Space Politics

The South Africa newspaper Cape Argus reports that a new leader has emerged in a political faction opposed to the government of Robert Mugabe in Zimbabwe: “rocket scientist” Arthur Mutambara, who the paper describes as “a professor in robotics and mechatronics who has worked for the US space agency, Nasa”. (See his resume) From the […]

The Japanese newspaper Yomiuri Shimbun reports that the country’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party has started a review of Japanese space policy. The two main areas under study are current limitations on the military use of space and “the role of compartmentalized bureaucracy in the lack of cooperation among ministries and agencies.” The former issue, which […]

After viewing this Florida Today editorial cartoon, it’s clear that people in Florida’s Space Coast region don’t feel like they’re getting much support from the state government, including governor Jeb Bush, to help the state’s space industry compared to biotech ventures. However, given that the state legislature is starting to take up tax incentives designed […]

At the end of a 90-minute panel discussion last night in Washington about international perspectives on space exploration, organized by Women in Aerospace, moderator Ian Pryke asked the panelists—representing China, the German space agency DLR, ESA, and JAXA—how their countries had reacted to the Vision for Space Exploration, both within their space communities and their […]

The Florida legislature is making progress on a bill that would provide tax breaks for space industries in the state. The bill, which “sailed” through its first hearing in the state House on Tuesday according to the Tallahassee Democrat, would extend a sales tax exemption for space- and defense-related industries. The bill as it currently […]