Japanese billionaire Yusaku Maezawa, who bought all the seats on SpaceX’s first crewed Starship flight around the Moon, announced who his companions will be today. Not included was any indication of when they will set off on their 7-day lunar voyage. Maezawa decided to try flying to Earth orbit before making the trip to the Moon and today’s big reveal comes on the one-year anniversary of his launch to the International Space Station.

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The United Nations General Assembly overwhelmingly voted today in favor of a resolution for countries not to conduct direct-ascent antisatellite tests that create space debris. Four countries have conducted such ASAT tests and the United States was the only one voting in favor. China and Russia voted no. India abstained.

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The two teams that lost out to SpaceX in NASA’s first Human Landing System competition are trying again. Blue Origin and Dynetics are bidding for NASA’s Sustaining Lunar Development contract as the agency continues to seek a second supplier to provide redundancy and competition.

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A NASA infrared space telescope specifically designed to locate Earth-threatening asteroids and comets cleared a critical review last week and is now an official NASA program. NASA announced today that the Near Earth Object Surveyor is approved to move into Phase C of development, but with a two-year delay from 2026 to 2028 and associated cost increase. Instead of $500-600 million, it is now $1.2 billion not including launch.

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NASA’s uncrewed Orion spacecraft successfully fired its main engine today for the second of two burns to depart lunar orbit and come back home. In the process, it took ever more glorious views of the Moon to add to its growing catalogue of stunning images that stir memories of the Apollo program. This week marks the 50th anniversary of the launch of the last Apollo mission to the Moon, Apollo 17, and Orion offers hope that humans will soon return.

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Here is SpacePolicyOnline.com’s list of space policy events for the week plus a day of December 4-11, 2022 and any insight we can offer about them.  The House and Senate are in session this week.

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China’s Shenzhou-14 crew landed in the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region today completing a 183-day mission. It is the first Chinese crew to hand over operations of a space station, Tiangong-3, to their replacements on Shenzhou-15. China declared the mission a complete success and Shenzhou-14 “the busiest crew.”

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Five Republicans on the House science committee are asking NASA to prioritize funding for the Near Earth Object Surveyor space telescope. NEO Surveyor will hunt for asteroids and comets that might threaten Earth, but the Biden Administration proposed a deep cut to the program in FY2023 and a delay of at least two years. Republicans will control the House next year and the letter signals they are paying attention to NEO Surveyor and its goal of fulfilling a 2005 congressional mandate to identify 90 percent of NEOs 140-meters or more in diameter.

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NASA’s Orion spacecraft successfully fired its main engine today to begin the trip back home from the Moon. After six days in a Distant Retrograde Orbit, the uncrewed spacecraft will spend the next week and a half making its way back to Earth with splashdown in the Pacific Ocean on December 11.

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French President Emmanuel Macron, in Washington for a state visit, stopped by NASA Headquarters today to meet with Vice President Kamala Harris and NASA leadership to talk about ongoing and future space cooperation. While the discussion focused mostly on civil space, Harris and Macron also emphasized that yesterday France joined the pledge not to conduct direct-ascent antisatellite tests. France is the 10th country to make the pledge since Harris started the ball rolling in April.

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