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:

• Schedule:
  • What’s Happening in Space Policy March 31 – April 6, 2019 – SpacePolicyOnline.com
•  SLS/Orion:
  • Examining NASA’s challenge to SLS as ‘Moon, soon’ becomes the latest bold goal – NASASpaceFlight.com
  • An Alabama representative just let the cat out of the bag with the SLS rocket | Ars Technica
  • NASA studying ways to accelerate development of SLS – SpaceNews.com
  • Examining NASA’s challenge to SLS as ‘Moon, soon’ becomes the latest bold goal – NASASpaceFlight.com
  • Huntsville aerospace contractors respond to Vice President Pence’s space goals – waaytv.com
• Lunar program:
  • NASA Is Working With Blue Origin on a Lunar Lander – IEEE Spectrum
  • Newt Gingrich: US astronauts will land on the moon again – here’s how to best do it | Fox News
  • Mike Pence, boldly sending America back to where man has gone before – The Washington Post
• Congressional space:
  • Senate reintroduces Space Frontier Act – SpaceNews.com
  • Senate Commerce Committee to Mark Up New Space Frontier Act – SpacePolicyOnline.com
• NASA programs:
  • New mission directorate in NASA budget request would explore new capabilities for moon, Mars missions – Federal News Network
  • The US Regains Leadership in Space – AmericanThinker.com
  • If space is the future, that future needs to include everyone – The Washington Post
• Science projects:
  • JWST review board raises schedule concerns – SpaceNews.com
  • WFIRST faces funding crunch – SpaceNews.com
• Govt-commercial partnerships:
  • On Capitol Hill, smallsat industry makes new push for government funding – SpaceNews.com
• Space traffic:
  • Why satellite mega-constellations are a massive threat to safety in space – MIT Technology Review
• Space law:
  • Op-ed | Where does space begin? The decades-long legal mission to find the border between air and space – SpaceNews.com
• US military space:
  • Launch:
    • HASC chairman bolsters Blue Origin’s argument to delay launch competition – Defense News
    • Should the National Space Council get a vote on the Air Force’s launch contracts? – POLITICO
    • Air Force firmly opposed to delaying National Security Space Launch competition – SpaceNews.com
    • Why is the Air Force backtracking on competition in space launch? – AEI
  • House Armed Services Committee challenges Shanahan on DoD space priorities – SpaceNews.com
  • SPACE ACQUISITIONS: DOD Faces Significant Challenges as it Seeks to Accelerate Space Programs and Address Threats – U.S. GAO
• Chinese space:
  • Long March 3B launches Tianlian 2-01 – NASASpaceFlight.com
  • Opinion | Space exploration, not militarisation | South China Morning Post
• Indian space:
  • Countdown begins for PSLV-C45 mission with many firsts for ISRO – TheWeek.in
  • India’s Surprise Shooting Down Of A Satellite Was A Warm-Up To Its Imminent Mission To Land On Moon – Forbes.com
  • India tests anti-satellite weapon – SpaceNews.com
  • U.S. military was immediately aware of India’s anti-satellite missile test – SpaceNews.com
  • Doval to draft space policy after successful ASAT launch – dbpost.com
  • India says space debris from anti-satellite test to ‘vanish’ in 45 days | Reuters
• New Zealand space:
  • Time for New Zealand to look up at space for the creation of new jobs | Stuff.co.nz
• UK space:
  • Theresa May backs plan to open spaceport in the Highlands | Press and Journal
  • More benefits to Highland spaceport than just jobs according to public sector group | Press and Journal

Webcasts:

** Episode T+116: On the Moon by 2024 – Main Engine Cut Off – “The National Space Council met this week and Vice President Pence announced the administration’s intentions to see humans land on the moon by 2024. I break down my thoughts and observations coming out of the meeting.”

** Scott Manley – JPL Visit, Mars 2020, Moon in 5 Year, EVA Changes, Indian ASAT

** Scott Manley – Shooting Down A Missile With Another Missile, In Space.

** March 29, 2019 Zimmerman/Batchelor podcast | Behind The Black

** March 27, 2019 Zimmerman/Batchelor podcast | Behind The Black

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Come Fly with Us: NASA’s Payload Specialist Program
(Outward Odyssey: A People’s History of Spaceflight)

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:

