What's Happening in Space Policy May 1-6, 2017

Here is our list of space policy events for the week of May 1-6, 2017 and any insight we can offer about them.  The House and Senate are in session this week.

During the Week

SpaceX scrubbed its launch of a National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) satellite (NROL-76) at the last minute this morning.  They will try again tomorrow (Monday) morning at 7:00 am ET at NASA Kennedy Space Center’s Launch Complex 39-A.  Today’s problem was a “sensor issue” apparently in the first stage.  This is SpaceX’s first launch for NRO.  The nature of the satellite is classified, of course.  SpaceX provided a webcast today, so probably will tomorrow as well.

In Washington, it is STILL Groundhog Day.  Congress did not complete action on FY2017 appropriations last week.  Instead, it passed another extension of the Continuing Resolution (CR) that has been funding the government since October 1.  This is just a one-week extension, to this Friday, May 5.  They appeared to be fairly close to agreement at the end of last week after the White House backed away from its insistence that funding be included in the FY2017 bill for the border wall with Mexico, but Democrats continue to worry about “poison pill” provisions the Republicans may be planning.  No bill has been introduced yet, so the actual text is not available for perusal.  The House plans to be in recess on Friday (and all of the following week), so they have four days to work everything out — or pass another extension.  The President plans to send his complete FY2018 budget request to Congress on May 15 (he sent over a “blueprint” in March, but with few details), so it would be nice if they could finish FY2017 before then.

We still don’t know very much about what the President’s plans are for space.  In the meantime, the Aeronautics and Space Engineering Board (ASEB) and the Space Studies Board (SSB) of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine are holding a symposium on Tuesday to offer their views.  In 2009, ASEB and SSB published the report America’s Future in Space: Aligning the Civil Space Program with National Needs to provide advice to that new President, Barack Obama.  The study committee that wrote the report was chaired by Gen. Lester Lyles (Ret.) who went on to become chair of ASEB and now chairs the NASA Advisory Council.   He will recap the key points of his 2009 study as a lead in to Tuesday’s discussion on “America’s Future in Civil Space.”   Acting NASA Administrator Robert Lightfoot, other NASA officials, and distinguished members of the space science, engineering and policy communities will be there.  Registration for in-person attendance has closed because all the seats are taken, but the event will be webcast. 

ASEB itself is meeting tomorrow (Monday) and, among other things, will celebrate its 50th anniversary.  Happy Birthday, ASEB!  SSB will meet Wednesday and Thursday.  SSB’s committee performing the mid-term review of the planetary science Decadal Survey is meeting Thursday and Friday.   Some sessions of all of those meetings are closed, but many are open.

An interesting symposium will be held in one of the Senate meeting rooms tomorrow (Monday) morning on Ultra Low Cost Access to Space (ULCATS), a topic on which Air University recently published a report.   It features an impressive list of speakers, including Newt Gingrich and Bob Walker, representatives from Blue Origin, SpaceX, Stratolaunch, and United Launch Alliance, plus high ranking defense department officials and some of the authors of the report.  We’ve inquired as to whether there will be a livestream or archived audio- or video-cast and will add that information to our calendar item once we get an answer.

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

Monday, May 1

• Symposium on Ultra Low Cost Access to Space (ULCATS), 325 Russell Senate Office Building, Washington, DC,  8:30 am – 12:30 pm ET (pre-registration was required by April 28)
• National Academies Aeronautics and Space Engineering Board (ASEB), Keck Center, 500 5th St., NW, Washington, DC, open sessions 9:00 am – 2:50 pm ET

Tuesday, May 2

• America’s Future in Civil Space (ASEB/SSB), Keck Center, 500 5th St., NW, Washington, DC, 8:30 am – 5:30 pm ET, webcast
• U.S. Space Competitiveness (Aerospace Industries Association), 2325 Rayburn House Office Building, Washington, DC, 12:30-1:30 pm ET
• Space Transportation Association (STA) reception honoring NASA Langley Research Center’s 100th Anniversary, 2325 Rayburn House Office Building, 5:30-7:30 pm ET (invitation only, pre-registration required)

Tuesday-Wednesday, May 2-3

• 5th European Lunar Symposium, Münster, Germany

Wednesday, May 3

• Senate Appropriations Defense Subcommittee hearing on Review of Defense Innovation and Research, 192 Dirksen Senate Office Building, Washington, DC, 10:30 am ET (usually webcast)
• AIAA Aerospace Spotlight Awards Gala, Ronald Reagan Building, Washington, DC (time not specified, but probably 6:30 pm ET)

Wednesday-Thursday, May 3-4

• National Academies Space Studies Board (SSB), Keck Center, 500 5th St., NW, Washington, DC (some sessions are closed)

Thursday-Friday, May 4-5

• National Academies Planetary Science Decadal Survey Mid-Term Assessment Committee, Keck Center, 500 5th St., NW, Washington, DC
• New Views of the Moon 2 (in conjunction with the 5th European Lunar Symposium), Münster, Germany

Friday-Saturday, May 5-6

• McGill University’s 5th Manfred Lachs Space Governance Conference, Best Western Ville-Marie, 3407 Peel Street, Montreal, Canada