Policy
Stories about space regulations and policy, and what they mean for companies.
Defense Nominees Call for Closer Ties with Industry
Defense acquisitions are too slow to keep up with the needs of the moment, and the administration’s new defense appointees are planning to do something about it.
State Looking For Industry Input In Colorado Springs
The State Department is asking industry how it can better support American space startups, and it’s looking to kick off the conversation at Space Symposium next month.
AIA Shares Top Space Priorities For 2025
The list includes nearly three dozen to-dos for government agencies ranging from the DoD to the FAA to NASA.
Trump Policies Deplete Post-Election Space Stock Gains
Space stocks soared in the wake of Trump’s election win. In the weeks since, however, many of these lofty valuations have come crashing down.
NASA Cutting Policy, Science, and DEI Departments
The space agency will fully close two offices, as well as the branch of a third to comply with a Trump executive order.
Office of Space Commerce ACES Committee Cut By Trump Order
“This morning, we received from the Department of Commerce a ‘stop work’ order on ACES,” according to a memo reviewed by Payload.
Op-ed: A Trump Presidency Means More Money for Space. So, What Can We Expect?
With space a focus of the new administration, and SpaceX founder Elon Musk as a senior advisor, we can expect to see money, more ambition, and fewer restrictions on private companies expanding America’s reach in LEO and beyond.
NASA Must Speed Up Decision Making to Beat China to the Moon, Experts Say
“There is not a global competition yet for Mars, so we need to take the right thing at the right time,” Dumbacher said. “The Moon first, then Mars.”
Space Advocates Seek To Protect NASA Workforce
“These public servants—many of whom are just starting their careers—represent the future of NASA.”
Lawmakers Direct GAO Review of FAA’s Part 450
“We’ve had complaints from launchers that they can’t get timely licensing for their permits to launch, so we definitely want to monitor the FAA’s progress in improving its licensing process for launch and reentry,” Babin told Payload.
New Bill Would Classify Space as Critical Infrastructure
The Space Infrastructure Act seeks to codify in statute that space assets are so vital to the nation’s economy and security that their disruption would have a debilitating impact.
Space CEOs Pitch Tech For Trump’s Push to Mars
Space CEOs outlined how their tech would help the US explore Mars amid the Trump administration’s focus on the Red Planet during remarks at the Commercial Space Conference on Wednesday in DC.
US Should Create Space ‘Hotline’ With China, CFR says
The Trump administration must engage China in orbit, opening a line for communication in case of emergencies such as deconflicting potential collisions in orbit, according to a report released Tuesday by the Council on Foreign Relations.
