SpaceX’s Starhopper test vehicle executed its planned “hop” today at the company’s test site in Boca Chica, Texas.  An earlier test was just 20 meters, but today it was headed for an altitude of 150 meters. The company has not issued an official statement on what was achieved, but that looked about right on the livestream.  The test is a step, however small, towards the Starship vehicle that SpaceX is developing to send people to the Moon and beyond.  UPDATED WITH SPACEX VIDEO.

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Three International Space Station (ISS) crew members took a short ride in their Soyuz MS-13 spacecraft Sunday night (EDT) to move it from one docking port to another.  The maneuver was needed because an automated rendezvous and docking system at one of the ports malfunctioned during Saturday morning’s attempt to dock Soyuz MS-14.  That is a test flight and no one is aboard so it needs the automated system. Soyuz MS-13 does not because the crew can dock it manually.  With the orbital do-si-do complete, Roscosmos will try again to dock Soyuz MS-14 Monday night EDT (Tuesday morning Moscow Time). [UPDATE, August 26, 11:14 pm EDT: Soyuz MS-14 successfully docked at the Zvezda port at 11:08 pm EDT].

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Here is SpacePolicyOnline.com’s list of space policy events for the next TWO weeks August 25-September 7, 2019.  The House and Senate are in recess (except for pro forma sessions) until September 9.

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The automated docking of the uncrewed Soyuz MS-14 spacecraft to the International Space Station (ISS) was aborted this morning   As it approached the ISS, it began slewing and the two Russian cosmonauts monitoring its arrival briefly lost sight of it.  The crew was not in danger, but Russian flight controllers decided to abort the docking while they determined what was wrong.  Another attempt will be made on Tuesday, August 27, Moscow Time (11:12 pm Monday EDT).

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NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine told a group of college students today that he would not be surprised if an all-female crew lands on the Moon in the next 5 years. The White House has directed NASA to land “the next man and the first woman” on the Moon’s South Pole by 2024 — the Artemis program.  Many assumed that meant the first crew would be co-ed, but Bridenstine said today it is very possible “the next two people on the Moon will both be women.”

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Vice President Mike Pence will preside over a ceremony on August 29 to officially stand up the new U.S. Space Command (USSPACECOM). On that day, 87 units will be reassigned to it and a new relationship will be established between DOD and the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) where NRO will take direction from USSPACECOM to defend its satellites if conflict extends into space.

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The National Space Council got updates yesterday from the Departments of Commerce and Transportation on their efforts to streamline and modernize regulations for the commercial space sector.  Commerce regulates commercial remote sensing satellites and the new regulations are close to being ready.  Transportation is in charge of commercial space transportation services and those revised regulations will not be finalized for another year, however. …

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Vice President Mike Pence presided over the sixth public meeting of the White House National Space Council today.  At the last meeting in March, Pence directed NASA to return astronauts to the surface of the Moon by 2024, four years earlier than planned, adding that if NASA could not do it, NASA would have to change, not the goal.  Today, Pence kept up the pressure while also praising the progress NASA is making.

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The White House National Space Council held its 6th public meeting today at the Smithsonian Institution’s Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, VA.  The Council unanimously endorsed the following set of recommendations to President Trump.

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Here are SpacePolicyOnline.com’s tidbits for August 19, 2019.  We have some catching up to do so there are more than usual, everything from ULA winning contracts for its new Vulcan Centaur to Newt Gingrich proposing an alternative to Artemis to tardigrades on the Moon.  Be sure to check our website for feature stories and follow us on Twitter (@SpcPlcyOnline) for more news and live tweeting of events. …

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