Weekly Roundup for SpacePolicyOnline.com: May 20-26, 2024

Here are links to all the articles published on SpacePolicyOnline.com over the  last week, May 20-26, 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 May 26-June 2, 2024

May 26, 2024. Here is SpacePolicyOnline.com’s list of space policy events for the week plus a day of May 26-June 2, 2024 and any insight we can offer about them. The House and Senate are in recess this week except for pro forma sessions.

NASA, Boeing, ULA Decide to Proceed with Starliner on June 1

May 24, 2024.  NASA, Boeing and the United Launch Alliance will make a second try to launch the Starliner Crew Flight Test on June 1. While fixing a bad valve on the rocket that caused the launch to be scrubbed on May 6, two unrelated problems with the spacecraft were found. They’ve concluded Starliner is good to go for this test flight, but changes may be made for future missions to deal with a recently discovered “design vulnerability” in the propulsion system.

Senate CJS Appropriators See Artemis as Top NASA Priority

May 23, 2024.  The Senate appropriators who fund NASA left no doubt today that the Artemis program is their top priority for the agency. In a friendly hearing, Democrats and Republicans stressed the importance of staying ahead of China in space exploration and keeping Artemis on schedule.

Starliner CFT Slips Again with No New Date Set

May 22, 2024.  NASA has officially acknowledged that the Starliner Crew Flight Test will not take place on May 25. The launch has been on hold since May 6 first because of a bad valve on the launch vehicle and then with a helium leak in the spacecraft’s propulsion system. A new launch date is pending.

Jeff Bingham Passes Away at 77

May 21, 2024.  Jeff Bingham, whose enduring influence on U.S. space policy over many decades is largely unknown outside the Beltway, died on Friday at the age of 77 after battling throat cancer. Both in the halls of Congress and at NASA, his passion for human spaceflight, sparked by the first launch of the Space Shuttle, never wavered. Working in the background for and with like-minded leaders of the Washington political establishment, his legacy is evident in the International Space Station and the SLS/Orion programs.

Weekly Roundup for SpacePolicyOnline.com: May 6-19, 2024

May 20, 2024.  Here are links to all the articles published on SpacePolicyOnline.com over the past two weeks, May 5-19, 2024, including our “What’s Happening in Space Policy” for this coming week. Click on each title to read the entire article.