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 27, 2020-January 2, 2021 – SpacePolicyOnline.com
• 2020-2021 perspectives:
  • The Year in Space Travel – Editorial/WSJ
  • Opinion: 2020 – The Space Enterprise Is Moving Full Steam Ahead by Ken Hodgkins – SpaceWatch.Global
  • Opinion: Space world highlights 2020 and outlook 2021 by Prof. Pascale Ehrenfreund – SpaceWatch.Global
  • Opinion: 2020 in Review: a Space Security Perspective – SpaceWatch.Global
  • 2020 Space Year in Review: Resilient and Robust Despite Pandemic – Josephine Millward/Seraphim Capital
  • Space Agenda 2021 – The Aerospace Corporation
• NASA Management:
  • Opinion: NASA’s aim shouldn’t be altered every time President changes | Walters/Florida
• SLS/Orion:
  • Foust Forward | A tale of two launch vehicle programs – SpaceNews
• Lunar programs:
  • NASA-Canadian agreement demonstrates how Artemis is an international moonshot | TheHill
  • Congress Comes Through for NASA Science, But Not Artemis – The Planetary Society
• Congressional space:
  • NASA receives $23.271 billion in fiscal year 2021 omnibus spending bill – SpaceNews
  • Omnibus spending bill funds Commerce Department space traffic management work – SpaceNews
  • Office of Space Commerce Wins Bigger Budget in FY2021, But Will Remain in NOAA – SpacePolicyOnline.com
  • Final FY2021 NASA Funding Provides Only 25 Percent of HLS Request – SpacePolicyOnline.com
  • Congress Passes Massive Omnibus Appropriations, COVID Relief Bill – SpacePolicyOnline.com
• Space nuclear:
  • No bomb-grade uranium in space, says White House – Physics Today
  • Nuclear-Powered Rockets Get a Second Look for Travel to Mars – IEEE Spectrum
• Commercial space:
  • The space industry comes of age – Axios
• Space benefits:
  • The Value of Space Summit: Understanding Space’s Critical Role – The Aerospace Corporation
• ISS:
  • Replacing the International Space Station could be Biden’s big space challenge – The Washington Post
• Regulation/Spectrum:
  • Office of Space Commerce Wins Bigger Budget in FY2021, But Will Remain in NOAA – SpacePolicyOnline.com
• Space law:
  • Elon Musk Will Run Into Trouble Setting up a Martian Government, Lawyers Say – Futurism.com
• Space traffic:
  • Op-ed | Building on the Artemis Accords to address space sustainability – SpaceNews
  • Omnibus spending bill funds Commerce Department space traffic management work – SpaceNews
  • ESA Clean Space tackles space junk one component at a time – SpaceNews
• US states space:
  • Local activist says new environmental research is past due on SpaceX | KVEO-TV
  • Alaska Journal | From the Last Frontier to the Final Frontier: An opportunity for Alaska – Alaska Journal
  • With Axiom, Houston Spaceport gets commercial space station tenant – HoustonChronicle.com
• Weather & remote sensing satellites:
  • Thousands of ocean fishing boats could be using forced labor – we used AI and satellite data to find them – The Conversation
• Space weather:
  • #SpaceWatchGL Opinion: Predict to win. How space weather forecasting will save billions on Earth – SpaceWatch.Global
• US Defense space:
  • Launch:
    • Lockheed Martin to buy rocket engine-builder Aerojet Rocketdyne – Spaceflight Now
    • Lockheed Martin to Acquire Aerojet Rocketdyne, Strengthening Position as Leading Provider of Technologies to Deter Threats … – Dec 20, 2020
    • Russia Plans to Supply 10 Engines for Atlas V, Antares Carrier Rockets to US in 2021 – Sputnik International
  • Acquisition:
    • On National Security | Space acquisition reform awaits Biden’s Pentagon team – SpaceNews
  • Budget:
    • Defense bill prospects unclear as House prepares to override Trump’s veto – SpaceNews
    • Omnibus spending bill gives Space Force its first separate budget – SpaceNews
  • U.S. Space Force enters ‘Year 2’ with momentum and soaring expectations – United States Space Force
  • Op-ed | Not all space capabilities should reside in Space Force – SpaceNews
  • Space Development Agency to reevaluate proposals for missile-tracking satellites – SpaceNews
  • EXCLUSIVE: Space Is At Heart Of JADC2, Says Maj. Gen. Crider – Breaking Defense
  • Space Warfighting in the Modern Era – The Aerospace Corporation

