November 26, 2018

Defense Budget Cuts Could Impact Space Strategy (Source: Space News)
Projected defense spending cuts raise questions about how the Pentagon will carry out its space strategy. The White House has directed the Pentagon to lower its requested overall budget for fiscal year 2020 from $733 billion to $700 billion. Deputy Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan said that some key efforts, like space, will be shielded from the effects of budget cuts, but it raises questions about how the Pentagon will save money elsewhere and how Congress will respond next year. Experts said those cuts could affect plans for a separate Space Force as well as new space-based missile defense programs. (11/26)

FCC Application Reveals SpaceX Plans at Texas Launch Site (Source: Space News)
An FCC license application has offered new insights into plans by SpaceX to test its next-generation launch vehicle. The application for an experimental communications license, filed by SpaceX with the FCC last week, discussed plans to test an unnamed vertical takeoff, vertical landing vehicle at its South Texas launch site under development. The tests would involve a mix of low-altitude tests, flying to no more than 500 meters before landing, and high-altitude tests, where it would go to as high as 5,000 meters. SpaceX is also seeking an experimental permit from the FAA's Office of Commercial Space Transportation for the flights. The application doesn't name the vehicle, but SpaceX previously said it plans to perform "hop" tests of what it now calls Starship at its Texas site starting late next year. (11/26)

Report Recommends New Approach for FAA Launch Licensing (Source: Space News)
A report recommends that the FAA adopt a streamlined approach to launch licensing. The report by APT Research Inc. suggests the government could attain the same level of public safety it achieves today through hundreds of pages of federal regulations by auditing a company's own safety program. That concept puts the onus on the applicant to prove their planned operations offer the same level of public safety as the prescriptive approach. The FAA is currently working on proposed rules for streamlining launch regulations, with a Feb. 1 deadline for publishing that draft set by Space Policy Directive 2. (11/26)

New Leadership at ArianeGroup (Source: ArianeGroup)
ArianeGroup will have a new chief executive officer come January. Andre-Hubert Roussel, 53, will succeed Alain Charmeau, 62, effective Jan. 1, the company said Monday. Roussel, the head of operations at Airbus Defense and Space, joined the ArianeGroup board in July. Charmeau is expected to serve until March 31 as a special adviser to the new CEO of ArianeGroup, the Airbus-Safran joint venture that builds Europe's Ariane 5 and Ariane 6 rockets. (11/26)

Maine Considers Spaceport (Source: AP)
Maine is the latest state to show an interest in developing a spaceport. The concept under study by the Maine Technology Institute and the Maine Space Grant Consortium would turn the former Loring Air Force Base into a launch site, with mission control across the state at the former Brunswick Naval Air Station. The facilities would focus on launches of small vehicles, and ongoing studies will examine the feasibility of such a spaceport and the market for it. "It does sound crazy, but why not?" asked Terry Shehata of the Maine Space Grant Consortium. "Why not see if people can get excited about investing in a new space economy that would be the tide that raises all boats?" (11/26)

There Are No Russians There… (Source: Space Review)
Russian plans for a series of lunar missions, including sample return, have faced delays, even as other countries press ahead with their own lunar ambitions. Dwayne Day describes how this is a sign of the implosion of the Russian planetary exploration program. Click here. (11/26) 
 
Small Steps for Space Settlement (Source: Space Review)
Advances in space transportation have given some space advocates renewed hope about the prospect of permanent space settlements. Jeff Foust reports on a recent meeting that eagerly tackled the technical issues while offering fewer insights on the economics or rationales for living in space. Click here. (11/26)
 
Mars: A Case Study in Space Law (Source: Space Review)
The second season of the television series Mars pits scientists against private interests on the Red Planet. Dennis O’Brien says the new series offers an opportunity to examine issues in space law raised by that clash. Click here. (11/26)