Despite the Thanksgiving holiday, it’s been a busy couple of weeks in space. As we head into 2025’s homestretch, all Speaker Johnson wants for Christmas is final NDAA language, several members want NDAA language to put...more
The longest government shutdown in U.S. history is behind us, and Congress is leaning hard into its NASA and Department of Defense (also referred to as the Department of War) oversight roles. Jared Isaacman is once again the...more
As the U.S. government shutdown continues to drag on, you could be forgiven for thinking work on domestic space policy hasn’t slowed. The FCC launched a proposal to streamline the satellite licensing process, DoD is looking...more
As the U.S. government shutdown approaches its third week, Republicans look for defense and space funding as a lever to break the impasse, and defense budgets on both sides of the Atlantic are already reshaping the commercial...more
Beyond Washington budget headlines, DoD, BIS and DHS all introduced measures that will likely have a significant impact on the commercial space industry; space leaders from around the world convened in Australia for the...more
10/6/2025
/ Aerospace ,
Australia ,
Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) ,
China ,
Department of Defense (DOD) ,
Department of Homeland Security (DHS) ,
EU ,
Export Controls ,
Italy ,
National Security ,
Outer Space
On September 24, 2025, DoD announced CSRMC, a new framework to replace the long-standing RMF as DoD’s primary set of guidelines for protecting its systems and networks against cyber threats. The RMF, in place since 2014,...more
Good Afternoon! No bucks. No Buck Rogers. The latest FY2026 bill from the House Appropriations Committee preserves NASA’s budget at current levels, and Reps. Bacon and Chu urged House appropriators to protect NASA funding in...more
9/22/2025
/ Aerospace ,
Appropriations Bill ,
Biden Administration ,
Congressional Committees ,
Continuing Resolution ,
Federal Budget ,
Federal Funding ,
Government Agencies ,
NASA ,
Policy Updates ,
Public Policy
The Department of Defense (DoD) recently published in the Federal Register its long-awaited final rule (the Rule) amending the Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement (DFARS) to formally implement the Cybersecurity...more
Good Afternoon! The past couple of weeks felt a little like U.S. space policy stepped back to 1969. Sen. Ted Cruz channeled John Fogerty to warn about the space race with China and appeared to lean into U.S. government-owned...more
9/8/2025
/ Aerospace ,
China ,
Defense Sector ,
Department of Defense (DOD) ,
Executive Orders ,
Foreign Policy ,
Government Agencies ,
NASA ,
National Security ,
Outer Space ,
Policy Updates ,
Regulatory Reform ,
Trump Administration ,
United States
Good Afternoon! The business of space got a boost on August 13 when the Trump Administration published its EO intended to revamp commercial space regulations. The Administration and Congress continue to square off about...more
8/25/2025
/ Aerospace ,
China ,
Commercial Use ,
Executive Orders ,
Government Agencies ,
Mexico ,
National Security ,
New Regulations ,
Outer Space ,
Regulatory Reform ,
Trump Administration
Good Afternoon! The past couple of weeks in space policy news have been dominated by defense headlines. In the U.S., a “czar” was appointed to oversee the Golden Dome project and the Pentagon began looking into alternative...more
8/11/2025
/ Aerospace ,
Defense Contracts ,
Defense Sector ,
Department of Defense (DOD) ,
EU ,
European Commission ,
National Security ,
New Legislation ,
Outer Space ,
Regulatory Oversight ,
Regulatory Reform
Good Afternoon! It’s been a busy two weeks across the space industry. Despite recent headlines, it looks like the throttles are all the way forward for space business. The Space Foundation reported that the global space...more
Good Afternoon! It’s been a busy couple of weeks in the orbit of Washington. President Trump nominated a new NASA Administrator, and the “Big Beautiful Bill” gave Space Force a big budget bump. Meanwhile, scientists and the...more
Good Afternoon! The past couple of weeks in space policy news have been dominated by defense headlines. In the U.S., a “czar” was appointed to oversee the Golden Dome project and the Pentagon began looking into alternative...more
6/30/2025
/ Aerospace ,
Defense Sector ,
EU ,
European Commission ,
Executive Orders ,
FCC ,
Government Agencies ,
NASA ,
National Security ,
NATO ,
New Legislation ,
Pentagon ,
Proposed Legislation ,
Regulatory Agencies ,
Regulatory Reform ,
Request For Information ,
Trump Administration
It’s been a busy couple of weeks in space policy. Although the House Appropriations Committee kept defense funding flat at FY25 levels, it significantly increased funding for Space Force and RDT&E. On the north side of the...more
Welcome to a special edition of Akin’s Space Law, Regulation and Policy Update. We held out hope that the NASA budget would be released in time for our Friday deadline, but that was not to be. And a lot has happened since our...more
It’s been a busy couple of weeks on Capitol Hill with at least half a dozen space-related hearings, the introduction of a bill that would modernize human spaceflight infrastructure at Johnson Space Center and another that...more
Good Afternoon! It’s been a busy couple of weeks in space and space policy. President Trump proposed a $6 billion cut to NASA's budget and a $1 trillion defense budget, the nominee to lead NASA is moving to the full Senate...more
On April 23, 2025, President Donald Trump signed an Executive Order (EO) entitled “Transparency Regarding Foreign Influence at American Universities” and issued an accompanying Fact Sheet. The EO rekindles initiatives from...more
Between April 9 and April 16, President Trump issued three executive orders (EOs) calling for reforms to the federal procurement system. The April 9 EO, “Modernizing Defense Acquisitions and Spurring Innovation in the Defense...more
Good Afternoon! As we approach the 100-day mark for the second Trump administration, there is plenty of space policy news. Jared Issacman told the Senate during his confirmation hearing that NASA can pursue parallel moon and...more
Good Afternoon! There have been plenty of space headlines over the past couple of weeks. Butch and Suni finally got a ride home. The Senate Commerce Committee moved important space bills forward and Space Systems Command...more
Good Afternoon! Space developments have kept a steady pace these past two weeks. NASA terminated $420 million in contracts to align with DOGE’s cost-cutting push. The U.S. Space Force plans to launch 100+ satellites in...more
Good Afternoon! It was a busy couple of weeks on the Moon! Firefly Aerospace’s Blue Ghost became the second commercial spacecraft to successfully land on the Moon. It later achieved another first by successfully acquiring and...more
Good Afternoon! Though space policy hasn’t dominated recent headlines, plenty has happened over the past two weeks: The House Science committee outlined its space priorities and requested GAO review of FAA launch rules,...more
2/24/2025
/ Aerospace ,
Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) ,
Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) ,
Foreign Policy ,
GAO ,
International Trade ,
Japan ,
NASA ,
National Security ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Technology Sector