April 2015

SPACE LAW COMMITTEE NEWSLETTER Dear Readers, Welcome to the Space Law Committee Newsletter. Interested in being interviewed for the new “Space Law Perspectives” feature of the Space Law Committee Newsletter? Contact Megan Sieffert or Jillianne Pierce to get more information about sharing your viewpoints on space law, legal careers, and the future of aerospace. Please feel free to contact us with any questions, comments, or contributions. We highly encourage attorneys, law students, and industry professionals to submit space law­related stories of interest. Sincerely, The Space Law Committee

Maria­Vittoria “Giugi” Carminati Chair, ABA SciTech Space Law Committee Carminati Law PLLC (281) 826­9552 giugi@carminatilaw.com Nathan A. Johnson Vice Chair, ABA SciTech Space Law Committee L.L.M. Candidate, University of Nebraska College of Law (202) 713­5498 nathan.johnson@huskers.unl.edu Join the Space Law Committee!

Stephanie A. Edwards Vice Chair, ABA SciTech Space Law Committee Stephanie Anne Edwards, Attorney at Law (949) 500­8226 stephaedwards@gmail.com Elsbeth Magilton Newsletter Editor, ABA SciTech Space Law Committee Executive Director, University of Nebraska (402) 472­2161 elsbeth.magilton@unl.edu

UPCOMING SPACE LAW EVENTS Space Law Committee Webinars Houston Spaceport: Realistic or Pie in the Sky? (1:00­2:00 pm ET, TBD May 2015)

Speakers: ­ Dr. David Alexander, Director, Rice Space Institute, Professor of Physics and Astronomy ­ Arturo Machuca, General Manager, Ellington Airport

State Law Liability for Space Activities (1:00­2:00 pm ET, TBD June 2015)

Speakers: ­ Maria­Vittoria “Giugi” Carminati, Chair, ABA Sci. & Tech. Section Space Law Committee ­ Ryan Noble, General Counsel, New Mexico Spaceport Authority, Spaceport America ­ Laura Montgomery, Manager, Federal Aviation Administration Space Law Branch ­ Matthew Schaeffer, Director, Univ. of Nebraska, Space, Cyber, and Telecom Program

ABA Forum on Air & Space Law, Space Law Symposium (June 9, 2015) Washington, D.C.

April 2015 NEWS UPDATES The Rules: Regulatory & Legislative/Policy White House Proposes $18.5 Billion Budget for NASA (February 2, 2015 ­ Space News) “The White House is seeking $18.5 billion for NASA in its fiscal year 2016 budget proposal released Feb. 2, including ‘immediate initiation’ of a new Landsat spacecraft and a formal start of a mission to Jupiter’s moon Europa, but could result in the termination of two long­running planetary science missions.”

Link to NASA Budget Summary Briefing Presentation

The FAA: regulating business on the moon (February 3, 2015 ­ Reuters) “The United States government has taken a new, though preliminary, step to encourage commercial development of the moon. According to documents obtained by Reuters, U.S. companies can stake claims to lunar territory through an existing licensing process for space launches.”

U.S. Satellite Group: Simplify Regulatory Procedure, Create New Regime for Smallsats (February 3, 2015 ­ Space News) “The U.S. Satellite Industry Association (SIA) on Feb. 2 said it had asked U.S. regulators to include nongeostationary­orbit satellite systems in a proposed streamlining of regulatory documentation accompanying requests for spectrum and orbital slots.”

Link to Regulatory Filing by the Satellite Industry Association

House Passes 2015 NASA Authorization Bill (February 10, 2015 ­ Space Policy Online) “Just one day after it was officially introduced, and with no committee action, the House today passed the 2015 NASA Authorization Act, H.R. 810. The bill is virtually identical to the 2014 NASA Authorization Act passed by the House last year by a vote of 401­2. There was no recorded vote today; it passed by voice vote.”

