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 April 18-24, 2021 – SpacePolicyOnline.com
- Space Tourism Conference – Profiting from the Space Experience Economy – Wed. April 28 – Thurs. April 29, 2021, 10:00 am – 2:00 pm PT.
- NASA lunar programs:
- Artemis human landing system contract selection:
- NASA Picks SpaceX to Land Next Americans on Moon – NASA (See also accompanying NASA video below)
- All in on Starship – The Space Review
- NASA selects SpaceX to develop crewed lunar lander – SpaceNews
- SpaceX Wins NASA Contract to Put Astronauts Back on the Moon – SpacePolicyOnline.com
- NASA chooses SpaceX to land next astronauts on the Moon – Spaceflight Now
- SpaceX wins competition to build Artemis manned lunar lander, using Starship – Behind the Black
- Source Selection Statement: Appendix H: Human Landing System, Option A – Next Space Technologies for Exploration – Partnerships-2 (NextSTEP-2) – NASA (pdf)
- Reaction:
- SpaceX NASA Deal Sparks Reaction, As Blue Origin Seeks to ‘Learn More’ – BusinessInsider.com
- Chairwoman Johnson Statement on NASA’s Artemis Human Landing System Award – House Committee on Science, Space and Technology
- The Coalition for Deep Space Exploration Commends NASA on Selection of a Human Landing System for the Artemis Program – Explore Deep Space
- Congressman Aderholt Questions Human Lander System Announcement | Congressman Robert Aderholt
- Has the Biden administration abandoned the idea of a moon base? – TheHill
- Why does Rep. Johnson oppose NASA’s commercial human landing system? – TheHill
- Astrobotic selects Falcon Heavy to launch NASA’s VIPER lunar rover – SpaceNews
- Artemis human landing system contract selection:
- Biden space:
- A Moonshot to inspire: Building back better in space – The Space Review
- Why venture? A memo for the Biden Administration – The Space Review
- Pamela Melroy as Deputy NASA administrator:
- Bill Nelson as NASA administrator:
- NASA budget:
- Commercial Crew:
- NASA science programs:
- Congressional space:
- Human spaceflight:
- ISS & other space stations:
- Commercial space:
- Putting SpaceX’s Starship program in the proper context – The Space Review
- NASA delays starting contract with SpaceX for Gateway cargo services – SpaceNews
- Space Café WebTalk with Robert Feierbach Recap: Along came the disruptors – a decade of change – SpaceWatch.Global
- VOX Space’s Jeffrey Trauberman to Chair WashingtonExec’s New Space Council | WashingtonExec
- Planetary defense:
- Regulation – spectrum, export control, launch, etc:
- Space law:
- It’s not how big your laser is, it’s how you use it: space law is an important part of the fight against space debris – SpaceWatch.Global
- Top EU court rejects European Aviation Network challenge, but legal action continues – SpaceNews
- US Should Push New Space Treaty: Atlantic Council – Breaking Defense
- Space traffic & environment issues:
- Orbital debris removal:
- US states space:
- House approves bill to let space companies keep their rocket debris – Florida Politics
- Florida Tech powers ‘Silicon Valley of Space’ – Florida Politics
- Spaceport announcement delay expected – The Brunswick News
- Some Rio Grande Valley Locals Warn SpaceX Expansion Could Lead To More Environmental Harm And Gentrification | Texas Standard
- US Defense space:
- Space Force wants to introduce commercial capabilities to all mission areas – c4isrnet.com
- Do we need a Space National Guard? Colorado says yes, but Congress is not so sure. – AirForceTimes.com
- China, Russia Are Launching the New Cold War Into Space – Bloomberg
- The Future of Security in Space: A Thirty-YearUS Strategy – Atlantic Council
- Atlantic Council calls for U.S. and allies to lead global efforts on space security – SpaceNews
- Counterspace:
- Cyber-security:
- Technology:
- Space Development Agency could select three manufacturers to produce its next batch of satellites – SpaceNews
- DARPA selects Blue Origin, Lockheed Martin to develop spacecraft for nuclear propulsion demo – SpaceNews
- Space Development Agency issues new request for information from satellite vendors – SpaceNews
- Orbital Sidekick finalizes $16 million round led by Temasek – SpaceNews – Developing hyperspectral imaging satellite constellation with support from USAF.