International space

• Botswana:
  • The Monitor :: Botswana Launches Ambitious Space Orbit Programme
•  Brazil:
  • Big leap for India’s space diplomacy! ISRO’s PSLV to launch Brazilian satellite Amazonia-1 in February 2021 – The Financial Express
• Canada:
  • Canadian astronaut to join NASA’s first crewed Artemis mission around the moon – Spaceflight Now
  • NASA-Canadian agreement demonstrates how Artemis is an international moonshot | TheHill
• China:
  • China to launch core module of space station in first half of 2021 – Xinhua
  • China launches new remote sensing satellite – Xinhua
• Egypt:
  • Egypt joins Moon Village for lunar exploration – SatellitePro ME
• Europe
  • ESA Clean Space tackles space junk one component at a time – SpaceNews
  • European Space Agency hoping for UK involvement in EU-funded space programmes – Irish Examiner
  • European space experts to study build of EU’s satellite-based connectivity system – SatellitePro ME
  • European space and digital players to study build of EU’s satellite-based connectivity system – Airbus
• France:
  • French military spysat set for launch Monday – Spaceflight Now
• India:
  • Isro to use green fuel for human space flight – Times of India
  • 14 Candidates qualify for final phase of second batch of the UAE Astronaut Programme
  • Isro releases Chandrayaan 2 orbiter data, data from payload looking for water awaited – Hindustan Times
  • Big leap for India’s space diplomacy! ISRO’s PSLV to launch Brazilian satellite Amazonia-1 in February 2021 – The Financial Express
• Israel:
  • Israeli satellite strays from path to prevent collision with NASA’s Terra – CTech
  • Scientists asked to submit experiments to be conducted by 2nd Israeli in space | The Times of Israel
• Japan:
  • Japan joins forces with U.S. Space Force – SpaceWatch.Global
• Russia:
  • Russia’s space chief is hopping mad over most recent US restrictions | Ars Technica
  • Roscosmos sues its subsidiary over satellite that stopped working in orbit – TASS
  • Launch of the Angara-A5 rocket went perfectly, Roscosmos Chief says – TASS
  • Russia Plans to Supply 10 Engines for Atlas V, Antares Carrier Rockets to US in 2021 – Sputnik International
• Thailand:
  • Thailand to launch a moon space programme to boost efforts to become a high-income economy – Thai Examiner
• Uganda:
  • How Ugandan Nasa scientist Catherine Nakalembe uses satellites to boost farming – BBC News
•  UK:
  • Brexit deal allows UK to continue participation in Copernicus – SpaceNews
  • European Space Agency hoping for UK involvement in EU-funded space programmes – Irish Examiner
  • Post-Brexit UK stays with European Space Agency, but projects struggle – CGTN

Webcasts:

** China Aero & Space Weekly News Round-Up – Episode 13 (21st -27th Dec. 2020) – Dongfang Hour – YouTube

1) Long March 8 Launch (follow-up) …
2) News announcements regarding the calendar of the Chinese Space Station …
3) China Space News article on Moon resources …
4) China Satcom further verticalizing & pivoting to mobile broadband: Interview of Sun Jing (GM of China Satcom) …
5) Completion of the static tests of the Chinese MA700 regional jet …

** Space Café WebTalk – Claudia Kessler – 1. December 2020 – spacewatch. global – News Room – YouTube

In this week’s Space Cafè WebTalk, Claudia Kessler, Initiator, Founder, driving force of “Die Astronautin”, Bremen, Germany, talked inspiration and empowerment of woman for space.

Imagine: February, 2022: A space crew with only women astronauts docks to the Unity Node after having flown aboard a Space X Falcon 9 in the Crew Dragon Spacecraft, orbiting ever closer to rendezvous with their astronaut colleagues of the International Space Station.

