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 August 30-September 5, 2020 – SpacePolicyOnline.com
• Congressional space:
  • Congress could provide stability to space program in an election year – POLITICO
• SLS/Orion:
  • NASA just announced in a blog post that SLS will cost 30% more | Ars Technica
  • NASA increases cost estimate for SLS development – SpaceNews
  • SLS and EGS Costs Grow with Latest Launch Slip to At Least November 2021 – SpacePolicyOnline.com
  • Eyes Forward as Artemis Missions Set to Begin Next Year – Artemis/NASA
• Human spaceflight:
  • First Operational Boeing Starliner Flight Not Until December 2021 – SpacePolicyOnline.com
  • NASA puts solicitation for commercial free-flyer station on hold – SpaceNews
  • NASA astronaut bumped from Soyuz flight added to Starliner mission – SpaceNews
• Commercial space:
  • What really happened this past weekend in American rocketry | Behind The Black
  • International Space Station at 20: Commercialization increases as end of life looms | Space.com
• Trump space:
  • GOP Highlights Trump’s Space Achievements So Far, But No Hints About Second Term – SpacePolicyOnline.com
• Space law:
  • NASA’s Artemis Accords: the path to a united space law or a divided one? – The Space Review
  • Canadian-led effort asking United Nations to draw up global space mining treaty attracts significant endorsements – The Globe and Mail
  • Canada proposes new global treaty to control mining in space | Behind The Black
  • Outdated treaties won’t stop the rush to control resources in space | The Strategist
  • Can the Moon be a person? As lunar mining looms, a change of perspective could protect Earth’s ancient companion – The Conversation
• Space traffic:
  • Report Offers Roadmap to Mitigate Effects of Large Satellite Constellations on Astronomy | American Astronomical Society
  • Satellite Constellations 1 Workshop Report | American Astronomical Society
  • Industry supports giving space traffic management work to Commerce Department – SpaceNews
  • SWF Releases New Fact Sheets on Robotic RPOs for Military and Intelligence Purposes by Multiple Countries | Secure World
  • Crowded and Cluttered: Wanted – Space Traffic Management – Leonard David
  • The Dilemma of Space Debris | American Scientist
  • The Menace of Space Debris – JURIST
• US Defense space:
  • Launch:
    • Losers and (sore) winners – The Space Review
    • 45th Space Wing on pace for 39 space launches in 2020 – SpaceNews
  • ‘Starfleet’ amendment puts Space Force in a political bind – SpaceNews
  • Space Force buyers want a classified cloud to manage satellite programs – SpaceNews
  • Cape Canaveral’s Air Force launch wing to become a space delta – SpaceNews
  • Report: Space Force improving delivery of orbit monitoring software – SpaceNews
• Activism:
  • Explore Mars Report: Humans on the Red Planet in 2030’s – Leonard David
  • 2020: The Humans to Mars Report – Explore Mars, Inc. (pdf)

International space

• Australia:
  • CompTIA Signs Agreement with Prominent Australian Space Association to Strengthen U.S.-Australia Space Cooperation – CompTIA
• China:
  • Commentary | Senate Democrats: Stand against China, protect U.S. space programs – SpaceNews
  • #SpaceWatchGL Column: Business as Usual in the Middle Kingdom – SpaceWatch.Global
  • China makes progress on spaceport project for sea launches – SpaceNews
  • China releases recommended Chinese names for Mars craters – Xinhua
  • Chinese lunar probe’s 600 days on Moon’s far side – ecns.cn
• Europe:
  • #SpaceWatchGL Perspectives: Next Gen ESA: What’s the vision? – SpaceWatch.Global
• Ethiopia:
  • Ethiopia set to launch second satellite in September – SatellitePro ME
• Hungary:
  • The first hungarian commercial satellite to be launched in 2024 in the cooperation of the state and the private sector – 4ig.hu
• India:
  • Reaching for the stars: structural reform in the private space sector in India – The Space Review
  • ISRO back in mission mode, allows 50% staff to work at Sriharikota rocket launch station- The New Indian Express
• Japan:
  • Japan, U.S. to boost defense cooperation in outer space – Japan Today
• Russia:
  • Sea Launch to be restored at cost of about $470 mln – TASS
  • Russia starts developing new engine for Angara rockets – TASS
  • Glavkosmos to promote the space systems of ISS-Reshetnev Company abroad – Glavkosmos
  • Glavkosmos to promote ISS-Reshetnev space systems abroad – SpaceWatch.Global

