Policy

A collection of 132 posts

Policy

Albania to Become 73rd Artemis Accords Signatory in Washington Ceremony

The Republic of Albania will sign the Artemis Accords during a ceremony at NASA Headquarters in Washington at 12 p.m. EDT on Monday, September 21, becoming the 73rd country to join the framework. The signing continues the steady expansion of the accords, which set out principles for civil space

Policy

Space Force to Field New Counter-Drone Systems at Cape Canaveral

Cape Canaveral Space Force Station will receive new defenses against small drones in the coming weeks, part of a broader government effort to protect the nation's spaceports. The move comes as the White House pushes for hundreds more launches per year and officials identify drone incursions as a

Defense

Joint Chiefs Chairman Names Cislunar Space as a Warfighting Domain

The chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff told a Washington conference that American forces must prepare for combat not only in Earth's orbit but around the moon. Gen. Dan Caine's remarks mark a sharp escalation in official rhetoric, coming days after the US acknowledged

Policy

China Warns of Space Arms Race After US Confirms Weapons in Orbit

China called on the United States to halt its military expansion in outer space after a senior Pentagon official acknowledged that Washington has weapons deployed in orbit. Beijing warned the disclosure could trigger a global arms race and undermine strategic stability. The Chinese response followed the strongest acknowledgement yet by

Policy

New Space Force Chief Warns Stopgap Budget Stalls 10 Percent of Programs

Roughly one in ten of the Space Force's programs cannot move forward under the continuing resolution now in effect, the service's new top uniformed official said. Gen. Douglas Schiess, sworn in as chief of space operations on Sept. 3, warned that the funding measure set to

Policy

State Department Launches Space Catalyst Partnership With Peru Satellite Internet Project

Secretary of State Marco Rubio unveiled the department's new flagship space diplomacy initiative, the Space Catalyst Partnership, during an official visit to Lima on September 10. The effort directs foreign-assistance dollars to support US space companies, with Peru serving as its first project. By creating new opportunities

Defense

New Space Force Chief Ties Guardians Directly to Combat in Operation Epic Fury

Gen. Douglas Schiess, in one of his first public appearances after swearing in as Chief of Space Operations, said Guardians played a critical role in U.S. operations against Iran, delivering electronic warfare effects to suppress enemy air defenses and communications. The remarks, made at the AFA Air, Space and

Defense

Air Force Secretary Confirms US Has On-Orbit Space Control Weapons

The U.S. Department of the Air Force has deployed on-orbit space control weapons capable of defending the joint force against hostile adversary action, Air Force Secretary Troy Meink announced Monday. The statement marks the most direct public acknowledgment by a U.S. official to date regarding space control

Policy

Chinese Tourist Charged Over Drone Flight Near Kennedy Space Center Launch Pads

A Chinese tourist faces two federal charges after flying a drone in restricted airspace above NASA's Kennedy Space Center, coming within 1.56 miles of the Artemis-based pad 39B. The device captured footage of launch pads 39A and 39B before KSC police seized it, according to a

Policy

EU Commission Seeks to Devote Half of 131-Billion-Euro Defense and Space Budget to Space

The European Commission wants space programs to receive 50 percent of its proposed seven-year military and space budget of 131 billion euros ($152.3 billion), Defence and Space Commissioner Andrius Kubilius said in Paris. The allocation would channel roughly 65 billion euros to space over the 2028 to 2034

Policy

NASA Opens State Competition to Host New U.S. Space Academy

NASA issued a Request for Information on September 10 inviting governors to indicate interest in hosting and sponsoring the new U.S. Space Academy proposed in President Trump's recent Executive Order. States have until 6:00 pm ET on Monday, October 26, to respond. The move turns site

Defense

Space Force Moves Toward New GPS Ground Control Program Months After OCX Cancellation

The U.S. Space Force appears ready to launch a new program to modernize the GPS ground command-and-control segment, less than six months after canceling the troubled Next-Generation Operational Control System, known as OCX. The effort would upgrade the ground infrastructure that operates the GPS satellite constellation.