It is a historic first. 4 Women 2 Space 4 Earth — Bringing with them the combined dreams, experience, insights, expertise and vision of millions of girls and women to access space, to take their place in the universe. Four Women to Space for Earth – one trip to Space, one voyage to the Universe to work together to obtain a safe, healthy mother-ship Earth.

The resulting inspiration, education, dissemination and implementation of the skills and knowledge, be it science, technology, engineering, the arts, and math (STEAM); be it contextual, conceptual, cognitive thinking; be it experimental, experiential, exponential exploration will lead to a more equitable, sustainable, peaceful universe without gender, race, geographical or digital divide.

How are we going there? These was addressed by Claudia.

** Space Café WebTalk – MORIBA´S VOXPOPULI #2 – 03.December 2020 – spacewatch. global – News Room – YouTube

In this session of Space Cafè “Moriba’s Vox Populi #02/2020” Dr. Moriba Jah talked about topics of relevance to space safety, security, and sustainability with

Charity Weeden, Vice President, Global Space Policy, Astroscale U.S. Inc
Jenni Tapio, Chief Specialist, Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment Finland
Dr. Regina Peldszus, Senior Policy Officer (Space Security, Space Surveillance) seconded to Federal Ministry of Economic Affairs and Energy
Prof. Thomas Schildknecht, Head of Astronomy Faculty at University of Bern.
Moriba’s Vox Populi is a disruptor in the current growing ocean of webcasts!

** Aerojet Rocketdyne – Historic Rocket Engine Maker Sold for $4.4 Billion – Scott Manley

Through the history of the US space program there have been 2 corporations which made most of the rocket engines for the boosters – Aerojet and Rocketdyne. Up until 10 years ago it was hard to find a space mission they hadn’t provided hardware for. Nowadays it’s hard to find a rocket booster which uses their engines. Aerojet-Rocketdyne was created in 2013 out of a merger of these and over the weekend it was announced that Lockheed Martin is buying this historic company. So I figured it’d be worth talking about these organizations and how important they’ve been to the space program in the past, and how they may be losing out in the booster market but still keep providing space hardware for other niches.

History of Aerojet Rocketdyne from their own site: https://www.rocket.com/who-we-are/his… Here’s a list of US rocket engines with their manufacturers: http://www.b14643.de/Spacerockets/Spe…

** The Space Show – Dec.23.2020 – Dr. Ajay Kothari discussed “his lunar return plans, China, space importance and more“.

**The Space Show – Dec.27.2020 – In this Open Lines program, David Livingston discussed “multiple topics with multiple callers. We talked space solar power, Starship and Boca Chica, callers made lots of predictions for 20201, we covered our efforts to go to the Moon and much more.“.