Webcasts:

** E30 – Public-Private Partnerships in the Space Sector (w Karen Jones and Randy Segal) – Aerospace Corp – Center for Space Policy & Strategy (CSPS)

** The Space Show – Sun. Aug.30.2020 – Dr. George Nield talked about developments in commercial  spaceports, markets and other commercial space topics.

** The Space Show – Fri. Aug.28.2020 – Mark Whittington talked about “space policy, going back to the Moon, SLS, Starship and SpaceX, China, commercial space, NASA and space budgeting plus lots more”.

** The Space Show – Tues. Aug.25.202 – Patrick Host discussed Tough crowd: Small launch vehicles seek niche in ultra-competitive market (pdf) written for Jane’s International Defense Review .

** Accelerating 5G, The Role of Satellites and C-Band Relocation – Constellations Podcast – YouTube

Today on the Constellations podcast we will discuss the accelerated roll-out of 5G and the role of satellites in the C-band relocation effort. 5G cellular services hold the promise of connecting everything, everyone and unleashing massive amounts of bandwidth for new and innovative applications. To drive America’s leadership in 5G, the FCC is accelerating the roll-out by repurposing the C-band spectrum, which is thought to be optimal for 5G services. Intelsat is one of the satellite operators that has used the entire band and now has agreed to mobilize its operations to promptly relocate to a different portion of the band in support of the 5G roll-out. To tackle this unprecedented and challenging transition plan, Intelsat has put together a team of more than 50 employees focused on this complex clearing initiative. The team is working to successfully and quickly transition current users, while maintaining high-quality, uninterrupted broadcast to more than 100 million American homes and businesses. Intelsat also plans to build and launch multiple new satellites to replace C-band capacity being transitioned to 5G cellular network services. With us today to shed some light on their C-band relocation plan is Tom McNamara, Vice President of C-Band Transition Management for Intelsat. Tom has over 20 years of experience as an operations executive.