• NASA directed to send astronauts to lunar surface by 2024:
  • Vice President directs NASA to return to the Moon by 2024 | Ars Technica
  • NASA Administrator Statement on Return to Moon in Next Five Years | NASA
  • Remarks by Vice President Pence at the Fifth Meeting of the National Space Council | Huntsville, AL | The White House
  • Mike Pence wants NASA to put humans on the moon by 2024 – The Verge
  • NASA Is Offered A Chance To Be Relevant Again – NASA Watch
  • Pence: Americans Will Land at Moon’s South Pole By 2024 – SpacePolicyOnline.com
  • Reactions Mixed to Pence’s Call for Astronauts on the Moon by 2024 – SpacePolicyOnline.com
  • Mixed reactions to accelerated moon plan – SpaceNews.com
  • Pence reiterates Trump administration’s willingness to abandon SLS | Behind The Black
• Why NASA will fail to send astronauts to the lunar surface by 2024:
  • On Self-Licking Ice Cream Cones – Pete Worden – 1992 (pdf) via Laura Seward Forczyk
  • Human spaceflight, exploration and the jobs specter – The Space Review
  • Commercial Alternative to SLS for EM-1 Rejected – SpacePolicyOnline.com
• Science missions:
  • Cost challenges continue for NASA science missions – The Space Review
• Regulations:
  • FAA Rule Would Streamline Commercial Space Launch and Reentry Requirements – FAA
  • FAA proposal aims to ‘streamline’ regulations for future space launches | TechCrunch
  • Streamlined Launch and Reentry Licensing Requirements – FAA (pdf)
  • Commerce Dept. sends White House 13 space-focused spectrum recommendations – SpaceNews.com
• US military space:
  • HASC Chairman rejects Trump’s Space Force proposal, says committee will seek ‘other options’ – SpaceNews.com
  • National Security Space Association is open for business – SpaceNews.com
• US spaceports and state space policy:
  • EDITORIAL: Looking up: Valley on the verge of promising new era – Valley Morning Star
  • Could Rogers City become ‘Rocket City?’ | Presque Isle County Advance
  • Northern Michigan town to become a spaceport? – SooToday.com
• Chinese space:
  • China’s space program soars | Asia Times
  • France And China Step Up Space Exploration Cooperation After Xi State Visit – SpaceWatch.Global
  • China to fly French experiments on Chang’e-6 lunar probe – ecns.cn
• Indian space:
  • Mission Shakti: India Likely Destroyed Microsat R Satellite in First ASAT Test – TheWire.in
  • Mission Shakti: India shoots down live satellite in space, says PM Narendra Modi | The Independent
• Pakistani space:
  • Pakistan’s SUPARCO Said To Be In Talks With UAE On Space Cooperation – SpaceWatch.Global
• Russian space:
  • Roscosmos chief discloses details of Russia’s new super-heavy carrier rocket – TASS
  • Russian space agency to cut cost of Proton-M rocket’s launch to Falcon 9’s level – TASS
  • Roscosmos chief says Soyuz MS version for flights to Moon to cost $400 mln – TASS
• UAE space:
  • UAE Space Agency Signs MoU With Virgin Galactic For Al Ain Operations – SpaceWatch.Global
  • All systems go for UAE spaceport: Flights to start ‘in next few years’ – Khaleej Times

Webcasts:

** Fifth Meeting of the National Space Council:

Vice President Mike Pence asked NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine to accelerate the agency’s lunar exploration plans during a National Space Council meeting held at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, March 26. In addition to targeting a human landing on the Moon in 2024, the council also discussed creating a new Moon to Mars Mission Directorate.

** Innovation, Speeding up Acquisition and Space Enterprise Architecture | Kratos Communications – Interview with Jeff Rowlison, VP of Strategy and Government Relations of Defense, Space and Security at Velos

Listen to Jeff Rowlison discuss the effort to leverage innovations coming out of the commercial satellite communications industry to support the Warfighter. Hear him discuss the Air Force envisioning the Warfighter roaming from MILSATCOM to COMSATCOM seamlessly, taking advantage of commercial options to accomplish Warfighter missions. Influencing the pace of innovation, the pace of contracting and acquisition are leaders such as General Hyten, the Commander of U.S. Strategic Command and General Raymond, the Commander of U.S. Air Force Space Command. Jeff believes that going forward, companies with the capability to adapt their innovative services to fielded technology will be very important, however nothing happens quickly without funding.

** The Space Show – Tue, 03/26/2019 – 19:00 – Ian Fichtenbaum talked about “commercial space businesses, risk, acquisitions and more”.

** The Space Show – Sun, 03/24/2019 – Chris Carberry discussed Explore Mars, their Mars report from late last year, and their upcoming Humans2Mars Event in May 2019.

** The Space Show – Thu, 03/21/2019 – Henry Vanderbilt and Michael Wallis talked about “The Space Access Society Conference in Freemont, CA from April 18-20, contents, logistics, networking, registration, hospitality, event focus and more”.

** The Space Show – Tue, 03/19/2019 – 19:00 – Ed Wright discussed the Space Access Society and the upcoming SSI two day space settlement workshop, “SSI:50 The Space Settlement Enterprise” hosted by the Space Studies Institute.

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Sunburst and Luminary: An Apollo Memoir