial: Launching the Space Force – Air Force Magazine
  • U.S. Space Force seeks civilians to join staff – United States Space Force
  • Hyten Challenges Remain in Building Space Force Budget – National Defense Magazine
  • Hyten Offers Peek Into Space Force Budget Deliberations – Air Force Magazine
• International space
  • Australia:
    • Australia should take the next steps to be a new and importance space power- The Canberra Times
    • Australia’s New Rocket Range – LeonardDavid.com
  • Canada:
    • Canadian Space Agency Funded Report Outlines Socio-Economic Benefits of Space Utilization – SpaceQ
  •  China:
    • Rocket nears spaceport for Chinese space station test launch – SpaceNews.com
    • Assessing China’s commercial space industry – The Space Review
    • Evaluation of Chinas Commercial Space Sector – IDA
  • Europe:
    • Europe’s EDRS-C Space Data Highway Satellite Ready For Operations – SpaceWatch.Global
    • Europe’s Galileo GNSS Now Replies To Distress Messages Around The Globe – SpaceWatch.Global
    • QinetiQ to build ozone-monitoring satellite for European Space Agency – SpaceNews.com
  • France:
    • France To Support Indian Human Spaceflight And Space Station Ambitions – SpaceWatch.Global
  • Georgia:
    • UK’s OneWeb Forging Relationship With Republic Of Georgia – SpaceWatch.Global
  • India:
    • Budget 2020 | Need to put spotlight on ‘space commerce’: Pixxel CEO | Deccan Herald
    • Satellite imagery-based rural planning system gets an upgrade – The Hindu
    • How ‘an eye in the sky’ can boost India’s internal security mechanism – livemint.com
  • Iran:
    • Troubled Iranian rocket industry preparing for another launch attempt | Ars Technica
    • Iran breaks monopoly of know-how to launch satellites – IRNA English
    • Iran Preparing For U.S.-Criticized Satellite Launch – Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty
    • Iran Preparing To Launch Zafar Earth Observation Satellites – SpaceWatch.Global
    • Forty years of revolution, ten years of spaceflight – The Space Review
  • Japan:
    • JAXA To Provide Satellite Imagery To Support UN Food And Agriculture Organisation Forestry Land-Use Assessments – SpaceWatch.Global
  • Nigeria:
    • Science and technology minister’s space illusion – Nigerian Tribune
  • Russia:
    • Roscosmos says first Russian nuclear space tug set for launch in 2030 – TASS
    • Russia’s Oryol new spacecraft to make crewed flight around Moon in 2029 – TASS
  • Turkmenistan:
    • Russia Willing To Assist Turkmenistan With Second Satellite, Turkmen Astronaut – SpaceWatch.Global
  • UK:
    • #Brexit satellite disruption to cost UK £1 billion per day – EU Reporter

Webcasts:

** Boeing Cancels Phantom Express Launch Vehicle 2 Years After Winning XS-1 Contract from DARPA – Scott Manley

The XS-1 program was a DARPA project to develop a rapidly reusable launch vehicle which could also be used for hypersonic research. Boeing, Northrop Grumman and Masten Space Systems were seen as the main contenders, but Boeing eventually won with a design based on the RS-25 Space Shuttle Main Engine. After 2 years working on the project Boeing stopped, essentially killing the project and leaving another hypersonic aircraft project unfinished.

** Hotel Mars/The Space Show – Wed, 01/22/2020 – John Batchelor and Dr. David Livingston talk with Dr. Robert Zubrin about “Humans to Mars, back contamination, destroying all water on Earth and more”

** Episode T+145: Caleb Henry – Main Engine Cut Off

Caleb Henry of SpaceNews joins me to talk about the recent happenings in the satellite industry, including new ITU milestones for megaconstellations, SpaceX’s big year for Starlink, OneWeb’s progress, and DirecTV’s battery issue.