** December 22, 2020 Zimmerman/Batchelor podcast

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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 December 20-December 31, 2020 – SpacePolicyOnline.com
• Biden space:
  • Biden Team Engaging with NASA, Industry – SpacePolicyOnline.com
  • Biden space advisers urge cooperation with China – POLITICO
  • Space Force Officials Meet with Biden Team as First Anniversary Nears – SpacePolicyOnline.com
  • Gen. John W. Raymond, Space Force chief of space operations, begins Joe Biden transition team talks – Washington Times
• Trump space:
  • White House Releases Space Nuclear Power and Propulsion Policy Directive – SpacePolicyOnline.com
  • White House releases space nuclear power strategy – SpaceNews
  • Memorandum on the National Strategy for Space Nuclear Power and Propulsion (Space Policy Directive-6) | The White House
  • NASA Supports America’s National Strategy for Space Nuclear Power and | NASA
  • White House Paves Policy For Nuke-Powered Rockets & Reactors On Moon – Breaking Defense
  • Op-ed | Space commerce accelerating – SpaceNews
  • What you may have missed in the new National Space Policy – Brookings
  • NASA selects the next Artemis moonwalkers while SpaceX flies a Starship | TheHill
  • Trump will leave a lasting mark on space – Axios
• Congressional space:
  • Senate Passes NASA Authorization Bill as 116th Congress Comes to A Close – SpacePolicyOnline.com
  • House passes two space bills – SpaceNews
  • House Passes Legislation to Protect Lunar Heritage Sites – SpacePolicyOnline.com
  • House Passes Peters Bipartisan Legislation to Protect the Apollo Landing Sites – U.S. Senator Gary Peters of Michigan
• NASA launch:
  • NASA Awards Launch Services Contract to Blue Origin | NASA
• NASA Management:
  • NASA Human Space Exploration: Significant Investments in Future Capabilities Require Strengthened Management Oversight – U.S. GAO
• SLS/Orion:
  • NASA SLS megarocket testing stalled by temperature issues | Space.com
  • NASA to skip repair of Orion electronics unit – SpaceNews
  • First European Service Module for Artemis accepted and handed over to NASA – Airbus
• Lunar programs:
  • Beyond Apollo: guiding the next Moon landing – The Space Review
  • NASA Abruptly Delays a Critical Planetary Defense Mission – The Planetary Society
• Mars programs:
  • For NASA, It Should Be Mars or Bust – WSJ
  • The Planetary Society Praises the Start of Mars Sample Return – The Planetary Society
• Space industry:
  • Preliminary Estimates of the U.S. Space Economy, 2012–2018, Survey of Current Business, Month 2020 – Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA)
  • Spinoff Highlights NASA Technology Paying Dividends in US Economy | NASA
  • Lockheed Martin to Acquire Aerojet Rocketdyne – Lockheed-Martin
• Commercial space:
  • The Institute Of Space Commerce Is Launched – SatNews
  • 2020 in space: the pandemic couldn’t keep the rockets down – The Verge
• ISS:
  • Utilizing the International Space Station to enable humans to reach Mars | TheHill
  • New Science Airlock Expands Station’s Research Capacity – Space Station/NASA
  • SpaceX CRS21 Delivers Life Science to the ISS National Lab – ISS National Lab
  • MIT Tests Smart, Electronic Textiles for Spacesuits and Spacecraft – ISS  National Lab
• Regulation/Spectrum:
  • U.S. DOT Supports Record Number of Licensed Commercial Space Launches – FAA
  • SpaceX won “rural” FCC funding in surprising places, like major airports | Ars Technica
• Space law:
  • UN and NASA to promote peaceful use of outer space – SpaceWatch.Global
  • NASA Administrator Signs Statement of Intent with Brazil on Artemis | NASA
  • Breaking Ground – A Lunar Resources Trust, Signed Its First MoU – SpaceWatch.Global
  • “Breaking Ground” – A Lunar Resources Trust – Open Lunar Foundation
  • NASA Nudges Space Policy in Pro-Commerce Direction – National Review
• Space traffic:
  • Op-ed | Protecting our assets from space debris – SpaceNews
  • Removing space debris requires action and caution | TechCrunch
  • Space Café WebTalk Recap: Martin Coleman on a review of 2020 Space Debris discussions – SpaceWatch.Global
• US states space:
  • SpinLaunch Plans Major Expansion at Spaceport America | Spaceport America
• US Defense space:
  • Launch:
    • NRO using SpaceX’s commercial launch service for spy satellite payload – Spaceflight Now
  • Commercial tech :
    • DARPA okays Blue Canyon’s satellites for Blackjack program – SpaceNews
    • NSTXL selected to manage the Space Enterprise Consortium – SpaceNews
    • AF Taps ‘Flying Car’ Firms For ‘Prime’ Investment; Expands Program – Breaking Defense
  • Space Force commander explains how the new military service operates like a startup | TechCrunch
  • And the Answer Is — Guardians – SpacePolicyOnline.com
  • Op-ed | What’s next for Space Force as it celebrates its first anniversary – SpaceNews
  • Space Force trying to change negative perceptions about military procurement – SpaceNews
  • Space Force Commands Working Together to Grow in Year Two – Air Force Magazine
  • Space Force Poised to See Major Growth, New Uniforms in 2021 | Military.com
  • Building a 21st-Century Space Force – The Atlantic
• Activism:
  • More space on the ground: trendy analogues vs. an unpleasant reality – The Space Review

