Richard Branson’s Virgin Galactic finally launched its first commercial SpaceShipTwo flight today. Galactic-01 took four Italians and two Americans across the threshold between air and space for a few minutes of weightlessness. Three of the Italians were mission specialists conducting microgravity experiments while the fourth was one of the pilots. The next commercial flight now is planned for August with monthly flights thereafter.

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King Charles III unveiled his Astra Carta seal at Buckingham Palace today to underscore his interest in space sustainability. Astronauts, aerospace executives, scientists and environmentalists were among the participants. The Astra Carta takes a broader view of space sustainability than only ensuring that Earth orbit remains usable for future generations, but also the role space plays in a sustainable future on the planet.

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The first launch of the United Launch Alliance’s Vulcan rocket will be further delayed because the Centaur V upper stage needs modifications. ULA had targeted May 4 for that inaugural launch, but a Centaur V test failure at the end of March disrupted the plans. An investigation determined that a portion of the Centaur V structure needs to be reinforced. Another test will be needed to verify the changes. A new launch date has not been set.

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Here are links to all the articles published on SpacePolicyOnline.com during the week of June 19-25, 2023, including our “What’s Happening in Space Policy” for this coming week. Click on each title to read the entire article.

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Here is SpacePolicyOnline.com’s list of space policy events for the week of June 25-July 1, 2023 and any insight we can offer about them. The House and Senate are in recess except for pro forma sessions.

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The House and Senate Armed Services Committees completed their work on the FY2024 National Defense Authorization Act this week, with both committees approving their bills almost unanimously. The House Appropriations Committee also cleared the FY2024 Defense Appropriations bill, though on a party-line vote after sometimes bitter debate. Except for the question of where U.S. Space Command should be headquartered, the space-related portions of the bills are not controversial. Congress is taking a two-week break over the July 4th holiday, but the bills could be brought to the floor at any time thereafter.

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India just became the latest country to sign the Artemis Accords. Ecuador and Spain also have recently joined bringing the total to 27. The Accords lay out principles for countries to work together effectively on the Moon and are open to all countries to sign. Although they are not legally binding, the Accords represent a commitment to peaceful cooperation in civil space activities in cislunar space.

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The Senate Appropriations Committee adopted spending caps for its 12 subcommittees today. In most cases they are higher than their House counterparts. While that may seem like good news for the departments and agencies funded by those subcommittees, it highlights how much work lies ahead to come up with FY2024 spending bills that can pass both chambers and get signed into law by the President. If all 12 bills are not enacted by January 1, 2024, a one percent across-the-board cut will go into effect.

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Lori Glaze, director of NASA’s Planetary Science Division, told an advisory committee today how she will prioritize activities if budget cuts stemming from the recent debt limit deal materialize. She also disputed that the Mars Sample Return program needs an additional $250 million above the FY2024 request, insisting the agency is waiting for the results of an independent review before making any new cost estimates. NASA Administrator Bill Nelson told Congress MSR needed the extra funding in April.

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Here are links to all the articles published on SpacePolicyOnline.com during the week of June 12-19, 2023, including our “What’s Happening in Space Policy” for this coming week. Click on each title to read the entire article.

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