What's Happening in Space Policy May 2-6, 2016

Here is our list of space policy related events for the week of May 2-6, 2016.  The House and Senate are in recess this week.

During the Week

With Congress taking a week off from legislative business (while they are back in their States and districts), we have a chance to take a break from the intense activity of the past few weeks.  Not that there are no space policy events coming up, but it is much more manageable this week.

Senator Barbara Mikulski (D-MD) will tour the Mid Atlantic Regional Spaceport (MARS) facilities at NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility on Wallops Island, VA on Tuesday.  Orbital ATK launches its Antares rocket from Pad-01 at MARS, which is owned by the Virginia Commercial Space Flight Authority (VCSFA).   Mikulski will be joined by NASA Administrator Charlie Bolden and other officials from NASA, VCSFA, and Orbital ATK.  Mikulski represents Maryland, not Virginia, of course, but Wallops is close to the Maryland-Virginia border and many of the workers reside in Maryland.  The press release does not mention that any of it will be televised or webcast, unfortunately.  If we hear differently, we will add it to our calendar post.

Orbital ATK is getting ready for a hot fire test of its re-engined Antares rocket at MARS in preparation for the Antares return-to-flight this summer.  The last Antares launch ended in failure on October 28, 2014.  The company has changed engines — from old Russian NK-33s refurbished by Aerojet and redesignated AJ26 to new Russian RD-181s.   Orbital ATK will hold its quarterly investors conference call on Thursday morning where more information may be available about the timing of the hot fire test and the next launch.

Also on Thursday, the Secure World Foundation (SWF) will hold a panel discussion on “Asteroids, Mining, and Policy” with an impressive list of speakers.  Those events are not livestreamed, but SWF typically records them and posts them on their website later.  One of the speakers is Rep. Jim Bridenstine’s space staffer, Christopher Ingraham.  Bridenstine was one of the key Members of Congress in getting the Commercial Space Launch Competitiveness Act passed last year, with its asteroid property rights provisions.  Should be very interesting.  Be sure to RSVP by tomorrow (May 2) if you want to attend in person.

Those events are listed below.  Check back throughout the week for additional events we become aware of and add to our Events of Interest list.

Tuesday, May 3

• Mikulski, Bolden et al Tour MARS Facilities at Wallops, NASA Wallops Flight Facility, Wallops Island, VA

Thursday, May 5

• Orbital ATK Releases 1Q 2016 Financial Results, 9:00 am ET (webcast)
• Asteroids, Mining and Policy (Secure World Foundation), Carnegie Institute for International Peace, 1779 Massachusetts Ave., NW, Washington, DC, 12:00-2:00 pm ET (RSVP by May 2)