Here is SpacePolicyOnline.com’s list of space policy events for the week of July 26-August 1, 2026 and any insight we can offer about them. The Senate is in session this week. The House is on summer recess, returning August 31 with only pro forma sessions until then.
NASA astronaut Chris Williams and two Russian cosmonauts, Sergey Kud-Sverchkov and Sergei Mikaev, returned to Earth this morning after 8 months on the International Space Station.
The 13th Integrated Flight Test of SpaceX’s Starship system, IFT-13, was mostly a success. One week after the launch was scrubbed at the last moment because of engine failures, and a day after a weather delay, yesterday’s liftoff went perfectly as did the flight from Texas to the Indian Ocean. The only wrinkle was when the first stage made a hand landing in the Gulf after several engines did not fire for the landing burn.
Wildfires near Madrid, Spain forced the evacuation of NASA’s Deep Space Network facility there today. The agency reports that everyone is safe. The Madrid station is one of three around the world that communicate with spacecraft traveling throughout the solar system. NASA’s DSN in Goldstone, CA is taking over operations for now.
Today the Department of Commerce took a step towards helping companies obtain government certification to conduct novel activities in space. Mutiple Congresses and administrations have failed to agree on a “mission authorization” regime for space activities not already regulated by existing law. This new Space Commerce Certification could make it easier for industry to navigate the complex government environment, but does not appear to be a complete solution.
Here is SpacePolicyOnline.com’s list of space policy events for the week plus a day of July 19-26, 2026 and any insight we can offer about them. The House and Senate are in session this week.
Serbia and Mauritius have joined the Artemis Accords in the past two days, bringing the number of signatories to 70. Governments of any country are welcome to join the U.S.-led principles for responsible behavior on the Moon whether or not they have space programs or aspire to conduct operations on the Moon, although many do. Countries on all six continents that have governments are members.
SpaceX’s first attempt to launch Starship on its 13th test flight today didn’t go as planned. At the moment of startup, some of the 33 engines on Starship’s first stage didn’t light, triggering an automatic abort. They may try again as soon as next week. [Update, July 18: They rescheduled the launch for July 20.]
During meetings this week with NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman, Roscosmos Director General Dmitry Bakanov agreed that Russia will support operations of the International Space Station through 2030. Until now, Russia was committed only through 2028 even though the other ISS partners adopted 2030 several years ago. Bakanov also agreed to continue seat-swaps where Russia launches NASA astronauts, and NASA launches Russian cosmonauts, to the ISS on a no-exchange-of-funds basis.
Russia launched a new crew to the International Space Station today, Soyuz MS-29. Roscosmos cosmonauts Pyotr Dubrov and Anna Kikina, and NASA astronaut Anil Menon, docked at the ISS about three hours later for an 8-month mission.