Via Satellite
• Rachel Jewett
The Office of Space Commerce’s TraCSS system has onboarded more than 70 satellite owners and operators across more than 10 nations, but remains in pilot mode because of budget uncertainty. The status underscores the gap between growing demand for space traffic coordination and operationalizing the U.S. system.
Space Policy & International Cooperation
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The Office of Space Commerce’s TraCSS system has onboarded more than 70 satellite owners and operators across more than 10 nations, but remains in pilot mode because of budget uncertainty. The status underscores the gap between growing demand for space traffic coordination and operationalizing the U.S. system.
The Canadian government is providing a major financial lifeline to Telesat Canada to support its planned Lightspeed telecommunications satellite constellation. The move underscores Ottawa’s effort to build sovereign space capabilities and strengthen the project’s prospects amid rising defense and strategic reliance on space-based connectivity.
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President Volodymyr Zelenskyy awarded Elon Musk Ukraine’s Order of Freedom, citing his contributions to protecting life and freedom, as Kyiv seeks broader access to SpaceX’s Starlink terminals for battlefield communications and potentially drone strikes deep inside Russia—an expansion Musk has been reluctant to approve.
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An analysis of Europe’s IRIS2 satellite initiative argues that the program’s strategic-autonomy framing also masks an effort to support the region’s space market. The assessment highlights the tension between political objectives and industrial policy as Europe develops its approach to space communications.
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China is moving rapidly to develop orbital data centers, while the European Space Policy Institute warns Europe risks falling behind in space-based computing. The debate highlights the emerging strategic value of processing data in orbit and the policy, industrial and infrastructure choices needed to compete.
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President Donald Trump bought as much as $50,000 of SpaceX shares on June 23, roughly two weeks after Elon Musk’s company completed a record-setting IPO, according to a public financial disclosure. The investment gives Trump a stake in a major government contractor led by his former adviser.
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The White House has issued a new U.S. National Space Transportation Policy, superseding policies released in 2004 and 2013. The update establishes a revised framework for U.S. space transportation and could shape how international partners, launch providers and regulators interpret America’s role in the sector.
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A new National Space Transportation Policy directs the Defense Department, NASA and other agencies to identify regulatory, operational, programmatic and technological barriers to faster, more resilient access to space. The policy also calls for expanded launch infrastructure, including evaluating a new federally supported spaceport for heavy-lift vehicles.
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