Weekly Roundup for SpacePolicyOnline.com: April 15-21, 2024

Here are links to all the articles published on SpacePolicyOnline.com over the last week, April 15-21, 2024, including our “What’s Happening in Space Policy” for this coming week. Click on each title to read the entire article.

What’s Happening in Space Policy April 21-27, 2024

April 21, 2024. Here is SpacePolicyOnline.com’s list of space policy events for the week of April 21-27, 2024 and any insight we can offer about them. The House is in recess except for pro forma sessions. The Senate’s schedule is uncertain.

Jamming, Spoofing, Hacking: Today’s Most Pervasive Counterspace Threats

April 21, 2024. While speculation about Russian nuclear weapons in space and actual destructive antisatellite tests grab the headlines, experts from two organizations that track “counterspace” activities are pointing out more immediate threats to satellite systems do not require such sophistication. Jamming or spoofing navigation satellites or hacking communications satellite ground terminals is much easier and can be disruptive not just to militaries, but the civilian population.

Nelson Defends Tough Choices in FY2025 Budget Request

April 17, 2024.  NASA Administrator Bill Nelson fielded questions from House Appropriations committee members today about why the FY2025 budget request includes cuts to programs in some of their districts. The answer was that budget caps imposed by last year’s Fiscal Responsibility Act forced NASA to make tough choices. While he understands why Congress had to agree to those caps in order to avoid defaulting on the national debt, the end result is that NASA simply cannot afford everything on its plate.

Ingenuity – Down, But Not Out

April 17, 2024. NASA’s intrepid Mars helicopter, Ingenuity, sent its last transmission back to Earth yesterday, but will continue collecting data for eventual retrieval in the future. In January, something happened at the end of Ingenuity’s 72nd flight that damaged its rotor blades and it will never fly again, but everything else is working. Communications are relayed through the Perseverance rover, however, and it is moving out of range so the data Ingenuity collects will simply be stored onboard until a new rover or perhaps even human beings arrive to collect it.

Switzerland, Sweden Join Artemis Accords

April 16, 2024. Switzerland and Sweden brought the number of Artemis Accords signatories up to 38 in the past two days. The U.S.-led Accords are a set of non-binding principles of responsible behavior on the Moon. They join 12 other members of the European Space Agency in agreeing to them.

NASA Wants New Ideas — Fast — on How To Return Samples From Mars Affordably

April 15, 2024. After months of analysis, NASA said today it agrees with the results of last year’s Independent Review Board that concluded the Mars Sample Return mission plan needs a do-over. That is especially true in light of the agency’s new budget realities as it is forced to stay within tight budget caps imposed by the Fiscal Responsibility Act. Tomorrow NASA will issue a solicitation to industry, JPL and NASA Centers to come forward with new ideas on how to get the samples now being collected by the Perseverance rover back to Earth in an affordable, timely manner.

NASA Agrees ISS Debris Hit Home in Florida

April 15, 2024. NASA confirmed today that a piece of debris from the International Space Station hit a home in Naples, FL last month.  The homeowner reported that something hit his house about the time a pallet laden with old batteries was reentering the Earth’s atmosphere. NASA expected it all to disintegrate, but it did not.

Weekly Roundup for SpacePolicyOnline.com: April 8-14, 2024

April 15, 2024. Here are links to all the articles published on SpacePolicyOnline.com over the last week, April 8-14, 2024, including our “What’s Happening in Space Policy” for this coming week. Click on each title to read the entire article.