Current Issues
Space Commerce & Travel
China May Counter Starlink
Reporting from China (February 24) suggests that the country is preparing a near-earth satellite constellation, codenamed “GW” to counter the Starlink system ...
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Space Defense, Safety, & Security
US Policy on Anti-Satellite Testing
The United States committed (April 18, 2020) to no longer conduct direct-ascent anti-satellite (ASAT) missile testing, and asked that the international community also make a similar commitment. The Administration stated that such tests ...
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Unidentified Flying Objects/UAPs
Aerial Objects Task Force
The White House stated (February 13) that it is forming an interagency task force to "study the broader policy implications for detection, analysis and disposition ...
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Space Exploration & Research
China’s Moon Aspirations
China has reportedly approved a “Phase-4 lunar probe mission,” that would explore the Moon’s South Pole region and “build a basic structure of the International Lunar ...
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Research & Analysis
International Space Station Transition Report
NASA
This is a report to Congress (January 2022) detailing NASA's goals and operational plans for the International Space Station (ISS) from now until the ISS de-orbits and crashes into uninhabited ocean in the year 2031.
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Commercial Space Data
Federal Aviation Administration
This FAA website provides the latest commercial space data to include commercial launches, re-entries, and permitted future launches.
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Artemis: NASA’s Program to Return Humans to the Moon
Congressional Research Service (CRS)
This CRS report (October 2021) describes NASA's plan and program (Artemis) for returning humans to the moon.
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Look out below: What will happen to the space debris in orbit?
McKinsey & Company
This article (October 2021) summarizes the current status of space debris, policy considerations, and potential actions to mitigate risks.
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Space Law Treaties and Principles
United Nations
This website provides all current international treaties and principles associated with space and space related laws and activities. Negotiated long ago, the last set of principles were agreed to in 1996.
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The Future of Security in Space - A Thirty-Year US Strategy
The Atlantic Council
This article recommends a guiding space security framework for the United States to advance in the coming decades to meet national security needs, advance economic interests, and address the needs of humanity. Example action elements include updating the legal and regulatory framework governing space, creating a space security alliance, enhancing US investment in space technology, and emphasize cislunar space.
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Preliminary Assessment: Unidentified Aerial Phenomena
Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI)
This ODNI report (June 2021) provides a comprehensive assessment of "unidentified aerial phenomena" (UAP) covering data that crosses roughly a 17-year period (2004-2021). The report concludes that based on available data, UAPs largely cannot be explained and also that the Federal Government has no data to indicate "any UAP are part of a foreign collection program or indicative of a major technological advancement by a potential adversary."
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Key Federal Programs
Aeronautics [NASA]
This Year (FY 22)
Budget Proposal (FY 23)
Enacted (FY 23)
% Change
$880,700,000
$971,500,000
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---
Supplementals (FY 21-22)
$0
Space Technology [NASA]
This Year (FY 22)
Budget Proposal (FY 23)
Enacted (FY 23)
% Change
$1,100,000,000
$1,437,900,000
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---
Supplementals (FY 21-22)
$0
Exploration [NASA]
This Year (FY 22)
Budget Proposal (FY 23)
Enacted (FY 23)
% Change
$6,791,700,000
$7,478,300,000
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---
Supplementals (FY 21-22)
$0
Space Operations [NASA]
This Year (FY 22)
Budget Proposal (FY 23)
Enacted (FY 23)
% Change
$4,041,300,000
$4,266,300,000
---
---
Supplementals (FY 21-22)
$0
