NASA is not requiring SpaceX to demonstrate that its Starship Human Landing System can take off from the lunar surface before using it for the Artemis III mission and the test vehicle will be a “skeleton” of the actual lander. NASA selected SpaceX to build the lander for Artemis III  preceded by an uncrewed test flight, but the head of NASA’s HLS program said today the demo does not include liftoff. She also stressed that Starship is still in the design and development phase with many challenges ahead, not ready to go as some seem to believe.

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NASA confirmed tonight that the launch of Artemis I, the uncrewed test flight of the Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft, is on track for August 29, one week from today. A day-long Flight Readiness Review concluded that everything is as ready as it can be, but officials stressed this is a test flight and “is not without risk.”

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Here is SpacePolicyOnline.com’s list of space policy events for the week plus two days of August 21-29, 2022 and any insight we can offer about them. The House and Senate are in recess except for pro forma sessions.

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The head of NASA’s planetary science division is enthusiastically embracing most of the recommendations of the recent Decadal Survey from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. Praising the study overall, Lori Glaze nevertheless pointed out that the amount of money needed to execute the program is a lot more than what’s in NASA’s current plan and there are a few recommendations with which NASA does not concur.

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The Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft for the Artemis I mission is back at Launch Complex-39B at Kennedy Space Center, FL. The “stack” made the four mile trip back to the launch pad overnight for what NASA hopes is the last time as it continues to target August 29 for launch. No person will be aboard the rocket this time, but it carries a full load of dreams and aspirations, and a few science and technology experiments as well.

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A Russian spacewalk at the International Space Station today was forced to end early when one of the spacesuits experienced a drop in battery voltage. Cosmonaut Oleg Artemyev was ordered to return to the safety of the airlock immediately although Russian and U.S. officials insist he was in no danger. It is too early to tell when Russian spacewalks will resume. U.S. spacewalks already are suspended due to problems with NASA’s spacesuits.

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Here is SpacePolicyOnline.com’s list of space policy events for the week of August 14-20, 2022 and any insight we can offer about them. The House and Senate are in recess except for pro forma sessions.

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Vice President Kamala Harris said today the National Space Council is going to focus on updating rules for the commercial space industry to ensure it remains a world leader. The next Council meeting will take place in September to begin developing a new rules framework to ensure the clarity and consistency needed to attract investors.

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President Biden signed the 2022 NASA Authorization Act into law this morning, the first such act in five years. Incorporated into the CHIPS and Science Act, the bipartisan legislation supports NASA’s full suite of programs in aeronautics, human spaceflight, science, and technology. NASA Administrator Bill Nelson later enthused the bill gives NASA everything it needs, except appropriations, and he’s optimistic about that.

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Northrop Grumman announced today it is teaming with Firefly Aerospace to build an entirely domestic version of the Antares rocket. Right now Antares uses Russian RD-181 engines. In the aftermath of U.S. sanctions imposed after its invasion of Ukraine, Russia said it would no longer sell rocket engines to U.S. companies. Today’s deal means Northrop Grumman can continue to launch cargo to the International Space Station for NASA, although it reportedly will use a few SpaceX Falcon 9 rockets in the interim.

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