SpaceNews This Week | Mars advocates emphasize policy continuity over uncertainty

May 12, 2017 View this email in your browser Mars advocates emphasize policy continuity over uncertainty Jeff Foust — Despite uncertainty about the new administration's plans for space, NASA and industry officials remained confident the agency remained on track to send humans to Mars in the 2030s. The confidence, expressed in a series of presentations at the Humans To Mars Summit here this week, is based in part on language in a NASA authorization bill signed into law in March that directs NASA to study plans for human Mars missions that would launch as soon as 2033. Inmarsat undecided on how it will use the satellite SpaceX is launching next week Caleb Henry — Mobile satellite services provider Inmarsat has yet to decide how it will use the Global Xpress satellite launching next week on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. The Boeing-built satellite, originally ordered as a spare, will likely be positioned over Europe, but Inmarsat CEO Rupert Pearce said May 4 that that could change. Air Force Secretary Wilson will serve as PDSA, senior official says Phillip Swarts — Newly confirmed Air Force Secretary Heather Wilson will assume the principal Defense Department space adviser role, a senior Air Force official said May 9. There had been speculation on whether the Trump administration would continue the so-called PDSA position established under the Obama administration, or replace it with a different means of organizing space leadership at the Pentagon. The White House has yet to give a definitive answer. Static fire test brings Falcon Heavy one step closer to debut Jeff Foust — SpaceX said May 9 that it has successfully test-fired the center core stage of its first Falcon Heavy rocket, a key step towards its long-delayed first launch later this year. In a tweet, the company said that it completed the first static fire of the core stage of the rocket at the company's McGregor, Texas, test site last week. The company did not disclose the precise date of the test or its duration. The company included in the tweet a video showing about 15 seconds of the test. California Eyes Launch Income Regulation, Not a New Tax Debra Werner — California is expected to approve a regulation, supported by SpaceX, that spells out how the state will determine the amount of income tax launch companies will be required to pay. It's not a new tax. Since Californians passed Proposition 13 in 1978, the state legislature cannot impose new taxes or increase tax rates without at least a two-thirds majority in both the California State Senate and State Assembly. Despite ruble crunch, Gazprom Space Systems still "optimistic against all odds" Caleb Henry — Gazprom Space Systems, the smaller of Russia's two domestic satellite telecommunications operators, would have had a stellar year were it not for the ruble's free fall. The operator's 2016 revenue of 5.48 billion rubles ($82 million) was 9 percent more than the previous year, but in U.S. dollar equivalents, 2016 revenue looked exactly the same as 2015, according to Dmitriy Sevastiyanov, director general of Gazprom Space Systems (GSS). Sponsored Post How Can Space Support the Fourth Industrial Revolution? Intelsat General Corp. — There is a massive technological transformation going on around the world today. The distinguishing characteristic of this transformation is the accelerating speed and scope of the IT platforms and systems that support modern society. Many are calling this the fourth industrial revolution. The first industrial revolution occurred when the power of water and steam were first harnessed. Then came electricity and the rise of mass production. Most recently, there have been tremendous strides in electronics and processing speed, often described in shorthand as "Moore's Law." Twitter LinkedIn Facebook Advertise with Us | Privacy Policy | Subscribe Copyright © 2017 SpaceNews Inc., All rights reserved. Our mailing address is: SpaceNews Inc. 1414 Prince St, Suite 204 Alexandria, VA 22314