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Polaris
Stories from Payload’s weekly space policy newsletter, Polaris.
How Space RCO Wants to Go Faster
The Space Force’s Space Rapid Capabilities Office (Space RCO) was established in 2018 to buy space tech and get it into troops’ hands as fast as possible—but according to its director, it’s not going fast enough thanks to barriers outside the organization.
NDAA on Golden Dome, Acquisition, Nat Sec Launch
House and Senate negotiators unveiled the compromise fiscal 2026 National Defense Authorization Bill on Monday, which would codify President Donald Trump’s Golden Dome missile defense program into law.
A Preview of Isaacman’s Confirmation Hearing
The fireworks start at 10am ET, when the two-time SpaceX astronaut and billionaire nominee to lead the space agency appears before the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee. That will be his second appearance this year, after his first nomination for the job was pulled in May.
Sprint to the Finish: What’s on Deck for December
Next week is the official start of “let’s circle back on that in the new year” season—but not for Congress, where lawmakers have a handful of time-sensitive priorities on their holiday to-do list.
A Debate on the Wolf Amendment
Necessary national security safeguard, or out-of-touch barrier to communication with a leading space power? That was the question at the heart of a debate last week on whether the Wolf Amendment is still in America’s best interest, almost 15 years after it became law.
The Artemis Accords By the Numbers
The accords celebrated their fifth anniversary last month. As such, here’s a roundup of where they stand.
DoD Space Policy Nominee Fields Questions on Org Structure, Golden Dome, China
The nominee to lead the Pentagon’s space policy wants to streamline collaboration between the Space Force and NRO.
Bridenstine on DoD’s Cislunar Goals, CLPS, and Returning to the Moon
“The reality is we’ve got to do what we’ve got to do to secure this country,” he said. “We can’t just pretend like we don’t need to know what’s happening out there, from a national security perspective.”
WEF Launches Space Policy Toolkit
“Everyone is using space data,” she told Payload. “This data is getting integrated into more industries, and used across the government. That’s the trend we see driving demand.”
Welcome to the FCC’s ‘Space Month’
FCC Chair Brendan Carr previewed some to-dos for the agency to make the US “the friendliest regulatory environment in the world for innovators to start, to grow, and to accelerate their space operations.”
Dems Slam Trump Admin For Implementing NASA Budget Without Congress’ OK
Whistleblowers told Congress that they’re already worried about the cuts affecting the safety of the agency’s programs, with one telling lawmakers that they are “very concerned that we’re going to see an astronaut death within a few years,” according to the report.