International space

• Global:
  • Amid global economic turbulence, governments maintain firm financial commitment to space | Euroconsult
• Brazil:
  • NASA Administrator Signs Statement of Intent with Brazil on Artemis | NASA
• Canada:
  • Canadian Astronaut Will Be On Next Mission to the Moon – SpacePolicyOnline.com
  • Canada will send astronaut around the moon in deal with U.S. | CBC News
  • NASA, Canadian Space Agency Formalize Gateway Partnership for Artemis | NASA
• China:
  • China Future Space Goals Detailed – LeonardDavid.com
  • Biden space advisers urge cooperation with China – POLITICO
  • China plans to launch four manned spacecraft in next two years – Xinhua
  • China Focus: China to encourage international cooperation on moon research – Xinhua
  • Why Is China Going to the Moon? – The Diplomat
  • Next lunar mission to sample pole or far side – ecns.cn
  • China lands its Moon rocks in Inner Mongolia – Science/AAAS
  • China’s Lunar Sample Return Capsule Successfully Recovered – SpacePolicyOnline.com
  • Chinese sample return capsule lands on Earth after round-trip flight to moon – Spaceflight Now
  • China recovers Chang’e-5 moon samples after complex 23-day mission – SpaceNews
  • Commentary: China’s new samples a fresh start for lunar research, space exploration – Xinhua
  • China to encourage international cooperation on moon research – Xinhua
  • China to share portion of lunar samples with other countries – CGTN
  • Moon exploration will call for laws and cooperation, is it possible? – CGTN
  • China slowly catching up in the race to space – Asia Times
• Europe
  • First European Service Module for Artemis accepted and handed over to NASA – Airbus
  • ESA Council appoints Josef Aschbacher as next ESA Director General – ESA
  • New ESA director general sees EU relations and commercialization as priorities – SpaceNews
  • ArianeGroup signs contract with ESA to develop Themis reusable stage demonstrator – ArianeGroup
  • ESA and CNES sign contract to maintain and modernise Spaceport- ESA
  • ESA partnering on UK’s new space thruster test site – ESA
• India:
  • India launches PSLV rocket with CMS-01 communications satellite – NASASpaceFlight.com
  • India launches CMS-01 communications satellite – SpaceNews
  • ISRO successfully launches India’s 42nd communication satellite CMS-01 – Business Insider India
  • PM meets space industry leaders; Spaceport in Tuticorin, fund for startups on agenda – Hindustan Times
• Indonesia:
  • What’s in the New Indonesia-SpaceX Chatter? – The Diplomat
• Japan:
  • Asteroid dust recovered from Japan’s daring Hayabusa2 mission – Nature
  • JAXA: Hayabusa2 mission complete success | NHK WORLD
  • Japan scientists left ‘speechless’ by samples from asteroid 300 million km away | South China Morning Post
  • Japan’s Office of National Space Policy signs historic MOU with the U.S. Space Force – United States Space Force
• Russia:
  • Russia’s space chief cannot seem to get “gentle” SpaceX out of his mind | Ars Technica
  • Developer of Russian Space Robot Dismisses ‘Absurd’ Claims His Creation Caused Fissure on ISS – Sputnik International
  • Vostochny space center to carry out first fully commercial launch on Friday –  TASS
  • Launch of the Angara-A5 rocket went perfectly, Roscosmos Chief says – TASS
  • Russia Launches Angara-5 After Six Year Hiatus – SpacePolicyOnline.com
  • Russia’s Roscosmos chief confirms plans to launch two Angara carrier rockets in 2021 – TASS
  • Roscosmos CEO skeptical about US program Artemis in its current shape – TASS
  • US must take care of its Moon orbiter’s compatibility with Russian spacecraft  – Roscosmos – TASS
  • Russia has launched an anti-satellite missile test, US Space Command says | Space.com
  • Russia tests direct-ascent anti-satellite missile – United States Space Command
  • Space Force official: Russian missile tests expose vulnerability of low-orbiting satellites – SpaceNews
• UK:
  • #SpaceWatchGL Opinion: Assessing the British Proposal on Space Security – SpaceWatch.Global
  • ESA partnering on UK’s new space thruster test site – ESA
  • Commentary | Tim Peake’s 2015 space station mission gave UK science a long-lasting shot in the arm – SpaceNews

