The Space and Aeronautics Subcommittee of the House, Science, Space, and Technology Committee held a hearing on September 10, 2024 on “Risks and Rewards: Encouraging Commercial Space Innovation While Maintaining Public Safety.”

Witnesses were:

• Kelvin Coleman, FAA Associate Administrator for Commercial Space Transportation
• David Cavossa, President, Commercial Spaceflight Federation
• Mike French, Founder, Space Policy Group, and Vice Chair, FAA Commercial Space Transportation Advisory Committee
• Pamela Meredith, Chair, Space Law Practice, KMA Zuckert, LLC

SpacePolicyOnline.com published a summary of the hearing on September 11:  SpaceX Complains of Starship Licensing Delay as House Committee Questions FAA Regs.

The Commerce-Justice-Science (CJS) subcommittee of the House Appropriations Committee held a hearing on NASA’s FY2025 budget request on April 17, 2024.  NASA Administrator Bill Nelson was the sole witness.

SpacePolicyOnline.com published a summary of the hearing on April 17, 2024: Nelson Defends Tough Choices in FY2025 Budget Request.

The Space and Aeronautics Subcommittee of the House Science, Space, and Technology (SS&T) Committee held a hearing on NASA’s science programs on March 21, 2024.

Congress cut NASA’s FY2024 budget not only below the President’s request, but below its FY2023 level. The science budget was hit particularly hard, especially planetary science. At the same time, NASA is assessing the future of the Mars Sample Return misson following an independent review plus a report from the NASA Inspector General’s office questioning its cost and whether it needs to be completely revamped.

Witnesses were:

• Nicola (Nicky) Fox, NASA Associate Administrator for the Science Mission Directorate
• George Scott, Acting NASA Inspector General
• Jonathan Lunine, David C. Duncan Professor in the Physical Sciences, Cornell University
• A. Thomas (Tom) Young, Former Director, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center and Former President and COO of Martin Marietta Corp.

SpacePolicyOnline.com published a summary of the hearing on March 21, 2024: Mars Sample Return Dominates House Hearing on NASA Science.

The Space and Aeronautics Subcommittee of the House Science, Space, and Technology Committee held a hearing on February 14, 2024 on “ISS and Beyond: The Present and Future of American Low-Earth Orbit Activities.”

Witnesses were:

• Ken Bowersox, NASA Associate Administrator for Space Operations
• Mary Lynne Dittmar, Chief Government and External Relations Officer, Axiom Space
• Robert Ferl, Co-Chair, Committee on Biological and Physical Sciences in Space, National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, and Distinguished Professor and Assistant Vice President for Research, University of Florida
• Dylan Taylor, Chairman and CEO, Voyager Space

SpacePolicyOnline.com published a summary of the hearing on Februray 14, 2024: Transitioning from ISS to Commercial Space Stations: Plenty of Questions, But Few Answers.

The Space and Aeronautics Subcommittee of the House Science, Space, and Technology Committee held a hearing on NASA’s Artemis program on January 17, 2024.  The hearing came a week after NASA announced one-year delays for the next two Artemis missions, the Artemis II crew test flight around the Moon and the Artemis III mission that will put astronauts back on the lunar surface for the first time since Apollo. They now are planned for 2025 and 2026.

Witnesses were:

• Catherine Koerner, NASA Associate Administrator for Exploration Systems Development
• William Russell, Government Accountability Office (GAO)
• George Scott, Acting NASA Inspector General
• Mike Griffin, Co-President, LogiQ Inc., and former NASA Administrator

SpacePolicyOnline.com published a summary of the hearing on January 17, 2024: Artemis Gets Strong Support From House Committee Members, But Not Mike Griffin.

The Space and Science Subcommittee of the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee held a hearing on December 13, 2023 on “Government Promotion of Safety and Innovation in the New Space Economy.”  The four witnesses were all from the government as compared with an October hearing with private sector representatives.

The witnesses at this hearing were:

• Pam Melroy, Deputy Administrator, NASA
• Kelvin Coleman, FAA Associate Administrator for Commercial Space Transportation
• Richard DalBello, Director, Office of Space Commerce, NOAA
• John Hill, DOD Deputy Assistant Secretary for Space and Missile Defense

SpacePolicyOnline.com published a summary of the hearing on December 13: Senators Skeptical of White House Mission Authorization Proposal.

The House Science, Space, and Technology (SS&T) Committee marked up the Commercial Space Act (H.R. 6131) in November 2023.

The markup began on November 15, but final votes were deferred until November 29. Less than an hour before the November 15 markup, the White House National Space Council released its proposal for how to regulate new types of space activities — often referred to as “mission authorization.”

SpacePolicyOnline.com published a summary of the November 15 and the November 29 markups.

• White House Reveals Its Mission Authorization Plan for Novel Space Activities
• House Committee Clears Commercial Space Bill on Partisan, But Friendly, Vote

The Space and Science Subcommittee of the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee held a hearing on October 18, 2023 to discuss the future of commercial human spaceflight regulation.

Industry and other private sector witnesses argued that Congress should extend the “learning period” now in effect that prevents the FAA from promulgating new regulations while the industry is still in its early stages.  SpaceX’s Bill Gerstenmaier also emphasized that current regulations are slowing the development of SpaceX’s Starship system. They are awaiting a license from the FAA to conduct their second test flight, but the process is slow especially because agencies other than the FAA, like the Fish and Wildlife Service, are also involved because of environmental regulations.

SpacePolicyOnline.com published a summary of the hearing on October 18, 2023: SpaceX Warns Government Regulations Slowing Starship, Could Let China Get Ahead.

The House Armed Services Committee held a hearing on September 28, 2023 on President Biden’s decision to keep U.S. Space Command in Colorado instead of moving it to Alabama as promised by then-President Trump. HASC chairman Mike Rogers (R-AL) and other members of the Alabama congressional delegation argue that Biden’s decision was politically motivated, the same charge the Colorado delegation made two years ago when Trump decided to put it in Alabama.

Witnesses were Secretary of the Air Force Frank Kendall, Commander of U.S. Space Command Gen. James Dickinson, and U.S. Space Force Chief of Space Operations Gen. B. Chance Saltzman.

SpacePolicyOnline.com published a summary of the hearing on September 28, 2023: Rogers Demands Air Force IG Investigation of USSPACECOM HQ Decision.

The Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee held a hearing on NASA’s FY2024 budget request on May 16, 2023. NASA Administrator Bill Nelson was the sole witness, completing his appearances before the four congressional committees that oversee/fund NASA to discuss the FY2024 request.

NASA is often cited as one of the few agencies that enjoys broad bipartisan support in Congress, but the two top Republicans who oversee NASA on the committee — Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX), Ranking Member of the full committee and Sen. Eric Schmitt (R-MO), Ranking Member of the Space and Science Subcommittee — argued that the Biden Administration is politicizing NASA. They object to a proposed regulation under which NASA, DOD and the General Services Administration would have to require contractors to disclose their greenhouse gas emissions, and to NASA spending money on diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives. Nelson pushed back, saying that NASA is managed in a non-partisan way.

SpacePolicyOnline.com published a summary of the hearing on May 16, 2023: Senate Republicans Claim Biden Administration Politicizing NASA with Diversity, Climate Initiatives.