What's Happening in Space Policy April 25-29, 2016

Here is our list of space policy related events for the week of April 25-29, 2016 and any insight we can offer about them.  The House and Senate are in session this week.

During the Week

After many years of delays, Russia says that it is finally ready to conduct the first launch from its new Siberian launch site, Vostochny.  The launch is April 27 at 5:01 am Moscow Time, which is April 26 (Tuesday) 10:01 pm Eastern Daylight Time (EDT).  (We should note that some press reports cite a potentially earlier launch date, but Russia’s official news agency, TASS, reported on April 19 that the launch is set for April 27 at 5:01 Moscow Time, so that is what we use here.)  Russia’s Roscosmos space agency/state corporation sometimes webcasts launches.  If we hear of any other live webcasts, we’ll add them to our calendar entry.  Anatoly Zak at RussianSpaceWeb.com has comprehensive information about Russia’s decision to build a new launch site within Russia’s borders to handle many of the launches that now take place at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.  After the collapse of the Soviet Union, Kazakhstan became an independent country and Russia must lease the facility from the Kazakh government with financial and national security ramifications.  (Russia also has a launch site near the Arctic Circle at Plesetsk for high inclination launches.)

Here in Washington, Congress will be very busy Wednesday morning marking up the FY2017 National Defense Authorization Act (House Armed Services Committee) and the Space Weather Research and Forecasting Act (Senate Commerce Committee), as well as holding a hearing on DOD’s FY2017 budget request (Senate Appropriations Defense Subcommittee). 

The Aeronautics and Space Engineering Board (ASEB) and the Space Studies Board (SSB) of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine will hold their spring meetings this week.  ASEB meets Monday and Tuesday; SSB Tuesday through Thursday.  The meeting on Tuesday is a joint meeting of both boards.  Unfortunately, we’re told there will be no webcast of either Board’s meetings, which is a shame because the agendas are chock full of really interesting topics and speakers.  Among them is a panel discussion on Tuesday afternoon on the “Future of Low Earth Orbit – Moving Toward a Commercial Market.”

Speaking of commercial space, the FAA’s Commercial Space Transportation Advisory Committee (COMSTAC) meets this week.  Its various working groups meet on Wednesday and the full committee on Thursday.   The agenda was not posted as of this morning, but COMSTAC meetings are always very interesting.

The President of the French space agency, Jean-Yves Le Gall, will speak to the Washington Space Business Roundtable (WSBR) on Friday at the University Club.

Those and other events we know about as of Sunday morning are shown below.  Check back throughout the week for additions to our Events of Interest list for events that are announced later.

Monday-Tuesday, April 25-26

• Aeronautics and Space Engineering Board (National Academy of Sciences), Keck Center, 500 5th Street, NW, Washington, DC (April 26 is joint with the Space Studies Board)

Tuesday

• Russia’s First Launch from New Vostochny Site, Vostochny, Ruussia, 10:01 pm ET (April 27, 5:01 am Moscow Time)

Tuesday-Thursday, April 26-28

• Space Studies Board (National Academy of Sciences), Keck Center, 500 5th Street, NW, Washington, DC (April 26 is joint with the Aeronautics and Space Engineering Board)

Wednesday, April 27

• Assured Communications 2016, Hyatt Regency Crystal City, Arlington, VA, 8:30 – 10:30 am ET
• HASC Full Committee Markup FY2017 NDAA, 2218 Rayburn, 10:00 am ET
• Senate Commerce Committee Markup Space Weather Research and Forecasting Act, 253 Russell, 10:00 am ET (one of several pieces of legislation to be considered)  Webcast
• Senate Appropriations Defense Sbcmte Hearing on FY2017 DOD Budget, 192 Dirksen, 10:30 am ET

Wednesday-Thursday, April 27-28

•  COMSTAC, NTSB Conference Center, 429 L’Enfant Plaza, SW, Washington DC

Thursday-Friday, April 28-29

• NOAA Science Advisory Board, Silver Spring Sheraton, 8777 Georgia Ave., Silver Spring, MD

Friday, April 29

• WSBR Luncheon Featuring CNES President Jean-Yves Le Gall, University Club, 1135 16th Street, NW, Washington, DC, 11:30 am – 1:30 pm ET