Link to H.R. 810

Security in the Asia Pacific Region and U.S.­Japan Space Cooperation (February 13, 2015 ­ Press Release) Frank A. Rose (Assistant Secretary, Bureau of Arms Control, Verification and Compliance) made remarks during a panel discussion at the Elliott School of International Affairs, George Washington University on the topic of strengthening the U.S.­Japan Alliance in the context of space security. Mr. Rose stated that rebalancing in the Asia­Pacific region requires the United States to “broaden and deepen our engagement there at all levels, including addressing emerging security challenges such as the long­term sustainability, stability, safety, and security of the space environment.”

Op­Ed | Increased Competition Will Challenge ESA’s Space Authority (February 16, 2015 ­ Space News) Who should be in charge of European space activities, the European Space Agency or the European Union? New Mexico Considering Legislation To Sell Spaceport America (February 20, 2015 ­ Forbes) "The New Mexico legislature is currently considering legislation that would result in the sale of its Spaceport America. The bill, SB 267, moved from the Senate Corporations and Transportation Committee to the Senate Finance Committee in a vote yesterday."

Link to SB 267

Issues in Commercial Launch Law (February 23, 2015 ­ The Space Review) “The press release announcing the hearing also hinted at one lesser­known, but still important, issue the hearing may bring up. ‘The hearing will also examine whether updates are needed to the Commercial Space Launch Act,’ the release stated. That’s a reference to proposals to update existing commercial launch law, something that Cruz has previously said would be a priority for him as chairman of the subcommittee.”

The Science: Intellectual Property & Innovations A lighter, cheaper satellite (January 29, 2015 ­ Cosmos Magazine) “High­altitude pseudo­satellites are less expensive to launch than the conventional kind and safer too. Tim Dean reports.” Autonomous spaceport drone ship (February 20, 2015 ­ Maritime Professional) “The deck barge Marmac 300 (CG No. 1063184) was built in 1998 by Gulf Coast Fabrication in Pearlington, Mississippi for McDonough Marine Service, a tug and barge company based in Metairie, Louisiana. As built, it was 288 feet in length, with a 100 foot beam and a depth of almost 20 feet. In 2014, it was chartered by SpaceX for use as a landing pad for returning first­stage rockets after launching objects into orbit. The upper deck of the Marmac 300 was extended to a length of 300 feet and the width was extended to 170 feet. Azimuthing thrusters with modular diesel­hydraulic­drive power units and a modular controller manufactured by Thrustmaster were installed, with one thruster on each corner of the barge. The thrusters may be operated autonomously or by remote control from a nearby service vessel. The barge itself though is unmanned. With an onboard electronic navigation system, the barge is capable of precision positioning in either the autonomous or remote control mode. The barge is currently based in Jacksonville, Florida. The first and, to date, only rocket landing test was conducted in the North Atlantic 200 miles northeast of Cape Canaveral and 165 miles southeast of Charleston.” Launch date for first of Xprize lunar racers set for 2016 (February 24, 2015 ­ E&T magazine) “Two teams competing in the Google Lunar Xprize have partnered to secure a ride to the Moon aboard a SpaceX rocket in late 2016. Japanese Hakuto and US Astrobotic have become the first of the 18 contenders for the $30m prize to announce firm launch plans.”