** August 26, 2020 Zimmerman/Batchelor podcast | Behind The Black

** August 28, 2020 Zimmerman/Batchelor | 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):

• Schedule:
  • What’s Happening in Space Policy August 23-29, 2020 – SpacePolicyOnline.com
• NASA programs:
  • Compatibility issue adds new wrinkle to Europa Clipper launch vehicle selection – SpaceNews
  • Compatibility Issues Further Complicate Decision on Europa Clipper Launch Vehicle – SpacePolicyOnline.com
  • NASA’s planetary science program shifts priority to asteroid missions – SpaceNews
  • NASA seeks input on Artemis science goals – SpaceNews
• Human spaceflight:
  • Commentary | A critical mission for human spaceflight: a quest for value – SpaceNews
• Trump space:
  • Trump administration urges more commercial activities in space | Space.com
  • Fiscal Year (FY) 2022 Administration Research and Development Budget Priorities and Cross-cutting Actions – OMB/OSTP – White House (pdf)
  • White House memo adds low Earth orbit research as R&D priority – SpaceNews
• Regulation:
  • OneWeb Requests FCC Rules Relaxation + SpaceX’s $$ Injection – SatNews
• Space traffic:
  • Managing Space Traffic in an Increasingly Congested Orbit – Government Executive
  • NAPA Endorses Office of Space Commerce for Space Traffic Management Role – SpacePolicyOnline.com
  • Commerce Applauds NAPA Study Reaffirming the Department as the Lead Agency for Space Traffic Management | U.S. Department of Commerce
  • Heavenly Clutter: Report Flags “Looming Crisis in Space” – Leonard David
  • Space Traffic Management:Assessment of the Feasibility, Expected Effectiveness, and Funding Implications of a Transfer of Space Traffic Management Functions – NAPA (pdf)
• US states space:
  • After canceled launch attempts, Kodiak launch port asks for longer window – Alaska Public Media
• Weather satellites:
  • NOAA surveys market for commercial weather data sources – SpaceNews
• Lunar science:
  • Out in the Cold: Protecting the Moon’s Polar Regions – Leonard David
  • Cold as (lunar) ice: Protecting the moon’s polar regions from contamination – Space.com
• US Defense space:
  • Launch:
    • Pentagon plans to keep X-37B spaceplane under Air Force management – Spaceflight Now
    • SpaceX pressing on with protest against U.S. Air Force despite launch contract win – SpaceNews
    • SpaceX presses on with lawsuit against feds and rocket rivals – GeekWire
    • Launch Competition Continues to Advantage Entrenched Contractors | Citizens Against Government Waste
    • Northrop Grumman weighing exit options for OmegA rocket – SpaceNews
  • Satellites & other technologies:
    • Viasat readies a small satellite that promises to be a game-changer in military communications – Inside Viasat blog
    • Space Force technology roadmap to emphasize partnerships with private sector – SpaceNews
    • As he welcomes new space commander, Esper warns of threats to U.S. satellites – SpaceNews
    • New Space Force Is at Forefront of Technology – Defense Department News
  • Organization, budget, etc:
    • US Army Space and Missile Defense Command firms up role with new space organization – Defense News
    • Pentagon’s new space organizations take shape as leadership comes onboard – Defense News
    • Congress, free the Space Force | TheHill
    • JUST IN: Continuing Resolution Could Hit Space Force Hard – National Defense Magazine
  • US Space Force to begin sharing technical space data with UK – c4isrnet.com
  • U.S. military eyes a role in the great power competition for lunar resources – SpaceNews
  • Space Flag, the premier exercise for training space forces, successfully concludes for the first time under STAR Delta Provisional – United States Space Force
• Activism:
  • 2020 Virtual Mars Society Convention to Host Senior Mars Scientists – The Mars Society
  • 23rd Annual International Mars Society Convention – The Mars Society – virtual meeting – Thursday-Sunday, October 15-18, 2020

