Stories from Payload’s weekly space policy newsletter, Polaris.
“It’s been far too long since the last comprehensive NASA authorization and we’re overdue for Congressional guidance and direction,” Rep. Frank Lucas (R-OK), the chair of the House Science, Space, and Technology Committee, told Payload in a statement, adding that his top priorities in the markup include the Moon to Mars pipeline, operations in LEO after the ISS, and balancing the science portfolio.
The Space Force should boost its use of venture capital funding to have more influence over where private entities are focusing their science and tech investments, according to a RAND report.
It marks the first time NOAA has approved a hosted payload—a milestone that could open the door for other companies to seek approval from the agency for platforms that can hitch a ride aboard satellites manufactured by other entities.
The House passed the fiscal 2025 defense policy bill last week, but not before adding a few space-focused updates during debate on the floor.
Surrounded by the relics of space exploration, officials met at the National Air and Space Museum’s Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center last week to discuss how to preserve the history of humankind’s farthest incursions into the cosmos 239,000 miles away.
“For us, it’s very important to become a part of international cooperation platforms and international initiatives,” Neringa Morozaitė-Rasmussen, Lithuania’s vice-minister of the economy and innovation, told Payload. “We see it as an important agreement that…emphasizes peaceful exploration, which is the essence for us.”
The rare public back-and-forth between Congress and the White House that led to the reveal of Russia’s nuclear ASAT plans is getting a review under an amendment to the NDAA introduced by Rep. Seth Moulton (D-MA).
It’s a big week on Capitol Hill this week for considering fiscal 2025 funding and priorities in the space realm.
As the Pentagon’s space policy chief John Plumb prepares to leave office, his departing message is simple: don’t destroy space.
Russia went toe to toe with the rest of the world on Monday at the UN General Assembly, where officials overwhelmingly condemned Moscow’s veto last month of a measure reaffirming that nuclear weapons would not be placed in orbit.
Mining in orbit is getting closer to becoming a reality and, with business prospects protected by policy—at least in the US—one investor is predicting the dollars will start rolling in.
Lawmakers across Capitol Hill raised concerns last week that China is gaining on the US in orbit in both the civil and national security sectors.
