Weekly Roundup for SpacePolicyOnline.com: November 20-26, 2023

Here are links to all the articles published on SpacePolicyOnline.com last week, November 20-26, 2023, 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 November 26-December 2, 2023

November 26, 2023. Here is SpacePolicyOnline.com’s list of space policy events for the week of November 26-December 2, 2023 and any insight we can provide about them. The House and Senate are in session this week.

Steve Jurczyk, Former NASA Leader, Passes Away

November 25, 2023. Steve Jurczyk, whose 32-year NASA career saw him rise to the very top of agency leadership, died on Thanksgiving Day from pancreatic cancer. He was 61.

ESA Declares Ariane 6 Full Duration Hot Fire Test a Success

November 23, 2023.  Europe’s new Ariane 6 rocket appeared to take another step forward today. ESA declared the full duration firing of the core stage engine a success. European officials have been waiting for the results of this test before announcing when this new version of the Ariane rocket will leave the launch pad for the first time. Europe is in the midst of a launch vehicle crisis, attempting to regain independent access to space.

California Lawmakers Urge NASA Not to Cut Mars Sample Return Funding

November 22, 2023.  Six members of California’s congressional delegation sent a letter to NASA Adminstrator Bill Nelson today urging him not to scale back Mars Sample Return funding right now. Saying they are “mystified” by the agency’s decision to pause the MSR program, revealed at a NASA advisory committee meeting last week, they asserted the decision violates Congress’s authority.

North Korea Claims Success with Military Satellite Launch

November 21, 2023. North Korea claimed that it successfully launched a military reconnaissance satellite into orbit on November 21. The United States condemned the launch and a statement from the Department of Defense referred to it as an “attempted space launch,” suggesting it did not achieve orbit, although by November 22 amateur satellite observers reported that two objects were being tracked by DOD. North Korea’s two prior satellite launch attempts this year failed.

McAlister: Space Station Gap Would Be “Not Great, But Not Irrecoverable”

November 20, 2023.  As the International Space Station celebrates its 25th anniversary, the Director of NASA’s Commercial Space Division said today that the agency is working closely with partners to avoid a space station gap. If it does happen, though, the situation is “not irrecoverable” because NASA can use U.S. spacecraft that ferry crews to Earth orbit as mini-space stations until commercial successors are available.

Weekly Roundup for SpacePolicyOnline.com: November 6-19, 2023

November 20, 2023. Here are links to all the articles published on SpacePolicyOnline.com in the last TWO weeks, November 6-19, 2023, including our “What’s Happening in Space Policy” for this coming week. Click on each title to read the entire article.