Blue Origin is getting ready to launch a new set of private citizens on a suborbital flight, adding six more people to the growing list of non-professional astronauts getting a chance to see the Earth from the vantage point of space. Competitor Virgin Galactic has delayed commercial launches until the end of 2022, but announced the winner of a free trip for two once they commence. Meanwhile, the first U.S. private astronaut flight to the International Space Station is coming up fast. Commercial space travel may not yet be routine, but it is not as unique as it was just a few months ago.

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NASA announced this evening that the James Webb Space Telescope is cleared for fueling after an incident that sent unexpected vibrations through the $9 billion spacecraft. An anomaly investigation team concluded all is well.

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NASA’s DART mission is heading to a double asteroid with the purposeful intent of crashing into it. Nothing on the spacecraft will survive, but the data it provides may help someday if another asteroid is on a collision course with Earth and must be diverted.

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The launch of NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope is slipping by four days because of an accident that happened while technicians were getting ready to mate it to the Ariane 5 rocket that will send it off into deep space. A clamp released unexpectedly and sent vibrations through the spacecraft. More time now is needed to do tests to ensure everything is still OK.  The new date is December 22.

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Here are SpacePolicyOnline.com’s tidbits for November 22, 2021: GWU Space Policy Institute seeks Assistant Professor; Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson to retire; a great view of Ingenuity on Mars.  Be sure to check our website for feature stories and follow us on Twitter (@SpcPlcyOnline) for more news and live tweeting of events.

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Here is SpacePolicyOnline.com’s list of space policy events for the next TWO weeks, November 21-December 4, 2021, and any insight we can offer about them.  The House and Senate are in recess this coming week except for pro forma sessions. The Senate returns for legislative business on November 29; the House on November 30.

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The top two House Republicans who oversee commercial space activities are challenging a new action by the National Transportation Safety Board to exert more authority in investigating commercial space accidents. In a letter to the NTSB they asked for more information and Rep. Brian Babin introduced a resolution stating that commercial space launch is a developmental activity, not a mode of transportation.

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The House finally passed the second bill to address President Biden’s infrastructure agenda. This “human infrastructure” bill has $1.115 billion for NASA, far less than what NASA Administrator Bill Nelson once hoped for, but would be a significant boost for the agency on top of its regular appropriations nonetheless. The bill now goes to the Senate for consideration.

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The U.S. Court of Federal Claims released the redacted report detailing why it ruled against Blue Origin in its lawsuit against NASA over the Human Landing System (HLS) contract award today. It adds details to the brief statement from Judge Richard Hertling earlier this month that confirmed NASA’s selection of SpaceX for the first HLS system.

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SpaceX’s Elon Musk said today he is planning at least a dozen Starship launches in 2022, starting in January if the FAA gives approval by the end of the year as expected. Renowned for his view that humanity must become a multi-planet species to survive and begin sending millions of people to Mars this decade, his timetable for that was more reserved this time though his conviction remains fervent.

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