Polaris
Stories from Payload’s weekly space policy newsletter, Polaris.
International Partners Wrestle With Skinny Budget Fallout
The effects of the White House’s top level budget proposal are starting to ripple around the world.
House Panel Advances Three Space Bills
The House Science, Space, and Technology Committee approved three bills on Tuesday morning designed to increase astronaut safety, tap the private sector for scientific data, and maintain US leadership for the next generation of deep space exploration.
EOs, Commercial Cooperation, and Culture: A Recap of Polaris After Dark
The Trump administration has ordered the Pentagon to speed up its defense acquisition process. That will require trained staff to quickly get new commercial tech under contract, according to Col. Richard Kniseley, the senior materiel leader of Space Systems Command’s Commercial Space Office.
NATO Considers Reopening Space Policy Ahead of Schedule
“It’s not supposed to be even touched until 2027. Now they’re saying that’s probably too long. So let’s talk about—is now the time, based on what’s happening in the world,” Col. Jonathan Whitaker told Payload on the sidelines of Space Symposium.
What Will US Tariffs Mean For the Space Industry?
“In the aerospace industry, costs get passed along into the marketspace…Is the market going to bear that cost increase? Right now, it’s a lot of philosophical kinds of uncertainty,” said Ed Dodd, VP of business development at Cofactr, a procurement and logistics management startup.
Lunar Startup CEOs Push For ‘CLPS 2.0’
CEOs asked lawmakers to support block buys in CLPS 2.0 to give industry the opportunity to purchase materials in advance, providing certainty in both the supply chain and the workforce.
Former Astronauts Rally Behind Jared Isaacman
“Our nation is at a turning point where we face international competition from China, we have the opportunity to promote international cooperation with our partner nations, and we are witnessing radical change in the commercial space sector,” the 28 astronauts wrote in the letter, which was shared last weekend. “We believe that Jared Isaacman is uniquely qualified to lead NASA at this critical juncture.”
Industry, VC, DoD on Future of Space Conflict
“If you want private capital flowing into specific sectors, that’s a very good way to encourage it,” Morales said. “Just tell startups that if they build what you want, you’ll buy it and then buy it. It’s that simple.”
Dems Sound the Alarm on FAA’s Dealings With Starlink
Democratic lawmakers are sounding the alarm about SpaceX’s Starlink potentially winning a multi-billion FAA contract—a move that “would stink of corruption” because of Elon Musk’s position in the Trump administration, according to one member.
Nations Lock Down EO Capabilities As Ukraine War Continues
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine three years ago this week catapulted EO tech into the spotlight, providing a bird’s eye view of everything from Russia’s build up of military equipment along the border to the theft of Ukrainian grain. Seeing the benefits of EO before and during the conflict, industry officials said other countries have been…
Rep. Brian Babin on SLS, Artemis, and Committee To-Dos
“There’s no other way we’re going to get back to the surface of the Moon before the Chinese without the SLS. It’s not going to happen,” he said.
Congress’ Very Busy Week in Space Policy
Amid the mile-a-minute news cycle that is 2025 so far, we can’t blame you if you’ve missed some of the space action on Capitol Hill. So here are five things we’ve been watching over the past week.
US Chamber Launches Space Leadership Council
The council will work with lawmakers to help shape policy in a way that benefits the commercial sector on topics from acquisition to licensing to spectrum.
