Policy & Politics Archives - SpaceNews https://spacenews.com/section/policy-politics-archive/ Covering the business and politics of space Fri, 10 Apr 2026 12:10:24 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://spacenews.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/cropped-SN_forza_star-32x32.png Policy & Politics Archives - SpaceNews https://spacenews.com/section/policy-politics-archive/ 32 32 80681979 Commerce Department budget proposal revives concerns about TraCSS https://spacenews.com/commerce-department-budget-proposal-revives-concerns-about-tracss/ https://spacenews.com/commerce-department-budget-proposal-revives-concerns-about-tracss/#respond Fri, 10 Apr 2026 12:10:21 +0000 https://spacenews.com/?p=585662 The TraCSS logo. Credit: NOAA

A budget proposal for the Department of Commerce raises new doubts about the future of a civil space traffic management system under development there.

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Space security moves to forefront as threats to satellites spread https://spacenews.com/space-security-moves-to-forefront-as-threats-to-satellites-spread/ https://spacenews.com/space-security-moves-to-forefront-as-threats-to-satellites-spread/#respond Wed, 08 Apr 2026 10:00:00 +0000 https://spacenews.com/?p=584484 LEO objects including satellites, other spacecraft, and debris, tracked by LeoLabs. Credit: LeoLabs

Secure World Foundation report highlights growing reliance on orbiting systems and spread of interference technologies

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Isaacman defends NASA budget proposal despite steep cuts https://spacenews.com/isaacman-defends-nasa-budget-proposal-despite-steep-cuts/ https://spacenews.com/isaacman-defends-nasa-budget-proposal-despite-steep-cuts/#respond Sun, 05 Apr 2026 22:20:09 +0000 https://spacenews.com/?p=584156 Isaacman

NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman defended a fiscal year 2027 budget proposal that would cut the agency’s budget by nearly 25%.

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Space Force budget would more than double in Trump’s $1.5 trillion defense plan https://spacenews.com/space-force-budget-would-more-than-double-in-trumps-1-5-trillion-defense-plan/ https://spacenews.com/space-force-budget-would-more-than-double-in-trumps-1-5-trillion-defense-plan/#respond Sat, 04 Apr 2026 16:30:36 +0000 https://spacenews.com/?p=583997

$71 billion request for the U.S. Space Force for fiscal year 2027 includes more than $60 billion for procurement, research and development

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White House again proposes steep NASA budget cuts https://spacenews.com/white-house-again-proposes-steep-nasa-budget-cuts/ https://spacenews.com/white-house-again-proposes-steep-nasa-budget-cuts/#respond Fri, 03 Apr 2026 15:15:01 +0000 https://spacenews.com/?p=583737

For the second consecutive year, the White House is proposing a major budget cut for NASA that would significantly impact the agency’s science programs and the International Space Station.

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Europe’s space sector faces power shift as funding grows https://spacenews.com/europes-space-sector-faces-power-shift-as-funding-grows/ https://spacenews.com/europes-space-sector-faces-power-shift-as-funding-grows/#respond Tue, 31 Mar 2026 09:00:00 +0000 https://spacenews.com/?p=582553 A photo of Europe taken January 19, 2024, from aboard the International Space Station by a member of the Expedition 70 crew. Credit: NASA

New report from Aerospace Corp. highlights rising EU funding and defense focus

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ESA to decide by June on Europe’s Gateway contributions  https://spacenews.com/esa-to-decide-by-june-on-europes-gateway-contributions/ https://spacenews.com/esa-to-decide-by-june-on-europes-gateway-contributions/#respond Fri, 27 Mar 2026 18:55:53 +0000 https://spacenews.com/?p=582189 Josef Aschbacher speaks at the Munich Space Summit. Credit: ESA / Munich Space Summit

MUNICH — For more than a year, questions have swirled about Artemis changes and the Gateway’s role in U.S. lunar ambitions. Following NASA’s March 24 decision to halt work on […]

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Office of Space Commerce releases mission authorization proposal https://spacenews.com/office-of-space-commerce-releases-mission-authorization-proposal/ https://spacenews.com/office-of-space-commerce-releases-mission-authorization-proposal/#respond Wed, 25 Mar 2026 19:50:28 +0000 https://spacenews.com/?p=581697 Taylor Jordan

The Office of Space Commerce has rolled out its proposal for a “light touch” approach to mission authorization, the latest attempt in an effort to regulate new commercial space applications.

