NASA and the new U.S. Space Force (USSF) will work together in finding and tracking Near Earth Objects (NEOs) — asteroids and comets — that may threaten Earth. NASA is under congressional direction to find 90 percent of Potentially Hazardous Objects (PHOs) and is also working on methods to defend the planet from them if needed.
China launched a new version of its Long March 5 rocket with an experimental crew spacecraft today. The launch paves the way for construction of China’s multi-module space station in Earth orbit, robotic missions to the Moon and Mars, and perhaps human spaceflight beyond low Earth orbit.
NASA has laid out a plan for employees to gradually return to their worksites instead of teleworking. NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine and other NASA officials will answer questions from employees at a virtual Town Hall meeting on May 6 that will be broadcast on NASA TV.
Here is SpacePolicyOnline.com’s list of space policy events for the week of May 3-9, 2020 and any insight we can offer about them. The Senate is in session this week. The House remains in recess except for pro forma sessions.
NASA astronauts Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley are ready to take SpaceX’s Crew Dragon on a test drive to the International Space Station (ISS). The launch is scheduled for May 27 from Kennedy Space Center and they will arrive at ISS the next day. They may stay for one month or as many as four. The duration will not be decided until they are aboard.
The chairwomen of the House committee and subcommittee that oversee NASA expressed “disappointment” today with NASA’s decision to award contracts to build Human Landing Systems (HLS) for the Artemis program. The contracts are for public-private partnerships (PPPs) where the companies will own the systems and NASA will only purchase services. Bipartisan legislation already approved by the subcommittee would require that they be government-owned. The committee is also still awaiting a clear plan from NASA on how the Artemis program will be executed.
Today NASA announced three winners in bids to build Human Landing Systems (HLS) for the Artemis program to return astronauts to the lunar surface by 2024. SpaceX and teams led by Blue Origin and Dynetics will spend the next 10 months working with NASA to refine their concepts. The total contract award for all three is $967 million for that time period.
In its 12th annual report assessing NASA’s major projects, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) warned today of more cost increases and schedule delays, especially for the Artemis program to return astronauts to the Moon. Still, it gave NASA credit for taking actions to address its “chronic difficulty” in meeting cost and schedule targets, while cautioning that success will depend on “leadership commitment, accountability, and demonstrated progress.”
NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine will announce the winners of contracts to begin developing Human Landing Systems (HLS) for the Artemis program on Thursday.
Here is SpacePolicyOnline.com’s list of space policy events for the week of April 26-May 2, 2020 and any insight we can offer about them. The House and Senate are in recess except for pro forma sessions until at least May 4.