Weekly Roundup for SpacePolicyOnline.com: September 4-10, 2023

Here are links to all the articles published on SpacePolicyOnline.com last week, September 4-10, 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 September 10-16, 2023

September 10, 2023. Here is SpacePolicyOnline.com’s list of space policy events for the week of September 10-16, 2023 and any insight we can offer about them. The House and Senate are in session this week.

FAA: Starship Mishap Investigation Complete, But No Flight Approval Yet

September 8, 2023.  The FAA announced today that its investigation into what went wrong on the first flight of SpaceX’s Starship rocket in April is done. SpaceX is ready to try again, but needs regulatory approval from the FAA and that was not forthcoming today. Instead the FAA said the company needs to implement 63 corrective actions and apply for a license modification.

GAO: NASA Not Transparent About “Unaffordable” SLS Costs

September 7, 2023. The Government Accountability Office released its most recent review of NASA’s Space Launch System program today, criticizing NASA for a lack of transparency in how much SLS costs. Moreover, GAO said senior NASA officials told them SLS is “unaffordable” at its current level so they are trying to find short- and long-term strategies to reduce costs.

Japan Launches X-Ray Telescope and Lunar Lander

September 6, 2023. Weather finally cooperated and Japan’s space agency was able to launch its new x-ray telescope, XRISM, and lunar lander, SLIM. A lot is riding on both missions. The telescope is a replacement for one that broke apart in orbit several years ago and SLIM is the third Japanese attempt to land on the Moon in the past 10 months.

Ariane 6 One Step Closer, But Still No Launch Date

September 6, 2023.  Europe’s new Ariane 6 rocket is one step closer to launch today following a successful, if brief, engine test. A longer test is scheduled next month. Only then will European officials be ready to say when the inaugural launch will take place. For now, they will not even commit to the first half of 2024.

India Says Goodnight to Chandrayaan-3

September 5, 2023. India’s Chandrayaan-3 lunar probe has completed its primary mission and is now in sleep mode. The solar-powered Vikram lander and Pragyan rover were not designed to survive the lunar night, but were fully charged when darkness fell and India’s space agency hopes they might awaken when sunlight returns on September 22.

Weekly Roundup for SpacePolicyOnline.com: August 28-September 3, 2023

September 5, 2023. Here are links to all the articles published on SpacePolicyOnline.com last week, August 28-September 3, 2023, including our “What’s Happening in Space Policy” for this coming week. Click on each title to read the entire article.

Crew-6 Home After Six Months in Space

September 4, 2023. Another NASA mission to the International Space Station ended successfully just after midnight with the splashdown of Crew-6 off the coast of Jacksonville, FL. Two U.S. astronauts and one each from the United Arab Emirates and Russia spent 186 days in space, 184 of them on ISS conducting research and continuing the almost 23-year record of continuous permanent space station occupancy.