This Week in Washington

• Chile and the Republic of Cyprus have officially joined the Artemis Accords as the 46th and 47th signatories
• The government of Thailand has approved the country’s participation in the Artemis Accords.
• NASA has released its “NASA Economic Impact Study 2023,” estimating the agency’s annual economic output at $75.6 billion.

United States Space Policy Updates

• The?Department of Defense (DOD)?has released “DOD Directive 3100.10,” introducing, for the first time, a section outlining the specific responsibilities of the Chief of Space Operations (CSO) for the U.S. Space Force (USSF).?(DOD , October 18)
• The USSF is refining the?Commercial Augmentation Space Reserve (CASR)?initiative based on industry feedback, having reviewed over 80 submissions from companies following a recent request for information (RFI).?(SpaceNews , October 22)
• NASA?officials reported that the agency has received 12 studies on the?Mars Sample Return (MSR)?architecture and expects to have an updated MSR plan by the end of the year.?(SpaceNews , October 22)
• The Aerospace Corporation’s?Center for Space Policy and Strategy (CSPS) has published a compendium titled “Space Agenda 2025,” which examines 20 key space policy issues, including resilient strategic supply chains, space deterrence, and the advancement of innovation.?(CSPS , October 24)
• NASA?has released its “NASA Economic Impact Study 2023,” estimating the agency’s annual economic output at $75.6 billion, with the Moon to Mars program contributing approximately $23.8 billion annually. (NASA , October 24)
• NASA announced that?Mike Kincaid, Associate Administrator for the Office of STEM Engagement (OSTEM), and?Alexander MacDonald, the agency’s Chief Economist, will retire on November 30 and December 31, respectively. Kris Brown will assume the role of Acting Associate Administrator for OSTEM, while Dr. Akhil Rao will serve as Acting Chief Economist. (NASA , October 28)
• Sen. Jerry Moran (R-KS), Ranking Member of the Senate Commerce Subcommittee on Aviation Safety, Operations, and Innovation, sent a letter to Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Administrator Michael Whitaker, emphasizing the need for reform of Part 450 Launch and Reentry Regulations and requesting a response by November 8. (Payload , October 29)
• The?Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA)?and?Space Systems Command (SSC)?have raised the funding ceiling for the Proliferated Low Earth Orbit (PLEO) Satellite-Based Services program from $900 million to $13 billion.?(SpaceNews , October 29)
• The?USSF?is requesting new proposals to compete for the?National Security Space Launch (NSSL)?Phase 3 Lane 1 program. Proposals are due December 13. (SAM.gov , October 30)
• Six members of the Massachusetts congressional delegation, led by?Sen. Elizabeth Warren?(D-MA), sent a letter to Patrick Slane, Director of the Chandra X-ray Center, requesting information about the operations of the?Chandra X-ray?space telescope and the potential impacts of NASA budget cuts on its functionality. (SpaceNews , October 30)

International Space Policy Updates

• China?announced the?National Space Science Medium- and Long-Term Development Plan (2024-2050), outlining three phases of space exploration that includes a newly proposed Venus atmosphere sample return mission. (SpaceNews , October 22)
• P. Veeramuthuvel?of the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) announced that the Chandrayaan-4 mission plans to return lunar samples from the Moon’s south pole.?(SpaceNews , October 23)
• NASA Administrator Bill Nelson?stated that the U.S. and China are in discussions regarding a potential loan agreement for Chang’e-5 samples for U.S. scientists, and he is optimistic that the talks will conclude “positively.”?(Reuters , October 23)
• A delegation of U.S. government and commercial space actors engaged in a dialogue with?Omani?counterparts to explore potential avenues of collaboration. (Muscat Daily , October 23)
• During a meeting with?Casey Swails, Deputy Associate Administrator of NASA,?Lt. Gen. HH Shaikh Nasser bin Hamad Al Khalifa?highlighted the importance of cooperation with the agency and emphasized Bahrain’s commitment to advancing its space sector.?(Bahrain News Agency , October 24)
• Josef Aschbacher, Director General of the?European Space Agency (ESA), announced plans to increase contract down payments and the speed of payments to support cash flow within the space sector. (Reuters , October 24)
• In the largest USSF Foreign Military Sales agreement, the USSF and the?Canadian Armed Forces?agreed to a $126.2 million six-year contract, allowing Canada to have international interoperability with?the Mobile User Objective System Satellite System (MUOS). (USSF , October 25)
• The?Republic of Cyprus?and?Chile?have joined the Artemis Accords as the 46th and 47th signatories.?(DOS , October 23 &?NASA , October 25)
• During a?United Nations (UN) General Assembly Fourth Committee?meeting, delegates noted the critical role of space in improving disaster response, healthcare, and education, while also highlighting the importance of inclusivity for women in the space sector. (UN , October 29)
• The Cabinet of?Thailand?approved the country’s participation in?the?Artemis Accords?and designated the Geo-Informatics and Space Technology Development Agency (GISTDA) as the central agency for the government’s space activity.?If finalized, Thailand would become the first country to participate in the International Lunar Research Station (ILRS) and sign onto the Artemis Accords.?(The Nation Thailand , October 29)

