Space Policy Events for the Weeks of November 25-December 6, 2013
The following space policy-related events may be of interest in the next two weeks. The House and Senate have recessed for the Thanksgiving holiday. The House will return on December 2; the Senate not until December 9.
During the Weeks
The coming week is quiet from a policy perspective because of Thanksgiving, with one notable exception — the scheduled launch tomorrow of SpaceX’s Falcon 9 v1.1 on its first geostationary trip. This is only the second launch of the v1.1. The first flight in September was successful for the mission it launched that day, but an important test to reignite the second stage failed. SpaceX needs that second stage reignition for the launch tomorrow, which will place SES-8, a commercial communications satellite for satellite services provider SES, into Geostationary Transfer Orbit (GTO). That is an intermediate orbit at 295 x 80,000 kilometers (km). Getting the rest of the way to geostationary orbit (GEO) 35,800 kilometers above the equator is performed by a different motor that is not in Falcon 9’s job jar. Many commercial communications satellites need to get to GTO, so a lot of SpaceX’s future is riding on Falcon 9’s performance tomorrow. The launch window at Cape Canaveral opens at 5:37 pm ET. The launch will be webcast on SpaceX’s website. Weather is 80 percent favorable.
(Other launches are scheduled during the week, including two others tomorrow, but we don’t track all launches, just those with particular space policy relevance.)
The first week of December has a number of interesting meetings and conferences, notably the 8th Eilene M. Galloway Symposium on Critical Issues in Space Law at the Cosmos Club in Washington, DC. The topic this year is “Disruptive (Game-Changing) Space Technologies, Laws and Policies.” Registration is free, but seating is limited so you must register in advance.
Monday, November 25
- First Geostationary SpaceX Launch (for SES), Cape Canaveral, FL, 5:37 pm ET, webcast at SpaceX’s website
And the Next Week…
Tuesday, December 3
- NASA Advisory Council (NAC) Aeronautics Committee, National Institute of Aerospace, Hampton, VA, 9:00 am – 3:45 pm ET
Tuesday-Wednesday, December 3-4
- NAC Science Committee, NASA HQ, Washington, DC
Wednesday, December 4
- WSBR Luncheon Featuring Stephane Israel, Arianespace, Mayflower Renaissance Hotel, Washington, DC, 11:30 am – 1:30 pm ET
- NASA-USGS Sustainable Land Imaging Users Forum, NASA-Goddard, Greenbelt, MD, 1:00-4:15 pm ET
Wednesday-Thursday, December 4-5
- National Space-Based PNT Advisory Board, Omni Shoreham Hotel, Washington, DC
Thursday, December 5
- Eilene M. Galloway Symposium on Critical Issues in Space Law, Cosmos Club, 2121 Massachusetts Ave., NW, Washington, DC, 8:30 am – 4:30 pm ET
Friday, December 6
- DuPont Summit on Science, Technology and Environmental Policy, Whittemore House, 1526 New Hampshire Ave., NW, Washington, DC, 9:00 am – 6:00 pm ET
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