NASA announced today that Nicky Fox is the new head of NASA’s Science Mission Directorate. Like her predecessor, Thomas Zurbuchen, she is a heliophysicist who studies the Sun and its influence on the solar system. Zurbuchen brought her into NASA to head SMD’s heliophysics division in 2018. She is only the second woman to lead SMD.
NASA and SpaceX had to scrub the launch of Crew-6 about two minutes before launch due to a technical problem with the Falcon 9 rocket — the TEA-TEB ingiter fluid for the Merlin engines. Another attempt is tentatively scheduled for March 2 at 12:34 am ET pending resolution of the TEA-TEB issue.
Here is SpacePolicyOnline.com’s list of space policy events for the week of February 26-March 4, 2023 and any insight we can offer about them. The House and Senate are in session this week, although the House meets only Monday-Wednesday.
The U.S. Space Force’s Space Systems Command is reimagining how it procures launch services amid dramatic changes in the launch marketplace. A draft Request for Proposals spells out the new approach where companies will be able to bid in one of two “lanes” for single launches similar to those for commercial customers or a five-year block buy with more demanding requirements. SSC will hold an industry day next week to explain the plan and gather input before releasing the final RFP.
Vice President Kamala Harris met with members of the National Space Council Users’ Advisory Group yesterday. No big announcements emerged, but the space community is eagerly awaiting action by Harris on recommending what agency should be assigned “mission authorization” to regulate novel space activities, a topic of discussion at the UAG meeting earlier in the day.
Russia’s Soyuz MS-23 lifted off from the Baikonur Cosmodrome on time this evening enroute to the International Space Station. No one is aboard this flight. It is being sent to replace the damaged Soyuz MS-22 and bring that crew home later this year. Soyuz MS-22 and a Russian cargo spacecraft, Progress MS-21, both sprang leaks in their coolant systems over the past two months. Russian engineers closely examined Progress MS-23 and are confident it will not encounter the same fate.
NASA and SpaceX decided today to delay the launch of the next Crew Dragon for one day as they continue work on a number of items. The February 26 launch is now set for February 27 at 1:45 am ET. At the same time, NASA confirmed its Russian counterpart, Roscosmos, will launch the uncrewed Soyuz MS-23 spacecraft on Thursday evening.
Russia’s space agency Roscosmos said today that whatever caused the leak on the Progress MS-21 cargo spacecraft was an external impact. A little over a week ago Progress MS-21 sprang a leak and lost its coolant to space, an event reminiscent of a coolant leak on the Soyuz MS-22 spacecraft two months earlier. Investigations continue as to what happened, but Roscosmos is convinced the next spacecraft, Soyuz MS-23, will not suffer the same fate. Its launch is on track for Thursday EST.
Here is SpacePolicyOnline.com’s list of space policy events for the week plus a day of February 19-26, 2023 and any insight we can offer about them. The House and Senate are in recess this week except for pro forma sessions.
Russian engineers got a better look at the radiator on the Progress MS-21 cargo spacecraft last night as it departed the International Space Station and saw no damage. After rechecking the radiator on Soyuz MS-23, which is awaiting launch at the Baikonur Cosmodrome, Roscosmos said today it is recommending launch on February 23 EST (February 24 Moscow Time). Soyuz MS-23 will not have anyone aboard on the way to ISS. It is replacing Soyuz MS-22, which had its own coolant leak two months ago, and will bring the Russian-American MS-22 crew home later this year.