NASA said today that the launch of the James Webb Space Telescope now will take place no earlier than December 24, a slip from December 22, which itself was a slip from December 18. The delay is due to a communications problem between the telescope and its Ariane 5 rocket. As launch of the $10 billion telescope nears, NASA and its partners don’t want to take any chances.
Here are SpacePolicyOnline.com’s tidbits for December 13, 2021: FAA ends commercial space astronaut wings program, Axiom gets second tourist flight to ISS, Starliner OFT-2 perhaps will fly in May 2022. Be sure to check our website for feature stories and follow us on Twitter (@SpcPlcyOnline) for more news and live tweeting of events.
Here is SpacePolicyOnline.com’s list of space policy events for the week of December 12-18, 2021 and any insight we can offer about them. The Senate and House are in session for at least part of the week.
Russia launched two more space tourists to the ISS this morning, just a few weeks after another duo returned to Earth. Billionaire Japanese entrepreneur Yusaku Maezawa and his production assistant Yozo Hirano are accompanied by veteran professional cosmonaut Alexander Misurkin for an almost 12 day visit with the seven long-duration crew already aboard.
A new version of the FY2022 National Defense Authorization Act crafted by the bipartisan leadership of the House and Senate Armed Services Committees passed the House tonight. Released just a few hours ago, the annual defense policy bill won quick approval and is on its way to the Senate where expectations are high that it will pass there as well.
President Biden’s Executive Order on the White House National Space Council not only added five members, but expanded the Council’s authority to include making budget recommendations for the President’s space priorities.
NASA announced the selection of ten new astronaut candidates today. After two years of training, they will be eligible for flight assignments as part of the NASA astronaut corps. The six men and four women span a range of experience and backgrounds, but with an emphasis on science and engineering and military service.
Here is SpacePolicyOnline.com’s list of space policy events for the week of December 5-11, 2021 and any insight we can offer about them. The House and Senate are in session this week.
NASA selected three winners today for contracts to design commercial space facilities to replace the International Space Station. The contracts are for design only. Another competition will be held in a few years for one or more companies to actually build space stations in low Earth orbit where NASA can be just one of many customers purchasing services to conduct research instead of owning the facility itself.
The first meeting of the Biden-Harris Administration’s National Space Council covered a lot of ground, but a main focus was Russia’s recent antisatellite test and the resulting debris that is imperiling satellites in low Earth orbit, not to mention the seven crewmembers aboard the International Space Station.