As the partial government shutdown hits the 20 day mark with no end in sight, SpaceX said today that it is assessing the impact on its commercial launches. SpaceX founder and CEO Elon Musk tweeted over the weekend that the first test launch of its Crew Dragon system was “about a month away,” a slip of several weeks. NASA confirmed today that the new date is targeted for “February.”
Russia’s space agency head, Dmitry Rogozin, is waiting for an official explanation for why NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine withdrew the invitation for him to visit the United States. In an interview with a Russian TV station today, he blamed it on NASA falling victim to a “struggle” between Congress and the Trump Administration, but said the incident has “left a nasty taste in our mouths.”
The leadership of the key Senate committees and subcommittees that oversee civil and commercial space policy and funding are taking shape. The Senate remains in Republican hands so there are fewer changes than in the House, but one committee — Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation — is getting both a new Chairman and a new Ranking Member.
Blue Origin’s Ariane Cornell spoke at AIAA’s SciTech Forum in San Diego today. During her remarks on a panel entitled “Exploration for Everyone” she provided updates on the company’s New Shepard, New Glenn, and Blue Moon projects.
Here are SpacePolicyOnline.com’s tidbits for January 8, 2019: Robert Lightfoot honored with 2019 Goddard Trophy; Barry Myers renomination for NOAA in the works? Be sure to check our website for feature stories and follow us on Twitter (@SpcPlcyOnline) for more news and live tweeting of events.
SpaceX’s uncrewed test flight of its Crew Dragon, Demo-1, will not take place until February according to the company’s founder and CEO Elon Musk. NASA initially announced a January 7 launch date, which slipped to January 17, but yesterday Musk tweeted that the flight was “About a month away.” He also warned that it will be “especially dangerous” since so much new hardware is involved.
Here are SpacePolicyOnline.com’s tidbits for January 7, 2019: Nick Cummings joins SpaceX, NASA extends comment period on draft Discovery AO, DigitalGlobe loses WorldView-4. Be sure to check our website for feature stories and follow us on Twitter (@SpcPlcyOnline) for more news and live tweeting of events.
Here is SpacePolicyOnline.com’s list of space policy events for the next TWO weeks, January 6-20, 2019, and any insight we can offer about them. The House and Senate will be in session most of this time.
NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine has rescinded the invitation to his Russian counterpart, Dmitry Rogozin, to visit the United States after an earlier statement that the trip would be “postponed.” The action comes in response to mounting congressional opposition to Rogozin being allowed to come to the United States in spite of the fact that he is under U.S. sanctions for his role in Russia’s 2014 annexation of Crimea.
NASA has postponed a visit from Dmitry Rogozin, head of Russia’s Roscosmos space state corporation, in response to growing congressional opposition. Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), the top Democrat on the Senate subcommittee that funds NASA, was the latest Senator to urge Bridenstine to rescind the invitation “before Congress is forced to take action.” Rogozin is under U.S. sanctions for his role in the annexation of Crimea in 2014 when he was a Russian Deputy Prime Minister.