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SpacePolicyOnline @spacepolicyonline.bsky.social · 14h

The Senate just again rejected the CR. Shutdown continues.

SpacePolicyOnline @spacepolicyonline.bsky.social · 19h

Despite the shutdown, NASA will provide live coverage of the Russian spacewalk on Thursday, Oct 16, but with minimal technical commentary. (ISS ops are excepted activities.) Watch on NASA's YouTube channel starting at 12:15 pm ET: www.youtube.com/live/NWzZ-8z...

Roscosmos Spacewalk 64

YouTube video by NASA

www.youtube.com

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SpacePolicyOnline @spacepolicyonline.bsky.social · 1d

Another Successful Starship Test Flight as SpaceX Readies a New Version spacepolicyonline.com/news/another...

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SpacePolicyOnline @spacepolicyonline.bsky.social · 1d

Booster has landed in the Gulf, as planned.

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SpacePolicyOnline @spacepolicyonline.bsky.social · 1d

Liftoff!

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SpacePolicyOnline @spacepolicyonline.bsky.social · 1d

Everthing looking for Starship IFT-11 launch in about 2 minutes.

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SpacePolicyOnline @spacepolicyonline.bsky.social · 1d

SpaceX's Starship IFT-11 webcast is starting.

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SpacePolicyOnline @spacepolicyonline.bsky.social · 1d

JPL Lays Off Another 550 Workers spacepolicyonline.com/news/jpl-lay...

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Reposted by SpacePolicyOnline

Sarah Kendrew @sarahkendrew.bsky.social · 1d

Michi Benthaus is btw also a Young Graduate Trainee with the European Space Agency!

SpacePolicyOnline @spacepolicyonline.bsky.social · 1d

Nifty. Hans Koenigsmann of SpaceX fame will fly on Blue Origin’s New Shepard to accompany a young woman, Michi Benthaus, a wheelchair user (due to a mountain biking accident in 2018) who will become the first wheelchair user to make it to space. “As early as next month.”
x.com/arstechnica/...

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SpacePolicyOnline @spacepolicyonline.bsky.social · 1d

Nifty. Hans Koenigsmann of SpaceX fame will fly on Blue Origin’s New Shepard to accompany a young woman, Michi Benthaus, a wheelchair user (due to a mountain biking accident in 2018) who will become the first wheelchair user to make it to space. “As early as next month.”
x.com/arstechnica/...

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SpacePolicyOnline @spacepolicyonline.bsky.social · 2d

Easy pick of the week this time -- SpaceX's IFT-11 launch tmrw (Monday). That's also a federal holiday. Otherwise it's pretty quiet while waiting for a solution to the government shutdown.
What’s Happening in Space Policy October 12-18, 2025 spacepolicyonline.com/news/whats-h...

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SpacePolicyOnline @spacepolicyonline.bsky.social · 4d

American Astronautical Society (AAS) says the Von Braun Exploration Symposium *will* be held as planned Oct 27-29 regardless of govt shutdown situation. It's at the Univ of Alabama in Huntsville. Govt speakers will only be there if the shutdown is over, tho.

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SpacePolicyOnline @spacepolicyonline.bsky.social · 4d

Note that with the House continuing to stay out of session, no legislative business is being conducted -- like passing appropriations bills. This fight over a Continuing Resolution (CR) is because Congress hasn't cleared any of the FY2026 appropriations bills yet.

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SpacePolicyOnline @spacepolicyonline.bsky.social · 4d

The Senate is out until Tuesday (Monday is a holiday). House Speaker Johnson said today he will keep the House out of session until the shutdown is over (i.e. until Senate Democrats agree to his version of the CR).

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SpacePolicyOnline @spacepolicyonline.bsky.social · 4d

OMB Director Russell Vought says the government layoffs -- Reductions in Force (RIFs) -- that the White House has been threatening if Congress doesn't vote to reopen the government have begun.
x.com/russvought/s...

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SpacePolicyOnline @spacepolicyonline.bsky.social · 5d

Senate just passed the FY2026 defense policy bill--the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). House passed its version last month. Now on to conference. The NDAA has been enacted every year since the first in 1961, a rarity.
Stmts from SASC's Chair and Ranking Member:

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SpacePolicyOnline @spacepolicyonline.bsky.social · 5d

A little bit of good news from the Senate: they're making progress on the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). Could pass today. (House passed its version last month.)

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SpacePolicyOnline @spacepolicyonline.bsky.social · 5d

Senate has defeated the Republican and Democratic CRs for the 7th time. Shutdown continues.
Votes still the same. Of those voting, all Rs are against the D bill and all Ds in favor. For the R bill, one R (Paul) is against, 3 Ds in favor ("Ds" incl Independents).

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SpacePolicyOnline @spacepolicyonline.bsky.social · 6d

The Senate just again defeated the Republican CR, having previously defeated the Democratic alternative. Shutdown continues at least another day.

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Reposted by SpacePolicyOnline

Jonathan McDowell @planet4589.bsky.social · 6d

Updated stats based on Blue Origin release: NS-36 took off at 1340:36 UTC and landed at 1350:48 UTC for a flight time of 10m12s, and reached an apogee of 106.81 km above mean sea level

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Reposted by SpacePolicyOnline

Jonathan McDowell @planet4589.bsky.social · 6d

New Shepard NS-36 safe landing after a 10m 14s flight

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Reposted by SpacePolicyOnline

Jonathan McDowell @planet4589.bsky.social · 6d

LAUNCH at about 1341 UTC Oct 8 of Blue Origin's New Shepard NS-36 from West Texas on a suborbital flight with six passengers.

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SpacePolicyOnline @spacepolicyonline.bsky.social · 6d

The Senate may not have voted on the CR yesterday, but they did approve en bloc more than 100 presidential nominations including that of Neil Jacobs to be NOAA Administrator. He was Acting NOAA Admin in 1st Trump Admin during the "Sharpiegate" incident.

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SpacePolicyOnline @spacepolicyonline.bsky.social · 7d

New Shepard-36 launch window this morning (Wednesday) now opens at 9:40 am ET. Webcast begins on Blue Origin's website 30 minutes before liftoff.
x.com/blueorigin/s...

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SpacePolicyOnline @spacepolicyonline.bsky.social · 7d

Scientists Make the Case for NASA Science spacepolicyonline.com/news/scienti...

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