NASA astronaut Nick Hague is back at Johnson Space Center and giving interviews with broadcast media on what it was like when his Soyuz rocket malfunctioned on the way to space.  He joked that he imagined his first spaceflight would be memorable, but “not quite this memorable.”  More seriously, he praised the robust Soyuz rocket design and the engineers that built it so he and cosmonaut Aleksey Ovchinin landed safely and are ready to fly again.

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Here are SpacePolicyOnline.com’s tidbits for October 15, 2018:  computer, space and science visionary Paul Allen dies; Nick Hague back in Houston; Harris and L3 announce merger.  Be sure to check our website for feature stories and follow us on Twitter (@SpcPlcyOnline) for more news and live tweeting of events.

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Here is SpacePolicyOnline.com’s list of space policy events for the week of October 14-20, 2018 and any insight we can offer about them.  The House and Senate are in recess (except for pro forma sessions) until after the mid-term elections.

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NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine told reporters in Moscow today that he “has no reason to believe” the next Soyuz launch will be delayed. His comment comes one day after the Soyuz MS-10 mission did not reach orbit because of a booster failure. Russian officials know what happened — the first and second stages of the Soyuz FG rocket collided after separation — but are still investigating why.

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Here are SpacePolicyOnline.com’s tidbits for October 12, 2018:  National Space Council to meet October 23;  Morhard confirmed as Deputy NASA Administrator; National Academies issues astrobiology science strategy.  Be sure to check our website for feature stories and follow us on Twitter (@SpcPlcyOnline) for more news and live tweeting of events.

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NASA astronaut Nick Hague and Roscosmos cosmonaut Aleksey Ovchinin were reunited with their families this morning (EDT) after returning to the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan by airplane following an aborted launch to the International Space Station (ISS).  Investigations into what went wrong are underway and there is no estimate yet for when the Soyuz FG rocket will be ready to fly again.  The three crew members already aboard ISS are fine and ready to remain there as long as needed.

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The launch of two new crew members to the International Space Station (ISS) did not go as planned this morning.  Their Soyuz FG rocket malfunctioned after an on-time launch from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan at 4:40 am Eastern Daylight Time (EDT).  Roscosmos cosmonaut Aleksey Ovchinin and NASA astronaut Nick Hague are OK after their Soyuz MS-10 spacecraft separated from the booster and made a ballistic landing east of the town of Dzhezkazgan (or Zhezkazgan or Jezkazgan), Kazakhstan.  They were rescued and flown back to Baikonur. 

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NASA’s Office of Inspector General (OIG) issued a stern assessment today of the management of the Space Launch System (SLS) program by NASA and SLS prime contractor Boeing.  The OIG concludes that Boeing will spend twice what was planned through 2021 for building two core stages and an upper stage while delivery of the first core stage has slipped 2.5 years already and may be further delayed.  It concludes NASA will be “unable” to launch the first SLS by June 2020, the end of its current projected launch window.  Poor performance by Boeing and program management by NASA are blamed. The report makes seven recommendations to NASA; the agency concurred with six of them.

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Here are SpacePolicyOnline.com’s tidbits for October 8, 2018:  Hubble trouble; IAF elects first woman president; University of Nebraska Space Law Network in action.  Be sure to check our website for feature stories and follow us on Twitter (@SpcPlcyOnline) for more news and live tweeting of events.

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SpaceX landed a Falcon 9 rocket back at Vandenberg Air Force Base (VAFB), CA for the first time this evening.  While the company’s launches and landings on the East Coast have become almost routine, this is the first time it attempted a landing at its Landing Zone 4 at VAFB.

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