Hours after Virgin Galactic announced plans for its next suborbital spaceflight, the FAA issued a statement that the company may not fly until its investigation is completed into anomalies on the July 11 flight that took Richard Branson into space. The anomalies were revealed in a New Yorker story yesterday.
Here are SpacePolicyOnline.com’s tidbits for September 1, 2021: Branson’s spaceflight violated FAA airspace rules; Landsat 9 ready for launch despite supply chain disruption; HASC increases DOD FY2022 funding, wants commercial space focus. Be sure to check our website for feature stories and follow us on Twitter (@SpcPlcyOnline) for more news and live tweeting of events.
The House Armed Services Committee will mark up its version of the FY2022 National Defense Authorization Act tomorrow in what is expected to be a marathon session that may extend beyond midnight. Among the bill’s provisions is direction to the National Space Council to coordinate U.S. government efforts to prioritize objectives for developing norms of behavior for space and to the Secretary of State to use them in international negotiations.
Here is SpacePolicyOnline.com’s list of space policy events for the week of August 29-September 4, 2021 and any insight we can offer about them. The Senate is in recess until September 13. House committees will meet on certain days, but the House will meet only in pro forma sessions until September 20.
NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) is finally ready to hit the road — first to South America and then to its final destination a million miles from Earth. Years late and billions over budget, enthusiasm for the telescope nevertheless has not waned as scientists eagerly anticipate groundbreaking cosmological discoveries.
The United Launch Alliance’s (ULA’s) new Vulcan rocket rolled out to the launch pad today to begin tests. The first Vulcan launch is expected early next year, although its Blue Origin BE-4 engines are late. ULA President and CEO Tory Bruno said today he anticipated the delays and his schedule takes them into account.
Chirag Parikh, the newly appointed Executive Secretary of the White House National Space Council, said today that Vice President Kamala Harris is energized about the space program and they have had several meetings already about the issues the Space Council must tackle.
Today’s activation of the Space Training and Readiness Command (STARCOM) completes the organization of the U.S. Space Force. It joins two other field commands in filling out the structure of the nation’s newest military service. Meanwhile, the debate over how the decision was made to move the headquarters of U.S. Space Command (USSPACECOM) to Alabama is heating up after a surprise revelation by former President Trump.
Here is SpacePolicyOnline.com’s list of space policy events for the next TWO weeks, August 22-September 4, 2021, and any insight we can offer about them. The House will be in session for part of this week. The Senate is in recess until September 13.
In light of Blue Origin’s lawsuit against NASA for awarding only SpaceX a contract for a lunar lander, NASA has “voluntarily paused work” with SpaceX. Blue Origin founder Jeff Bezos is suing NASA in the Court of Federal Claims insisting NASA’s acquisition decision was flawed even though the Government Accountability Office rejected the company’s protest.