** January 28, 2020 Zimmerman/Batchelor podcast | Behind The Black

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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):

[ Update: NASA selects Axiom Space to provide a commercial module for the ISS: NASA Selects First Commercial Destination Module for Space Station | NASA

The next chapter in LEO begins. pic.twitter.com/tg1uwkzkUj

— Axiom Space (@Axiom_Space) January 27, 2020

]

•  Schedule:
  • What’s Happening in Space Policy January 26-February 1, 2020 – SpacePolicyOnline.com
• House draft NASA authorization bill:
  • House introduces NASA authorization bill that emphasizes Mars over moon – SpaceNews.com
  • Bipartisan House NASA Authorizers Reject Artemis Moon-by-2024 Plan, Wants Focus on Mars Instead – SpacePolicyOnline.com
  • Bipartisan House bill spurns 2024 moon landing goal, favoring focus on Mars – Spaceflight Now
  • NASA Authorization Bill – House proposal (pdf)
  • Response:
    • CSF Statement on House Space Subcommittee NASA Authorization Bill – Commercial Spaceflight Federation
      • Marcia Smith on Twitter: “Concluding paragraph from letter to members of the House SS&T cmte sent by the Commercial Spaceflight Federation this morning. CSF wants the bill withdrawn.” / Twitter
    • Jim Bridenstine on Twitter: “While there are challenges with the House Auth Bill (limited commercial partnerships, limited Moon activities, etc), consider the positives: – Strong, bipartisan support for Moon to Mars agenda – All major Artemis programs authorized – Includes Gateway to Mars More to come.” / Twitter
    • House legislators want to hand NASA’s human spaceflight program over to Boeing: Lawmakers also appear to like cost-plus contracts. – Ars Technica
    • House Draft NASA Authorization Bill is the Greatest Hits of Terrible, Dead-End Space Policy – Main Engine Cut Off
    • House authorization bill focuses on pork – Behind The Black
    • Is the Moon a Stepping Stone or a Cornerstone for Mars? –  The Planetary Society
• Space law:
  • What is the Moon Treaty and is it still useful? – Filling Space
• Orbital traffic:
  • Astroscale Awarded Up To US $4.5 Million Grant From Tokyo Metropolitan Government To Commercialize Active Debris Removal Services – Astroscale
• Satellite cybersecurity:
  • Space Cybersecurity Information Sharing Group Moves Forward – SpacePolicyOnline.com
• US military:
  • U.S. Space Force has lifted off, now the journey begins – SpaceNews.com
  • Op-ed | Getting Space Force acquisition right in 2020 – SpaceNews.com
  • U.S. Space Force says its new seal is not a Starfleet knockoff – SpaceNews.com
• International space
  • Canada:
    • The Canadian Space Agency Quietly Supports Maritime Launch Services – SpaceQ
    • STEVE MATIER: Spaceport project well-grounded in rural communities – Opinion/The Chronicle Herald
  • China:
    • China to launch more space science satellites – Xinhua
  • Europe:
    • ESA and Airbus sign contract for Bartolomeo platform on the International Space Station – Airbus
  • India:
    • How India’s moon crash wasn’t really a failure (op-ed) – Space.com
  • Iran:
    • Iran Says Getting Ready for Satellite Launch – Satnews
    • Iran makes six satellites to put into orbit – IRNA English
  • Japan:
    • Japan seeks to finalize agreement with the U.S. on lunar exploration cooperation – SpaceNews.com
    • To Infinity and Beyond: Japan’s Rise as a Space Power – The Diplomat
    • Agreement on Data Utilization of Earth Observation Satellite with FAO – JAXA
  • UAE:
    • UAE extends deadline for applications to astronaut programme – Arabian Business

Webcasts:

** Christopher Johnson – What the Public Needs to Know About Space Law – Cold Star Project

Space lawyer and Adjunct Professor of Law at Georgetown University Law Center Christopher Johnson is on the Cold Star Project. With host Jason Kanigan, the Secure World Foundation space law advisor shares what the public needs to know about space law. Space law is a complex and often unclear subject, operating on corporate, national and international levels. Chris explains how space law approaches topics such as:
– Government regulation of services and nation state liability
– Planetary protection
– How space resources may be used
– Property rights on celestial bodies
– Achieving consensus on space policy and regulations
– Militarization of space.

** Charles Radley – Predicting Space Collisions and Avoiding the Kessler Syndrome – Cold Star Project

Space Initiatives Inc. president Charles Radley is on a mission to make collision detection between objects in orbit much more effective. The current technology is not as good as you might think, and there is an opportunity to improve space collision detection at an affordable investment. A major danger of orbital collisions is not just the crashing of one object into another, but a cascading series of impacts called the Kessler Syndrome. The worst outcome for a Kessler Syndrome incident is an orbital debris field blocking launches for generations. And it is not a fantasy.

** January 24, 2020 Zimmerman/Batchelor podcast | Behind The Black

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