International space

• Africa:
  • Despite ongoing pandemic, Africa is investing more money in the space and satellite industry – Space in Africa
  • African Space Industry Top 10 Under 30 – Class 2020 – BusinessGhana
  • Azercosmos ties with iSAT Africa to provide satellite services in Africa – SatellitePro ME
  • #SpaceWatchGL Share: Africa is investing more money in space and satellite industry – SpaceWatch.Global
• China:
  • China is aiming to attract partners for an international lunar research station – SpaceNews
  • Op-ed | China must be held accountable for its actions on Earth and in space – SpaceNews
  • China to launch 4 ocean-observation satellites in 2 years – Xinhua
  • China launches fifth Gaofen-9 series Earth observation satellite – SpaceNews
• Europe:
  • EOS Data Analytics’ satellite data to make European mining safer – SpaceWatch.Global
• Egypt:
  • Egyptian Space Agency signs MoU with Japan’s UNISEC on space science cooperation – SatellitePro ME
• Germany:
  • #SpaceWatchGL Opinion: German space policy: the need for a strategy and a corresponding legislation – SpaceWatch.Global
• Hungary:
  • First Hungarian commercial satellite to be launched in 2024 – SpaceWatch.Global
• India:
  • ‘Reforms not aimed at privatising Isro’ – Times of India
  • Announcement of space sector reformation is not privatisation but fair opportunity of participation: ISRO chief – sify.com
  • This is how govt plans to bring together ISRO, private players to boost India’s space sector – ThePrint.in
  • Bharti Enterprises asks ISRO for help developing OneWeb user terminals – SpaceNews
• Oman:
  • Oman’s Public Authority for Water to use satellite tech to detect leaks – SatellitePro ME
• Russia:
  • Russia to continue bilateral dialogue with US on all space issues — diplomat – TASS
  • Russian space firm starts work on new Soyuz-6 carrier rocket – TASS
  • Engineering development of Russian super-heavy rocket to be completed in October 2021 – TASS
  • Angara heavy rocket arrives to northwest Russia’s Plesetsk launch center — source – TASS
  • Launches from Vostochny space center to resume in late 2020 – TASS
  • Russia’s Nauka ISS module arrives at Baikonur for final launch preparations – NASASpaceFlight.com
  • Russian specialists work on mission to bring soil from Venus to the Earth, says scientist – TASS
• UK:
  • Scottish spaceport formally approved by Highland Council – NASASpaceFlight.com
  • Blast off: planners give green light to Highland spaceport | The Scotsman
  • Full approval granted for spaceport in the Scottish Highlands | The National
  • New UK space projects to boost global sustainable development receive £3.4 million cash boost – GOV.UK

Webcasts:

** The Space Show – Fri. Aug.21.2020 – Dr. Louis D. Friedman “talked about his new book [Planetary Adventures: From Moscow to Mars (Amazon commission link)], doing business with the Russians and the Chinese, plus his thoughts on Mars, returning to the Moon, the commercial players today, settlement and more”.

** E29 – The Present and Future of Space Commerce (with Ed Swallow and Kevin O’Connell) – Aerospace Corp – Center for Space Policy & Strategy (CSPS)

** Artemis Westenberg – Getting There With Explore Mars – Cold Star Project S02E57

President emerita of Explore Mars Inc. & CEO of Explore Mars Europe Artemis Westenberg joins host Jason Kanigan on the Cold Star Project. What’s the truth about the American public’s interest in going to Mars? Why should we go there at all? How is private industry likely to get involved? We dig into the political and technological issues necessary to overcome to go to Mars, and what Explore Mars is doing to promote those actions. Artemis also discusses the role of women in the space industry. Explore Mars website: https://www.exploremars.org/

** Episode 22 Space Force and Nuclear Weapons – Michael Listner, Space Law & Policy Solutions. The article discussed is available at Space Force Doctrine Raises Questions About Nuclear Missiles – Air Force Magazine.

** August 18, 2020 Zimmerman/Batchelor podcast | Behind The Black

** August 20, 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):

• Schedule:
  • What’s Happening in Space Policy August 16-22, 2020 – SpacePolicyOnline.com
• NASA management:
  • U.S. Criminal Probe Looks at Former NASA Official’s Contacts With Boeing Executive – WSJ
  • WSJ: Feds Open Criminal Probe Into Loverro-Boeing Discussions – SpacePolicyOnline.com
  • NASA official may face criminal investigation for contact with Boeing | Ars Technica
  • NASA Perseveres Through Pandemic, Looks Ahead in 2020, 2021 – NASA
• Planetary missions:
  • NASA Establishes Independent Review Board for Mars Sample Return – SpacePolicyOnline.com
• Commercial human spaceflight:
  • White House memo adds low Earth orbit research as R&D priority – SpaceNews
• Commercial space:
  • Satellite servicing industry seeks interface standards – SpaceNews
• Space law:
  • #SpaceWatchGL Opinion: the Space Law Games begin – SpaceWatch.Global
• Spectrum:
  • SES Unveils Their Numbers… As Does Intelsat… – SatNews
  • Eutelsat scraps plan for replacement C-band satellite – SpaceNews
• US states space:
  • NASA contractors stake out San Antonio’s place in space – San Antonio Express-News
• Weather satellites:
  • Weather models improve with COSMIC-2 and Spire Global data – SpaceNews
• US national security::
  • Launch:
    • Elon Musk: SpaceX competitor ULA ‘a complete waste of taxpayer money’ – CNBC
  • The Space Force moves to define itself and its mission | TheHill
  • DoD technology buyers defend need for secrecy in space programs – SpaceNews
  • Coalition Partners, U.S. and U.K., agree to share technical foundation for space operations – United States Space Force
  • U.S. Air Force Academy to expand space education curriculum – SpaceNews