- Here’s how new space tech is helping electronic warfare forces on the ground – c4isrnet.com
- General space policy, goals, commentary, etc.:
- Activism:
International space
- Africa:
- Brazil:
- Canada:
- China:
- Analysts: China’s space programs are a security concern to the U.S. but not all are nefarious – SpaceNews
- Across China: China to build commercial launch center in eastern coastal province – Xinhua
- Why the U.S. and China Should Collaborate in Space | Time
- China releases lunar sample data online – Xinhua
- China sets up expert advisory committee for lunar samples – Xinhua | English.news.cn
- China to develop aerospace as strategic emerging industry – Xinhua
- China sets up expert advisory committee for lunar samples – Xinhua
- Space Station:
- Manned spacecraft, carrier rocket for Shenzhou-12 mission arrive at launch center – Xinhua
- China preparing Tianzhou-2 cargo mission to follow upcoming space station launch – SpaceNews
- China Space Station: Busy Launch Schedule Ahead – Leonard David
- Tianhe, the Core of the Chinese Space Station | The Planetary Society
- China/Russia lunar co-op:
- Europe
- France:
- India:
- Japan:
- Mexico:
- Nigeria:
- Norway:
- Russia:
- Russia joins China’s mission to sample an asteroid and study a comet | Space.com
- Russia hands over last RD-180 rocket engines to US under existing deal – TASS
- Majority of agreements in space sphere need updating, Roscosmos CEO says – TASS
- Commerce increases sanctions on Russia impacting space commerce and trade – Behind the Black
- Russia has potentials for putting into practice ambitious space projects, says Medvedev – TASS
- Russia must uphold its status of leading nuclear and space power — Putin – TASS
- ISS:
- Russia Plans to Withdraw From ISS, Deploy Its Own National Space Station – Sputnik International
- Russia to decide on pullout from ISS since 2025 after technical inspection – TASS
- Russia to make decision on its work at ISS after 2024 – Roscosmos – TASS
- Russia’s prospects of taking part in ISS program were discussed by Putin — Kremlin – TASS
- NASA will continue working with Russia despite China plan, experts say – UPI.com
- Space experiments, commercialization of visits to ISS to become reality — senior official – TASS
- Cosmonaut pay:
- Scotland:
- South Korea:
- UAE
Webcasts:
** NASA Picks SpaceX for Artemis Human Lunar Lander Development – NASA
NASA is getting ready to send astronauts to explore more of the Moon as part of the Artemis program, and the agency has selected SpaceX to continue development of the first commercial human lander that will safely carry the next two American astronauts to the lunar surface.
The agency’s powerful Space Launch System rocket will launch four astronauts aboard the Orion spacecraft for their multi-day journey to lunar orbit. There, two crew members will transfer to the SpaceX human landing system (HLS) for the final leg of their journey to the surface of the Moon. After approximately a week exploring the surface, they will board the lander for their short trip back to orbit where they will return to Orion and their colleagues before heading back to Earth.
** Human Landing System Announcement Media Teleconference – NASA Video – Starts at the 9:30 point
** Spring 2021 Space Policy and Politics Briefing – The Planetary Society
A new year has brought a new administration, power shifts in Congress and new priorities across the U.S. The Planetary Society’s advocacy for planetary science and exploration has never been more important. Planetary Radio host Mat Kaplan is once again joined by Senior Space Policy Advisor and Chief Advocate Casey Dreier, Chief of Washington Operations Brendan Curry and Society CEO Bill Nye. New to this edition of our semi-annual update is Georgia Institute of Technology planetary scientist Britney Schmidt. Dr. Schmidt is vice chair of the Society Board of Directors’ Space Policy Committee.
** Key Chinese Spaceplane Technology Tested, Probes to the Edge of the Heliosphere – Ep 29 – Dongfang Hour – YouTube
Hello and welcome to another episode of the Dongfang Hour China Aero/Space News Roundup! Without further ado, the news update from the week of 12 – 18 April.
1) CASIC Institute tests spaceplane propulsion technology …
2) Wu Weiren, chief-designer of China’s lunar exploration program, discusses China’s “Double One Hundred” goal …
3) A Report on China’s Aerospace Manufacturing Capabilities …
** TCL Joins the Space Race, a New Launch Site in Ningbo, Aerospace Propulsion Round of Funding – Ep 28 – Dongfang Hour – YouTube
Hello and welcome to another episode of the Dongfang Hour China Aero/Space News Roundup! Without further ado, the news update from the week of 5 – 11 April.
