Policy - Outer Space Today (Page 2)

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A collection of 43 posts

Russia Deploys First Orbital GPS Jammer, Raising Specter of Space-Based Electronic Warfare

Russia Deploys First Orbital GPS Jammer, Raising Specter of Space-Based Electronic Warfare

Russia has deployed a space-based platform to jam GPS signals across Eastern Europe, marking the first confirmed use of an orbital asset to conduct large-scale navigation warfare. The interference, detected by multiple independent monitoring stations, affects both civilian and military receivers across several NATO member states and threatens

Amazon Wins FCC Deployment Waiver for Kuiper But Faces Spectrum Restrictions

Amazon Wins FCC Deployment Waiver for Kuiper But Faces Spectrum Restrictions

The FCC granted Amazon a 50 percent deployment waiver for its Kuiper satellite constellation on June 5, allowing the company until the end of July 2026 to launch half of its planned satellites. The relief comes with significant conditions tied to spectrum priority, meaning Amazon risks losing critical frequencies if

NASA's X-59 Breaks Sound Barrier in Bid to Remake Supersonic Flight Rules

NASA's X-59 Breaks Sound Barrier in Bid to Remake Supersonic Flight Rules

NASA's X-59 experimental aircraft crossed Mach 1.1 on June 5, marking the first supersonic flight of a jet specifically engineered to produce a quieter sonic boom. The milestone opens a critical testing phase that will determine whether the decades-old ban on overland supersonic flight can

Canada Commits $18.8 Billion to Military Space Capabilities in Strategic Pivot

Canada Commits $18.8 Billion to Military Space Capabilities in Strategic Pivot

Canada is reshaping its space defense posture with an $18.8 billion multi-year investment announced June 3, marking what military leadership describes as a fundamental shift in how the country approaches space as a contested operational domain. The announcement, delivered by Brigadier General Brendan Cook at the 41st Space

U.S. Spaceports Win Access to Tax-Exempt Municipal Bonds, Reshaping Launch Infrastructure Finance

U.S. Spaceports Win Access to Tax-Exempt Municipal Bonds, Reshaping Launch Infrastructure Finance

The United States has formally authorized spaceports to issue tax-exempt municipal bonds, the same financing tool that built the nation's airport and highway systems. The law, signed in June 2026, removes a critical barrier that has kept spaceport development dependent on speculative private capital and allows launch

House Democrats Propose Dismantling Two Space Force Acquisition Offices

House Democrats Propose Dismantling Two Space Force Acquisition Offices

House Armed Services Committee lawmakers have drafted language to eliminate the Space Development Agency and Space Rapid Capabilities Office as separate entities in the fiscal 2027 defense policy bill, folding their functions into broader Space Force organizations. The move would upend the two offices most directly responsible for delivering space

FAA Grounds SpaceX Starship After Super Heavy Booster Crashes During Landing

FAA Grounds SpaceX Starship After Super Heavy Booster Crashes During Landing

The Federal Aviation Administration ordered SpaceX to halt all Starship launches indefinitely after the company's upgraded V3 variant experienced a catastrophic booster failure during its May 22 test flight from Texas. The Super Heavy booster lost control during its landing sequence and crashed into the Gulf of Mexico,

SpaceX's Path to Public Markets Could Unlock European Space Investment

SpaceX's Path to Public Markets Could Unlock European Space Investment

European space companies are positioning themselves to benefit from SpaceX's expected initial public offering, viewing the milestone as a test case that could unlock billions in institutional investment across the continent's emerging commercial sector. Industry executives and investors gathered at the SmallSat Europe conference in Amsterdam

NASA Taps Blue Origin for First Moon Base Lander, Beating SpaceX to Inaugural Contract

NASA Taps Blue Origin for First Moon Base Lander, Beating SpaceX to Inaugural Contract

NASA awarded approximately $1 billion in lunar infrastructure contracts on May 26, selecting Blue Origin to deliver the first uncrewed cargo lander to the Moon's South Pole region. The decision marks a significant competitive win for Blue Origin over SpaceX and represents the initial hardware commitments for NASA&