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Frontier justice: navigating the future legal landscape for private actors in space law https://spacenews.com/frontier-justice-navigating-the-future-legal-landscape-for-private-actors-in-space-law/ https://spacenews.com/frontier-justice-navigating-the-future-legal-landscape-for-private-actors-in-space-law/#respond Wed, 18 Mar 2026 13:00:00 +0000 https://spacenews.com/?p=579742 Lessons from the American West can help guide a legal framework for space exploration. Credit: NASA

At the dawn of the Space Age, then President-elect John F. Kennedy spoke to the American people of “a new frontier” of unknown opportunities and perils, unfulfilled hopes and unfilled […]

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NASA grappling with planetary science funding shortfall https://spacenews.com/nasa-grappling-with-planetary-science-funding-shortfall/ https://spacenews.com/nasa-grappling-with-planetary-science-funding-shortfall/#respond Wed, 18 Mar 2026 12:09:38 +0000 https://spacenews.com/?p=579860 MAVEN

NASA’s planetary science program, while spared steep cuts proposed last year, is still facing a funding shortfall that requires “strategic choices” about which missions to continue.

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Office of Space Commerce weighing options for TraCSS user fees https://spacenews.com/office-of-space-commerce-weighing-options-for-tracss-user-fees/ https://spacenews.com/office-of-space-commerce-weighing-options-for-tracss-user-fees/#respond Tue, 17 Mar 2026 20:48:46 +0000 https://spacenews.com/?p=579759 The TraCSS logo. Credit: NOAA

The Trump administration has not yet decided whether to charge for space safety data despite a change in space policy enabling the government to do so.

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OSTP taking on space policy coordination work in place of National Space Council https://spacenews.com/ostp-taking-on-space-policy-coordination-work-in-place-of-national-space-council/ https://spacenews.com/ostp-taking-on-space-policy-coordination-work-in-place-of-national-space-council/#respond Sun, 15 Mar 2026 16:04:52 +0000 https://spacenews.com/?p=579349 Vice President Kamala Harris convenes the third meeting of the National Space Council under the Biden administration on Dec. 20, 2023. Credit: NOAA

In the absence of the National Space Council, the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) has taken on a lead role in coordinating national space policy.

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Kazakhstan must choose: be Eurasia’s tech broker or become a pawn in the new global space race https://spacenews.com/kazakhstan-must-choose-be-eurasias-tech-broker-or-become-a-pawn-in-the-new-global-space-race/ https://spacenews.com/kazakhstan-must-choose-be-eurasias-tech-broker-or-become-a-pawn-in-the-new-global-space-race/#respond Fri, 13 Mar 2026 13:00:00 +0000 https://spacenews.com/?p=578942 A Soyuz rocket at the Baikonuir Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan being prepared for launch to the International Space Station/ Credit: NASA/Joel Kowsky

Kazakhstan is approaching a moment of strategic truth. It can either become Eurasia’s indispensable broker of space, AI and advanced technology solutions or risk being used as a pawn in […]

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Q&A: Rebecca Evernden on UK space strategy https://spacenews.com/qa-rebecca-evernden-on-uk-space-strategy/ https://spacenews.com/qa-rebecca-evernden-on-uk-space-strategy/#respond Fri, 13 Mar 2026 11:00:00 +0000 https://spacenews.com/?p=578538 Incoming UK Space Agency Director Rebeca Evernden speaks on the floor of the 2026 Space-Comm Expo in London. Credit: Screengrab of UK Space Agency promotional video

SpaceNews caught up with Rebecca Evernden, the recently appointed Director of the new UK Space Agency, at Space Comm Expo in London. This interview has been edited for brevity and […]

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Senate committee advances NASA deputy administrator nominee https://spacenews.com/senate-committee-advances-nasa-deputy-administrator-nominee/ https://spacenews.com/senate-committee-advances-nasa-deputy-administrator-nominee/#respond Fri, 13 Mar 2026 10:16:41 +0000 https://spacenews.com/?p=579074 Anderson

The Senate Commerce Committee voted March 12 to send the nomination of Matt Anderson as NASA deputy administrator to the full Senate.

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Suspended NOAA satellite chief warns of threats to federal science programs https://spacenews.com/suspended-noaa-satellite-chief-warns-of-threats-to-federal-science-programs/ https://spacenews.com/suspended-noaa-satellite-chief-warns-of-threats-to-federal-science-programs/#respond Tue, 10 Mar 2026 20:29:04 +0000 https://spacenews.com/?p=578545 Volz

The head of NOAA’s satellite division, on administrative leave for more than half a year, warned that workforce reductions and cuts to science programs have “lobotomized” the federal government.