International space

• China:
  • China Readies Next Moon Mission – Leonard David
  • China’s Chang’e-4 probe resumes work for 21st lunar day – Xinhua | English.news.cn
• Europe:
  • ESA sets stage for three-way competition to build next-generation Galileo constellation – SpaceNews
  • #SpaceWatchGL Opinion: Europe’s Space Electric Propulsion Budget – SpaceWatch.Global
• Germany:
  • DLR spinoff HyImpulse plans small launcher debut in 2022 – SpaceNews
• India:
  • Rise in COVID-19 cases leads to suspension of all regular activities at ISRO’s Sriharikota rocket center – The New Indian Express
• Nigeria:
  • India-Nigeria sign MoU on space cooperation: MoS MEA – cnbctv18.com
• Pakistan:
  • The Rocket and Satellite Company announce first launch date – SpaceWatch.Global

Webcasts:

** E28 – Responsible use of PNT [Precision, Navigation, & Timing] for National Resilience – Aerospace Corp CSPS on Vimeo

** The Space Show – Fri. Aug.14.2020 – Charles Miller discussed “his new company, Lynk Global, connecting mobile phones to satellites for global coverage. We discussed other topics as well, including some of the commercial space history made by our guest.”

** The Space Show – Tues. Aug.11.2020 – Brian Barnett, CEO of Solstar Space Company, discussed “their satellite communication business, wifi hotspots in space, and much more”.

** Erin Miller – Creating Space ISAC: Info Sharing and Security for the Space Industry – Cold Star Technologies – YouTube

VP of Operations for the Space Information Sharing and Analysis Center (Space ISAC) Erin Miller is on the Cold Star Project to discuss this new organization and her role in it. Space ISAC is part of the US National Cybersecurity Center. With host Jason Kanigan, Erin answers:

– What’s your mission? Your field is acronym-heavy…let’s begin with what an ISAC is…then can you share the need for this Public-Private Partnership (P3), called Space ISAC?
– How do you view your role as VP Ops?
– What are your recommendations for getting the trust necessary for people to let you “fly the plane”?
– Has the US Presidential Executive Order on Securing the Information and Communications Technology and Services Supply Chain (May 2019) affected you and the organization?
– What do the member-partners of Space ISAC contribute…what are the expectations? Who are you looking for as a member?
– What’s the “nitty-gritty” for Space ISAC? In terms of integrating with those you want to share info and conduct analysis with, how do you go about it?
– What sorts of space info & asset security concerns and concepts have your attention for the future?

Space ISAC website: https://s-isac.org/

** Hallmark Transitions Key Strategies for Space Situational Awareness, Management – DARPA TV

The space domain is critical to national security. It also has become increasingly chaotic and crowded over the past decade as the burgeoning space industry launches constellations of satellites. To conduct their missions, military commanders need timely and accurate information from space assets, as well as robust and reliable communications.

Since its inception in 2015, DARPA’s Hallmark program has successfully developed tools providing increased space situational awareness and strategies for asset management and protection, similar to the approach the Air Force has been perfecting for the air domain over the past 100 years. As Hallmark concludes at DARPA, discussions are ongoing with multiple Department of Defense and other national security organizations, as well as commercial entities, to incorporate elements of the program into future efforts.

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