Space Industry Updates

• Leidos?was awarded a $331 million contract to enhance the?U.S. Army’s Global Unified Network, advancing communication capabilities.?(Leidos , October 21)
• The?Defense Innovation Unit (DIU)?awarded a contract with a ceiling of $44 million to?Astra?supporting the development of Rocket 4, a tactically responsive launch system. (Astra , October 23)
• The?Government Accountability Office (GAO)?rejected?Inmarsat’s?challenge of the USSF’s award of the Complex Commercial Satellite Communications Solutions (CS3) contract to Global Enterprise Solutions, reaffirming Inmarsat’s proposal as technically unacceptable.?(GAO , October 23)
• 19 space companies were selected by the?Space Development Agency (SDA)?to participate in the Hybrid Acquisition for Proliferated Low Earth Orbit (HALO) pool, competing for future demonstration prototype orders (SDA , October 23)
• The?DOD?approved a $1.79 billion contract modification for?Northrop Grumman, increasing the total value of the Phase 2 Next Generation Overhead Persistent Infrared Polar (Next-Gen OPIR) program contract to over $4.15 billion.?(DOD , October 23)
• SSC?awarded?Millennium Space Systems?a fixed-price contract worth $386 million for six additional satellites to enhance missile tracking and detection capabilities for the Epoch 1 program in medium Earth orbit (MEO). (SSC , October 23)
• Ken Venner, former executive at Sierra Space, joined?Hermeus?as Chief Operating Officer. (Hermeus , October 24)
• According to reporting,?Boeing?is considering the sale of portions of its space portfolio.?(Reuters , October 25)
• Lockheed Martin?completed its acquisition of?Terran Orbital. (Lockheed Martin , October 30)
• Maxar Intelligence?announced the appointments of Matt Santangelo as Chief Financial Officer and Matt Jenkins as Chief Space Systems Officer, along with Peter Wilczynski, who joined the company as Chief Product Officer in June.?(Maxar , October 30)
• The?National Reconnaissance Office (NRO)?awarded Broad Agency Announcements (BAA) contracts for Agile Launch Innovation and Strategic Technology Advancement (BALISTA) to Impulse Space, Cognitive Space, and Starfish Space. (NRO , October 30)

Space Leader Spotlight

Dr. Chris Scolese

This week’s space leader is?Dr. Chris Scolese , Director of the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO). Assuming his position in August 2019, Dr. Scolese was the first to be appointed by the President and confirmed by the Senate to this position. He is responsible for overseeing the NRO and implementing directives from the Secretary of Defense and the Director of National Intelligence. ?

Before assuming leadership of the NRO, Dr. Scolese was the Director of the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center for seven years. He began his career at NASA in 1987 and held various senior management roles at Goddard, including Systems Manager for the Earth Observing System (EOS) and Project Manager for EOS Terra. He also served as Deputy Director of Flight Programs and Projects for Earth Science.?

From 2005 to 2012, Dr. Scolese held multiple key positions at NASA, including Deputy Director of the Goddard Space Flight Center and Chief Engineer, as well as Acting Administrator and Associate Administrator at NASA Headquarters. In these capacities, he was responsible for overseeing the design and execution of the civil space program and integrating technical efforts. ?

In 1978, Dr. Scolese earned a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering from the University at Buffalo and subsequently joined the U.S. Navy as an Officer, where he supported the Department of Energy and Naval Nuclear Propulsion Programs. He later obtained a Master of Science in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science in 1984. In 2015, the University at Buffalo awarded him an honorary PhD in Science, and the following year, he graduated from George?Washington?University with a PhD in Systems Engineering.??

Reading Corner

U.S. Space Force?|?Chief of Space Operations Leadership Library ?

General B. Chance Saltzman, Chief Space Officer of the U.S. Space Force, has released a reading list featuring ten books that encompass a range of topics, including psychology, decision-making, and significant historical events. He emphasizes the value of engaging with diverse genres to enhance critical and abstract thinking skills, which are crucial for effective leadership and innovation in the space sector.??

Questions or Comments for the Space Foundation Team??Contact Us?

Written by?Molly Prochaska, ?Chantal Li , and?Amanda Nguyen.

Image credits: NRO and USSF

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