The European Space Agency’s governing council made the “agonizing” decision today to suspend the European-Russian ExoMars mission scheduled for launch in September. ESA earlier said the launch was unlikely after European countries imposed sanctions against Russia for its invasion of Ukraine, but made clear today it is “impossible.” ESA officials said they are beginning to assess options, but the earliest it could launch is 2026.
NASA’s Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft rolled out of the Vehicle Assembly Building at Kennedy Space Center this evening on the way to its launch pad for the first time. About two weeks from now, the agency will conduct a Wet Dress Rehearsal — a practice countdown while the rocket is fueled. If all goes well, the first launch, Artemis I, could take place in June.
The James Webb Space Telescope has marked another milestone as it proceeds through several months of commissioning before it is ready for scientific operations. Today NASA released the first crisp image of a star demonstrating that the 18 segments of the telescope’s primary mirror are now correctly aligned. Scientific-quality images are still a few months away, but this one whets the appetite of what’s to come.
George Nield retired as head of the FAA’s commercial space transportation regulatory office four years ago and is about to become a customer of one of those companies, crossing the line from air into space on Blue Origin’s next New Shepard flight. A long-time advocate for the commercial spaceflight industry, he sees a robust and exciting future ahead.
NASA’s new Moon rocket, the Space Launch System, topped with an Orion spacecraft, will roll out of the Vehicle Assembly Building at Kennedy Space Center on Thursday. The Saturn-V class launch vehicle will take the 4-mile journey to its launch pad for a test called a Wet Dress Rehearsal tentatively scheduled for April 3 leading up to an uncrewed test flight around the Moon, Artemis I. NASA hopes that will be in the June time frame, the first of three launches to put astronauts back on the lunar surface more than 50 years after the final Apollo crew departed.
NASA International Space Station program manager Joel Montalbano firmly asserted today that ISS operations are continuing unaffected by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Two spacewalks, one tomorrow and another next week, the launch of three Russians on March 18, and the return of three current ISS crew members including NASA astronaut Mark Vande Hei on March 30 are unchanged.
Here is SpacePolicyOnline.com’s list of space policy events for the week of March 13-19, 2022 and any insight we can offer about them. The House and Senate are in session this week.
The final FY2022 appropriations bill keeps NOAA’s Office of Space Commerce under the part of NOAA that manages weather satellite programs instead of elevating it to a higher level. Charged in 2018 with taking over responsibility from DOD for interfacing with civil and commercial space operators on Space Situational Awareness, the appropriations bill does at least increase its funding, but supporters argue it needs more visibility and authority to work effectively.
Almost halfway through FY2022, Congress is poised to pass an FY2022 omnibus appropriations bill that includes funding for NASA along with all the other departments and agencies. The agreement gives NASA $24.041 billion, a $770 million increase over FY2021, but $760 million less than the $24.802 billion President Biden requested. Though unrelated to appropriations, the bill also includes legislation to extend NASA’s Enhanced Use Leasing authority for one more year. The House passed the bill very late March 9 and the Senate on March 10. …
The commander of U.S. Space Command told a Senate committee today that his top priority is establishing “exquisite” Space Domain Awareness capabilities to ensure the United States knows exactly what is happening in space and why. USSPACECOM reached Initial Operational Capability in August 2021 and he assured Senators “your Space Command is ready.”