What’s Happening in Space Policy May 11-17, 2025
Here is SpacePolicyOnline.com’s list of space policy events for the week of May 11-17, 2025 and any insight we can offer about them. The House and Senate are in session this week.
Glaze: Artemis II Could Launch as Early as February 2026
Lori Glaze, NASA’s Acting Associate Administrator for Exploration Systems Development, said today the Artemis II crewed flight test could lift off from Kennedy Space Center as early as February 2026. That would be nine months from now and two months earlier than the current schedule — “tomorrow” in aerospace time. She also stressed that the Trump Administration’s interest in human exploration of Mars does not mean they are moving away from the goal of sustained presence on the Moon.
NASA Still Looking for A Way to Get VIPER to the Moon
NASA is still looking for ideas on how to get the VIPER rover to the Moon. The rover is already built, but the agency canceled plans to use a commercial lander to deliver it to the lunar surface. After soliciting ideas from industry to see if anyone would take the project over at no further cost to NASA, the conclusion is that none were suitable. Today the solicitation was withdrawn.
Trump Nominates CACI’s Matt Anderson as NASA Deputy Administrator
President Trump has nominated Matt Anderson, a retired Air Force pilot who now works for CACI International, to be NASA Deputy Administrator. Anderson would replace Pam Melroy, another retired Air Force Colonel though Melroy also was a NASA astronaut who piloted and commanded space shuttle missions. Anderson may not have NASA experience, but he has connections to the U.S. Space Force, U.S. Space Command, and the Space Force Association.
Laurie Leshin Steps Down as JPL Director
Laurie Leshin is stepping down as the Director of NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory on June 1. Dave Gallagher, JPL’s Associate Director for Strategic Integration, will be her successor. Leshin’s three-year tenure has been marked by great successes like the launch of Europa Clipper, but also challenges that range from protecting JPL from the fires that engulfed the Los Angeles area earlier this year to trying to find a way forward for the troubled Mars Sample Return mission.
ESA Reacts to Proposed NASA Budget Cuts
The head of the European Space Agency responded to the Trump Administration’s proposed deep cuts to NASA programs today by saying ESA still wants to cooperate with NASA, but will be assessing alternative scenarios. The two space agencies have a long, extensive history of cooperation in human and robotic spaceflight that today includes the International Space Station, the Artemis program, and scientific missions like Mars Sample Return. All of those would be upended if the proposed cuts are enacted.
What’s Happening in Space Policy May 4-10, 2025
Here is SpacePolicyOnline.com’s list of space policy events for the week of May 4-10, 2025 and any insight we can offer about them. The House and Senate are in session this week.
Trump Proposes $6 Billion Cut to NASA
President Trump released a “skinny” version of his FY2026 budget request today with top-line numbers for NASA and other parts of the government funded by annual appropriations. The detailed budget request will be released later this month. Deep cuts to NASA were expected and are born out in the proposal, which reduces NASA’s budget by 24 percent. Human spaceflight gets a boost, including $1 billion in investments for human Mars exploration, but everything else is down. Reaction from Congress and the aerospace community is a combination of shock and a reminder that this is just one step in a lengthy process, not a final result.
Chinese Space Station Crew Home After Weather Delay
China’s Shenzhou-19 space station crew landed in Inner Mongolia early this morning Eastern Daylight Time, about a day later than planned because of bad weather at the landing site. Their replacements on Shenzhou-20 arrived at Tiangong-3 last week, continuing permanent occupancy of China’s space station. Two of the Shenzhou-19 taikonauts set a new world record of 9 hours and 6 minutes for a single spacewalk.
Isaacman Nomination Clears Senate Commerce Committee
President Trump’s nomination of Jared Isaacman to be the next NASA Administrator was approved by committee this morning by a vote of 19-9. All Republicans and four Democrats voted in favor of the nomination. Nine Democrats voted no. The next step will be a vote by the full Senate, but the timing is unclear.