On March 1, 2021, the Secretary of State determined pursuant to the Chemical and Biological Weapons Control and Warfare Elimination Act of 1991 that the Government of Russia used chemical weapons in violation of international law or lethal chemical weapons …

New Russian Sanctions Include Commercial Space Launch Activities Read more »

U.S. Secretary of Transportation Elaine L. Chao today announced the publication of the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) Streamlined Launch and Reentry Licensing Requirements Final Rule for commercial space transportation launches and reentries. “This historic, comprehensive update to commercial space launch …

U.S. Transportation Secretary Elaine L. Chao Announces Historic Commercial Space Transportation Reforms Read more »

The Commerce Department will host a public meeting on space export controls on Wednesday, April 17, 2019, from 1:00-2:30 p.m. in Washington, D.C. The meeting is being organized in cooperation with the Department of Transportation and NASA in support of …

DOC to Host Space Export Control Industry Day on April 17 (UPDATED) Read more »

Two days after a commercial cargo hauler exploded on its way to the International Space Station, another unrelated commercial spacecraft suffered a catastrophic failure, claiming the life of one test pilot and injuring another. Virgin Galactic’s first SpaceShipTwo vehicle, which was going through flight …

First Fatality for Commercial Human Spaceflight Read more »

U.S. Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker today announced that the Department’s Economic Development Administration (EDA) is awarding $1.2 million to the University of Texas at Brownsville. The EDA investment will help build a high-tech business incubation facility that will spur …

U.S. Department of Commerce Invests $1.2 Million to Support Innovation and the Development of a Space Industry Cluster in the Lower Rio Grande Valley of Texas Read more »

On November 21, President Obama signed an updated National Space Transportation Policy providing guidance to federal departments and agencies on the development and use of commercial and governmental space transportation systems. The goal of the policy is “assured access to …

President Issues New Space Transportation Policy Read more »

On September 29, 2013, the first Cygnus spacecraft berthed with the International Space Station (ISS), becoming the second new cargo delivery system to be demonstrated under NASA’s Commercial Orbital Transportation Services (COTS) program. It hauled about 1,300 pounds of supplies …

New Commercial Capsule Reaches International Space Station Read more »

Today, another SpaceX Dragon capsule delivered more cargo to the International Space Station. It was the first such delivery under NASA’s Commercial Resupply Services (CRS) program, bringing the Dragon out of demonstration mode and into operational status. Learn more at …

Space Station Delivery Service Enters Operational Phase Read more »