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WELCOME TO POLITICO PRO SPACE. After navigating his second confirmation hearing, billionaire private astronaut Jared Isaacman could run NASA before year's end -- a stunning reversal for the once-shunned nominee. We'll unpack Isaacman's wins and missteps below. Send tips, pitches and feedback at [email protected], on X at @audrey_decker9 and Signal adecker.59.
NASA administrator nominee Jared Isaacman demonstrated some newfound political savvy during his second confirmation hearing -- and avoided major fireworks.
Isaacman delivered exactly the kind of commitments that lawmakers on both sides of the aisle were looking for: beat China to the moon, spend money the way Congress has prescribed and support NASA's science missions.
Starship wins: The Pentagon has cleared SpaceX to launch its mega-rocket Starship from Cape Canaveral after a yearslong turf war over the launchpad.
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Budget beef: Congress is on track to restore the White House's cuts to commercial satellite imagery, after industry petitioned lawmakers to reverse the move -- citing huge demand for national security missions.
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Sam Altman Has Explored Deal to Build Competitor to Elon Musk's SpaceX -- The Wall Street Journal
NASA seeks a "warm backup" option as key decision on lunar rover nears -- Ars Technica
Gargantuan Golden Dome contract vehicle clears 1,000-plus firms to vie for slices of $151 billion -- Defense One
ESA leaders greenlight $1.6 billion for new 'non-aggressive' space security initiative -- Breaking Defense
MONDAY
Women in Aerospace will host the "WIA International Security Space Partners Event" at the British Embassy in Washington, D.C.
TUESDAY
The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine will release a report on the "Science Strategy for the Human Exploration of Mars" at the Keck Center in Washington, D.C.
The Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies will hold a virtual discussion on its new report: "Charting a Path to Space Superiority: The Cross-Domain Imperative."
WEDNESDAY
The Maryland Space Business Roundtable will host a luncheon in Greenbelt, Maryland with Shawn Domagal-Goldman, acting director of NASA's astrophysics division.
NASA's Planetary Science Division will hold a webinar to discuss its planetary research over the last year.
The Space Force Association will host the 2025 Spacepower Conference in Orlando, Florida from Dec. 10 to 12.