China's Rising Debris Problem in High Orbit Threatens Long-Term Access to Space

China's Rising Debris Problem in High Orbit Threatens Long-Term Access to Space

China is depositing spent rocket stages into high Low Earth Orbit at an accelerating rate, creating a growing hazard that could persist for decades or centuries. The upper stages, left above 800 kilometers altitude, represent one of the most dangerous forms of space debris because of their mass and the

Pentagon Halts Commercial Satellite Imagery Sales Over Middle East War Zone

Pentagon Halts Commercial Satellite Imagery Sales Over Middle East War Zone

The U.S. Defense Department has directed all major domestic commercial satellite operators to cease selling high-resolution aerial imagery over Iran and the broader Middle East, enforcing what amounts to the first large-scale government blackout of the commercial satellite era. The restrictions, which took effect May 20, affect

China Poised to Break US Monopoly on Human Lunar Missions by 2027

China Poised to Break US Monopoly on Human Lunar Missions by 2027

NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman said Chinese taikonauts will "likely" conduct a crewed lunar flyby in 2027, ending the United States' five-decade monopoly as the only nation to send humans beyond low Earth orbit. The acknowledgment at the AIAA ASCEND conference signals that China is on track

NASA Accelerates Moon Base Timeline With Industry Partner Announcements

NASA Accelerates Moon Base Timeline With Industry Partner Announcements

NASA will unveil its strategy for establishing a sustained human presence on the lunar surface during a May 26 news conference at agency headquarters in Washington, marking the formal transition from Artemis exploration missions to permanent lunar infrastructure. The briefing will introduce new industry partners selected to develop critical systems

U.S. Space Industry Faces Critical Supply Chain Exposure to Chinese Manufacturing

U.S. Space Industry Faces Critical Supply Chain Exposure to Chinese Manufacturing

New research documents that American space manufacturers depend significantly on Chinese suppliers and Taiwanese semiconductor foundries, exposing the sector to geopolitical risk at a moment when Congress is intensifying scrutiny of industry ties to potential adversaries. The findings arrive as SpaceX prepares for a public offering and lawmakers question NASA&

Satellite Megaconstellations Are Conducting Unregulated Atmospheric Experiment, Scientists Warn

Satellite Megaconstellations Are Conducting Unregulated Atmospheric Experiment, Scientists Warn

Atmospheric scientists have issued a stark warning that satellite megaconstellations represent an "unregulated geoengineering experiment," introducing unprecedented quantities of metallic pollution into Earth's upper atmosphere without any regulatory framework to assess the consequences. The concern centers on the planned deployment of millions of satellites over the

U.S. Wireless Giants Form First-Ever Alliance to Counter Starlink Satellite Service

U.S. Wireless Giants Form First-Ever Alliance to Counter Starlink Satellite Service

AT&T, Verizon, and T-Mobile announced this week that they will jointly develop a coordinated response to SpaceX's direct-to-device satellite connectivity service. The unprecedented alliance marks the first time the three largest U.S. wireless carriers have formally partnered, signaling the depth of concern

NASA Adds Critical Test Mission to Artemis Program, Delays Lunar Landing

NASA Adds Critical Test Mission to Artemis Program, Delays Lunar Landing

NASA has inserted an uncrewed test mission into its Artemis sequence, now targeting late 2027, to validate rendezvous and docking procedures between the Orion spacecraft and commercial lunar landers before risking astronauts near the Moon. The space agency characterized the mission as "one of the most highly complex missions

Pentagon Wargame Simulates Nuclear Detonation in Orbit, Revealing Year-Long Casualty Zone

Pentagon Wargame Simulates Nuclear Detonation in Orbit, Revealing Year-Long Casualty Zone

The U.S. military has begun a new wargaming series centered on a worst-case scenario: a nuclear weapon detonating in low-Earth orbit. The exercise simulates the cascading effects of such an event, which Pentagon officials say would render portions of LEO unusable for up to a year through