1）TCL: A New Tech Player in the Chinese Space Industry? …
2) A Few More Details Revealed on China’s Commercial Launch Site …
3) New (Pre-A) round of funding of 100M RMB from Aerospace Propulsion …
From activities in low-Earth orbit to the Artemis program, the commercial space industry is beginning to take on an increased role as innovator in both space access, commerce, and exploration. This growth of commercial space over the past decades offers the potential for a new paradigm for space exploration—one in which industry transitioned from supplier to partner. Still, many questions remain spanning from the most seemingly consequential “How will humanity explore the Moon and Mars?” to the more basic, “What is Commercial Space?” This virtually hosted symposium explores this transformation and examines the historical context for answering these questions.
Videos are available for the presentations. Here is a sampling:
*** Ken Davidian, What is Commercial Space? –
*** Rick Sturdevant, Evolution of Commercial Space and Its Integration with US Military Space
*** Steven Freeland, International Law in a Commercial Space ‘World’
*** PJ Blount, Fragmentation of American Commercial Space Law
** Towards Space Arbitration and Beyond | SCFVideo8 – Space Court Foundation – YouTube
Earlier this year, the UAE announced the establishment of a “Court of Space”, a tribunal dedicated to dispute resolution on matters related to space activities. This development further underscores tremendous growth in space activities and the need for legal communities to catch up. On April 14, 2021, join the Space Court Foundation and Clifford Chance for an in-depth discussion on the future of dispute resolution and how to continue applying our legal tools to our activities in a novel environment
Panel 1: Initiatives in the Dispute Resolution Sphere …
Panel 2: Expectations from the Space Law World …
On 20 April 2021, ESA will host the 8th European Conference on Space Debris from Darmstadt, in Germany. Scientists, engineers, industry experts and policy makers will spend the virtual four day conference discussing the latest issues surrounding space debris. They will exchange the latest research, try to come up with solutions for potential problems and define the future direction of any necessary action.
** E56 – Operating the Space Force – Aerospace Corp Space Policy (Vimeo) – Center for Space Policy & Strategy (CSPS)
** E57: Protecting Earth’s Airspace from Space Debris – Aerospace Corp Space Policy (Vimeo) – Center for Space Policy & Strategy (CSPS)
** Space Café WebTalk – Dr. Jessica West – 16. February 2021 – spacewatch. global – News Room – YouTube
In this week’s Space Cafè WebTalk, Dr. Jessica West, Senior Researcher at Project Ploughshares, Waterloo, Canada talked about why does peace matter in space.
This session explored the role of civil society in space governance. Jessica is a long-time editor of the Space Security Index and frequent participant at the United Nations First Committee, Conference on Disarmament, and the UN Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space. As both a researcher and an advocate for the peaceful use of outer space, her recent work involves mapping the normative landscape in outer space as a way to inform better security practices, and highlighting the civilian consequences of conflict.
Episode 025 features a special guest Alice Gorman.
Alice Gorman has brought together astrophysics and archaeology to create the fascinating field of space archaeology. She talks about what exactly it is and why it could be crucial to the future of space travel in this fascinating episode of the Space Cafe Podcast.
* The Space Show – Sunday, Apr.18.2021 – Dr. Michael Gleason discussed “his papers linked on the blog for this show. In addition, we spent significant time on space debris issues with regards to LEO and the increasing population of satellites.”
- The Value of Space – The Aerospace Corp (pdf)
- A Short Guide for Understanding and Assessing U.S. Space Sustainability Initiatives | The Aerospace Corporation
- Space Policy Primer: Key Concepts, Issues, and Actors – The Aerospace Corp. (pdf)
** The Space Show – Friday, Apr.16.2021 – Davide Sivolella discussed “his new book, Space Mining and Manufacturing: Off-World Resources and Revolutionary Engineering Techniques (Springer Praxis Books) [Amazon commission link]”.
** Hotel Mars – John Bachelor Show/The Space Show – Wed, Apr.14.2021 – Dr. Jeffrey Foust of Space News spoke with John Batchelor and Dr. David Livingston about “the nomination of retired Senator Bill Nelson of Florida to be the next NASA Administrator“.
** The Space Show – Tuesday, Apr.13.2021 – Dr. Martin Elvis discussed “lunar development, getting power to the lunar sites, specifically the South Pole and building giant solar towers at the Moon’s south pole to be able to provide multiple GW of solar power to the sites. Also discussed were possible lunar governance issues.”
Papers discussed:
- https://arxiv.org/ftp/arxiv… “Towers on the Peaks of Eternal Light: Quantifying the Available Solar Power”
- https://royalsocietypublish… “Concentrated Lunar Resources”
- https://arxiv.org/pdf/2103…. Towers On The Moon”
** April 16, 2021 Zimmerman/Batchelor podcast
** April 14, 2021 Zimmerman/Batchelor podcast
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