NASA’s Aerospace Safety Advisory Panel (ASAP) said today the International Space Station has entered its “riskiest period” as the root cause of persistent air leaks in the Russian segment remains elusive. To assure there is no gap in the U.S. ability to conduct research in low Earth orbit, they stress NASA must move forward expeditiously to facilitate commercial space stations to replace the ISS by the end of this decade. They are upbeat about the Artemis lunar program, though, seeing “no showstoppers” for the Artemis II launch a year from now, although there is a lot of work to go for Artemis III.

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The release of a report by the DOD Inspector General today likely is a prelude to a decision to move the headquarters of U.S. Space Command from Colorado Springs to Huntsville, AL. Rep. Mike Rogers (R-AL), chairman of the House Armed Services Committee (HASC), has led a bitter four-year battle pitting the two states against each other on a bipartisan basis. President Trump chose Alabama days before leaving office in 2021, but President Biden overturned it in 2023, keeping it in Colorado. Rogers vowed to get the original decision restored once Trump returned to the White House.

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Six women flew to space today on Blue Origin’s New Shepard-31 mission, spending about 4 minutes in weightlessness looking down at the Earth from above the Kármán Line. The celebrity-filled flight included CBS journalist Gayle King who openly shared her fears before the flight, but was ecstatic afterwards. She and the others praised Blue Origin’s training and teamwork and their own sisterhood for what many of them described as a life-changing experience.

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Here is SpacePolicyOnline.com’s list of space policy events for the week of April 13-19, 2025 and any insight we can offer about them. The House and Senate are in recess for two weeks, except for pro forma sessions.

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Just two days ago, NASA Administrator-nominee Jared Isaacman spoke glowingly about Trump Administration plans for a “Golden Age of Science & Discovery” at the agency. Yesterday, however, the Office of Management and Budget sent NASA details on what the White House plans to request for FY2026 reportedly showing a 50 percent cut to the science budget as part of an overall 20 percent cut to the agency’s top-line.

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At his confirmation hearing today, NASA Administrator nominee Jared Isaacman told Senators that returning astronauts to the Moon and sending them to Mars is not an either/or choice. The two can proceed on parallel tracks along with science programs, operating the International Space Station and building a commercial economy in low Earth orbit, all with NASA’s current budget. He was evasive in answering questions about Elon Musk’s role in getting him the nomination, however, but directly responded “no” when asked if he has been communicating with Musk since President Trump formally nominated him.

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Jared Isaacman will introduce himself as an entrepreneur, pilot, astronaut, and science advocate at his confirmation hearing tomorrow morning. President Trump’s choice to be the next NASA Administrator, Isaacman acknowledges he’s not well known, nor a typical nominee for the job, but has a robust vision for the nation’s future in space.

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The Soyuz MS-27 crew arrived at the International Space Station this morning to replace Soyuz MS-26, continuing the 24-year pattern of maintaining permanent human presence through regular crew rotations. Soyuz MS-26 and Soyuz MS-27 are each composed of two Russian cosmonauts and an American astronaut highlighting the international character of the U.S.-Russian-Canadian-Japanese-European outpost in Earth orbit.

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The chairman of the Senate committee that will vote on whether to advance Jared Isaacman’s nomination to be NASA Administrator said today that Isaacman is committed to landing astronauts on the Moon before going to Mars. Questions are swirling about whether the Trump Administration still sees the Moon as a steppingstone to Mars or if they want to abandon the Moon in favor of a singular focus on Mars, the passion of President Trump’s close advisor Elon Musk.

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Here is SpacePolicyOnline.com’s list of space policy events for the week of April 6-12, 2025 and any insight we can offer about them. The House and Senate are in session this week.

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