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Chinese official calls for prioritizing Neptune orbiter mission https://spacenews.com/chinese-official-calls-for-prioritizing-neptune-orbiter-mission/ https://spacenews.com/chinese-official-calls-for-prioritizing-neptune-orbiter-mission/#respond Mon, 09 Mar 2026 11:28:40 +0000 https://spacenews.com/?p=578151

A senior Chinese space scientist and delegate to the country’s national congress is proposing the prioritization of an unprecedented orbiter mission to ice giant Neptune.

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China designates space sector an “emerging pillar industry,” sets deep space ambitions in new economic blueprint https://spacenews.com/china-designates-space-sector-an-emerging-pillar-industry-sets-deep-space-ambitions-in-new-economic-blueprint/ https://spacenews.com/china-designates-space-sector-an-emerging-pillar-industry-sets-deep-space-ambitions-in-new-economic-blueprint/#respond Fri, 06 Mar 2026 10:20:31 +0000 https://spacenews.com/?p=577800 China’s Lanyue crewed lunar lander undergoing a landing and ascent test at the extraterrestrial celestial body landing test facility in Huailai, Hebei Province, on August 6, 2025. The lander is suspended from a large steel tower structure and firing its thrusters, producing a yellow exhaust plume characteristic of hypergolic propellants.

China has designated aerospace to be an “emerging pillar industry” in a draft national economic plan, also setting major objectives for the five years ahead.

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NASA deputy administrator nominee sails through confirmation hearing https://spacenews.com/nasa-deputy-administrator-nominee-sails-through-confirmation-hearing/ https://spacenews.com/nasa-deputy-administrator-nominee-sails-through-confirmation-hearing/#respond Thu, 05 Mar 2026 23:14:15 +0000 https://spacenews.com/?p=577763 Anderson

The White House’s nominee to be deputy administrator of NASA received bipartisan support at a Senate confirmation hearing March 5.

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Senate committee advances NASA authorization bill that changes Artemis and extends ISS https://spacenews.com/senate-committee-advances-nasa-authorization-bill-that-changes-artemis-and-extends-iss/ https://spacenews.com/senate-committee-advances-nasa-authorization-bill-that-changes-artemis-and-extends-iss/#respond Thu, 05 Mar 2026 00:20:44 +0000 https://spacenews.com/?p=577544 SLS EUS

The Senate Commerce Committee advanced a revised NASA authorization bill that implements some of the changes to Artemis sought by the agency while also extending the life of the ISS

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House Science Committee leaders criticize FCC rulemaking on space safety https://spacenews.com/house-science-committee-leaders-criticize-fcc-rulemaking-on-space-safety/ https://spacenews.com/house-science-committee-leaders-criticize-fcc-rulemaking-on-space-safety/#respond Wed, 04 Mar 2026 00:32:34 +0000 https://spacenews.com/?p=577211 Babin

The leaders of the House Science Committee say the FCC is overstepping its authority with parts of a space licensing rulemaking.

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NASA work on several programs pending responses to White House executive order https://spacenews.com/nasa-work-on-several-programs-pending-responses-to-white-house-executive-order/ https://spacenews.com/nasa-work-on-several-programs-pending-responses-to-white-house-executive-order/#respond Mon, 16 Feb 2026 16:11:06 +0000 https://spacenews.com/?p=574041 ISaacman

NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman said he expects to provide details about several agency priorities, including lunar exploration and commercial space stations, in the coming weeks.

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Isaacman planning to meet with head of Roscosmos https://spacenews.com/isaacman-planning-to-meet-with-head-of-roscosmos/ https://spacenews.com/isaacman-planning-to-meet-with-head-of-roscosmos/#respond Mon, 16 Feb 2026 00:08:20 +0000 https://spacenews.com/?p=573915 Isaacman

NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman said he is interested in meeting with his Russian counterpart and attending an upcoming Soyuz launch.

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Senate committee advances FCC satellite licensing bill after changes https://spacenews.com/senate-committee-advances-fcc-satellite-licensing-bill-after-changes/ https://spacenews.com/senate-committee-advances-fcc-satellite-licensing-bill-after-changes/#respond Fri, 13 Feb 2026 20:56:47 +0000 https://spacenews.com/?p=573666 Illustration of satellite coverage for telecommunications services.

The Senate Commerce Committee approved a bill intended to streamline satellite licensing after revising provisions related to automatic approval of applications.

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