Policy
Stories about space regulations and policy, and what they mean for companies.
Op-ed: Why Outdated Regs Are Holding Back the Nuclear Space Race
Regulators must find ways to balance safety and national security concerns surrounding nuclear systems and materials with the mandate for America to lead in space and the drive for a thriving commercial space economy, especially as nuclear technology becomes safer and less risky thanks to new advancements.
What the Trump Administration Could Mean for Primes
“If I was at a large established prime that’s 20+ years or older, I would be in the war room thinking about how the hell we’re going to deal with this,” one space industry source told Payload. “They have a clear preference for the Andurils of the world.”
Finland Joins the Artemis Accords
Finland’s addition to the group signals its commitment to the West’s strategy of beefing up its defense posture in space.
Trump’s First 100 Days of Space Policy
“We will pursue our manifest destiny into the stars, launching American astronauts to plant the Stars and Stripes on the planet Mars.”
NASA Punts Mars Sample Return Decision
After more than a year of review, there’s no concrete plan to retrieve scientific samples from Mars.
Space Industry’s Top Priorities For the New Congress
Not surprisingly, regulatory reform is on everyone’s wishlist.
2024 Top 5: Space Policy
Most of the biggest space policy story lines of 2024 were actually about 2025, including how the incoming second Trump administration could reshape and prioritize space, the officials who will oversee those efforts, and some new faces on Capitol Hill as well.
Meet A New Face in the National Security Space Community
Rep.-elect Jeff Crank (R-CO) is excited about the future of space—especially, what he can do as a freshman lawmaker to help the commercial space community keep growing.
Artemis Accords Celebrate 50 Signatories
More than a quarter of the world’s countries are now part of the Artemis Accords after Panama and Austria signed on in a pair of ceremonies on Wednesday at NASA HQ in Washington.
China’s Materials Bans Could Transform Space Solar
Power demand in orbit is already closing in on 20M watts a year.
2024 Year in Review: Space Policy
Let’s take a look back at the year in space policy, which included the finish lines for some initiatives—and the reopening of previously closed cases for others.
SpaceX Astronaut Isaacman Tapped to Lead NASA
“Jared’s passion for space, astronaut experience, and dedication to pushing the boundaries of exploration, unlocking the mysteries of the universe, and advancing the new space economy, making him ideally suited to lead NASA into a bold new era,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