Webcasts:

** China Aero & Space Weekly News Round-Up – Episode 12 (14th -20th Dec. 2020) – Dongfang Hour – YouTube

Topics discussed include:

1) Long March 8 Launch on Sunday 20/12
2) Chang’e-5 Return to Earth
3) New JV between China Eastern, Juneyao Group, and China Telecom
4) Baidu is Considering Making its own Electric Vehicle

** David Buehler – How Is CHPS [Cislunar Highway Patrol System] Going To Benefit Space Force? – Cold Star Technologies – YouTube

Captain David Buehler of the Air Force Research Lab’s Space Vehicles Directorate is on the Cold Star Project to talk about the CHPS program. The CHPS program will monitor cislunar space, extending to 272,000 and beyond: a 10X reach in range and 1000X increase in volume. With host Jason Kanigan, Capt. Buehler discusses:
– Why is cislunar space of interest to the AFRL?
– What is CHPS?
– Why has the AFRL chosen to develop CHPS?
– What are some of the technical challenges with Space Domain Awareness in cislunar space?
– Why don’t TLEs work in cislunar space?
– What are some long term benefits to the Space Force for develping CHPS?

** The Space Show – Tuesday, Dec.15.2020 – Robert Zimmerman responded to “Many callers” and discussed “multiple topics, a few 2021 predictions”.

** The Space Show – Friday, Dec.18.2020 – Dr. James A. Vedda and Karen Jones discussed their paper on space based solar power,  Space-Based Solar Power: A Near-Term Investment Decision (pdf), for the Center For Space Policy and Strategy at The Aerospace Corp.

** E45 – NASA’s Artemis Roadshow (with Jim Vedda and Mike Gold) – Aerospace Corp – Center for Space Policy & Strategy (CSPS)

** Why Do We Need “A Robotic Space Station for the 2020s”? – Gordon Roesler – Cold Star Technologies – YouTube

Past DARPA program manager and Robots In Space founder Dr. Gordon Roesler is on the Make Space Boring News show to share some details about his new paper, A Robotic Space Station for the 2020s. Why do we need this space infrastructure, and why now? Dr. Roesler’s paper: https://coldstartech.com/rssroesler

** Space Café WebTalk – Prof. Steven Freeland – 24. November 2020 – spacewatch. global – News Room – YouTube

In this week’s Space Cafè WebTalk, Prof. Steven Freeland, Professor of International Law, Western Sydney University, Sydney, Australia talked about the Multifaceted Nature of Space and the Role / Rule of Law. Prof. Steven Freeland talked about:

Australia’s initiatives on the commercial space side,
National law – what are the important issues to consider for each country and why?,
International law – how the initiatives of one or several countries can be an input to broader discussions and why we need broad ‘buy in’ on the really big issues,
Civil Society – how industry, academia and broader civil society have important voices on space in many ways?
Prof. Freeland also answered relevant questions from the audience.

This Space Cafè WebTalk, held on 24 November 2020, was hosted by Torsten Kriening, publisher of SpaceWatch.Global.

** Flocks of Satellites, Virtualized Constellations and the Tenet of Interoperability – Constellations Podcast

Listen to Jeff Guido talk about Planet, a company founded by three NASA scientists in a garage. Learn about a “flock” of small satellites imaging the entire Earth’s land mass every day, delivery data images almost instantaneously over the Internet. How is that possible? Jeff discusses vertically integrating a cloud-based imaging platform and the digital transformation of the industry. They are both key to getting remote sensing data immediately out to the market, helping everyone from small farmers to governments optimize their resources. Jeff talks about managing large numbers of satellites by getting them to work in concert through automation and interoperability. Learn about the difference between CMOS and push broom cameras and how the imagery obtained from those cameras can be analyzed to detect change. Finally, what is a virtual constellation and why is it important?

** December 15, 2020 Zimmerman/Batchelor podcast

** December 18, 2020 Zimmerman/Batchelor podcast

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