Defense

Space Force Picks Lake Kickapoo, Texas, To Complete DARC Radar Triad

The U.S. Space Force has selected a remote location near Lake Kickapoo in northern Texas as the third and final site for its next-generation ground-based space domain awareness network. The choice completes a three-site global triad designed to track objects in deep space, including in geostationary

Policy

DOT Creates SPACE Task Force to Speed Commercial Launch Approvals

The US Department of Transportation has launched a new SPACE Task Force intended to make space launches faster and more cost-effective while keeping the United States ahead in commercial space. Coverage published September 9 framed the initiative as an effort to unleash commercial space innovation. The task force arrives

Defense

Canada Opens Direct Space Career Path for Enlisted Members

The Canadian Armed Forces created a new occupation this summer allowing non-commissioned members to enroll and build careers as space professionals from the outset, rather than transferring in from other trades. Brig. Gen. Chris Horner disclosed the move on a Sept. 4 episode of the CGAI Podcast Network'

Policy

Europe's Big Four Carriers Weigh Joint Bid for EU Satellite Spectrum

Deutsche Telekom, Orange, Telefonica and Vodafone are in talks to form a consortium to bid for EU mobile satellite spectrum for direct-to-device service. The joint effort positions Europe's largest mobile operators directly against Starlink in the contest for the region's satellite-to-phone spectrum.

Policy

NASA Solicits Industry to Build the Infrastructure for a Permanent Moon Base

NASA on September 8 issued a solicitation seeking proposals to advance the technology and infrastructure needed to establish a sustainable human presence at the lunar South Pole. The call targets fundamental capability gaps, including power generation, oxygen extraction, and producing construction materials on the Moon. The solicitation is aimed at

Policy

UK Unveils £7.8 Billion Space Strategy Centred on Defence and Satellite Communications

The UK government launched a new national space strategy on Tuesday, backed by a record £7.8 billion to 2030, that unites investment in growth, defence, and national security under a single plan. The strategy treats space as an increasingly important domain for national security and includes plans to design

Policy

Shots Fired at Brownsville Commissioner's Home Days After SpaceX Land Vote

Police in Brownsville, Texas, are investigating a shooting outside the home of a city commissioner early Saturday, September 5, an incident that followed rising political tensions over a controversial land deal with Elon Musk's SpaceX. No injuries were reported. Mayor John Cowen called the shooting "deeply troubling.

Policy

Pentagon to Deploy Nearly 50 Secure Facilities to Open Classified Space Work to Startups

The Pentagon unveiled a program called the Secure Space Network that will deploy close to 50 secure compartmented information facilities across the country. The initiative is designed to improve access to classified information for smaller businesses seeking to work with the military, lowering a barrier that has kept startups out

Policy

Four U.S. Space Firms Withdraw From Paris Summit After White House Warning

Four American space companies, including SpaceX and Blue Origin, have pulled out of an international space summit in Paris after the White House warned that attendance could be seen as endorsing European Union space policies. France's government confirmed the withdrawals on September 3, 2026, days before the event

Policy

NASA Opts for Simpler "Sortie Suit" to Speed Lunar Return

NASA has decided to field a stripped-down spacesuit for its first crewed missions to the lunar surface, moving to accelerate a program aimed at landing astronauts at the Moon's south pole as early as 2028. The agency announced the decision during an internal meeting this week, directing

Launch

SpaceX Files FCC Paperwork Pointing Starship Flight 14 to Orbit

SpaceX has asked the Federal Communications Commission for permission to fly Starlink terminals during Starship's fourteenth flight test, and the filing describes a mission built around an actual orbital insertion. It would be the first time the program has attempted to reach orbit, a threshold no Starship flight

Policy

Brownsville Approves 444-Acre Disannexation, $220 Million SpaceX Water Deal

The Brownsville City Commission voted to disannex 444.45 acres from city limits and sign a memorandum of understanding with SpaceX committing $220 million to expand regional water infrastructure. The decisions came after a six-hour special meeting held Saturday afternoon, with both agenda items approved simultaneously at SpaceX'

Defense

Pentagon Seeks Software-Only Encryption to Bridge Post-Quantum Transition

The Defense Department is asking industry for interim, software-only cryptographic solutions that require no hardware changes to protect military systems during its shift to post-quantum cryptography. A request for information released Thursday sets operational baselines for vendors and signals the Pentagon is executing on its campaign to prepare