Aerojet Rocketdyne to Research Next Generation Green Propellants (February 24, 2015 ­ Globe Newswire) “Aerojet Rocketdyne, a GenCorp (GY) company, was awarded a contract to research and develop environmentally sustainable monopropellants and gas generators for rocket and missile propulsion and Divert Attitude Control Systems. The company is working with the U.S. Army Aviation and Missile Research, Development and Engineering Center; the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory at Edwards Air Force Base; and the U.S. Army Medical Command to develop a new family of high­performing liquid propellants. The effort is funded through the Strategic Environmental Research and Development Program, an office of the Department of Defense.” WorldView­3’s Imagery Sharpens DigitalGlobe’s Competitive Edge (February 27, 2015 ­ Space News) “Geospatial imagery and services provide DigitalGlobe on Feb. 27 said its WorldView­3 satellite is the key to driving growth both with the company’s dominant customer, the U.S. government, and in the global commercial market.” Air Force Space Command General on Keeping Space Collision­Free (February 27, 2015 ­ Scientific American) “You have to know exactly what is going on, exactly when it’s going on, you have to able to predict potential hazardous collisions and you have to be able to predict threats. And you have to do that real time. So one of the reasons that we’re building capabilities like improved ground­based telescopes…we’re building space­based space surveillance systems…and then we have geosynchronous space situational awareness program satellites…that will move around the geosynchronous belt, giving us exquisite understanding of exactly what is in the geosynchronous belt, which is the most expensive real estate.” Flight Brings Us Closer to Balloon­Powered Space Tourism (March 2, 2015 ­ Wired Magazine) “Late last week, a company came one step closer to sending tourists to the edge of space using ginormous balloons, breaking a record for the world’s highest parafoil flight. Arizona­based World View carried the parafoil—a large, wing­like parachute—to the edge of space using its balloon, and had it fly back to the ground. It also carried experiments designed by students from Montana State University and the University of North Florida.” Plasma­driven satellites launched from Cape Canaveral (March 2, 2015 ­ Spaceflight Now) “The two spacecraft mark the debut for a new lightweight platform called the Boeing 702SP, which differs from other communications satellite designs with the removal of the large fuel tank that forms the core of most spacecraft.” ‘Superhero vision’ technology measures European lake’s water quality from space (March 2, 2015 ­ ScienceDaily) “An international team of researchers has demonstrated a way to assess the quality of water on Earth from space by using satellite technology that can visualise pollution levels otherwise invisible to the human eye through 'Superhero vision'.”

How satellites can help prevent illness (March 2, 2015 ­ Cosmos Magazine) “Why use satellites and not ground­based instruments? Having eyes in the sky has many benefits. Satellites such as NASA’s soil moisture active passive (SMAP) observatory, which launched in January, can measure the moisture in the top five centimetres of the soil around the world every two to three days. Other satellites map sea­surface temperatures, air temperature, rainfall, vegetation changes and flooding far more comprehensively – and quickly – than can be done by monitors on land.” Falcon rocket rides into the night with first all­electric satellites (March 2, 2015 ­Sen) “The spacecraft were built by Boeing and feature lightweight, all­electric xenon­ion propulsion systems. The companies have partnered for a second pair of satellites to be flown on another Falcon 9 rocket later this year.” Bigelow Ready to Ship BEAM to Cape for Launch (March 3, 2014 ­ Parabolic Arc) “The demonstration of expandable space habitat technology supports NASA’s long­term exploration goals on its journey to Mars, for which the agency will need to develop a deep space habitat for human missions beyond Earth orbit.” Space Dev Alliance Proposes National Cheap Access to Space Prize (March 3, 2015 ­ Parabolic Arc) “The newly established Alliance for Space Development (ASD) wants to introduce a bill in Congress offering $3.5 billion in prize money for companies capable of flying fully reusable human spacecraft into orbit. The Cheap Access to Space (CATS) Act would establish a goal for private companies to place a 1 metric ton payload with at least two crew members into a circular orbit of 400 km at 51.6 degrees inclination, according to a draft of the measure. A $1 billion tax­exempt prize would be paid to the first entrant to repeat the flight using the same vehicle within one week of returning to Earth. A $750 million tax exempt prize would be awarded to the second entrant to achieve that milestone.” NASA eyes ion engines for Mars orbiter launching in 2022 (March 3, 2015 ­ Spaceflight Now) “Ion engines produce just a whisper of thrust, using electric power to ionize atoms of a neutral gas and spit out the particles at high speed. While the drive given by the thrusters is barely noticeable in one instant, they can operate for months or years, burning scant fuel compared to traditional chemical rockets.” NASA’s Orion spacecraft borrows basic design from Apollo program (March 4, 2015 ­ Pasadena Star­News) “The Orion spacecraft may look like its 40­plus­year­old Apollo predecessor, but — like a modified car — its innards have been stripped and replaced with modern technology that will enable NASA’s newest space mobile to send humans further than ever before, experts said Wednesday.” Chronos Vision and Seismic Damper Technologies are 2015 Space Technology Hall of Fame Inductees at 31st Space Symposium (March 4, 2015 ­ Space Foundation) “The Space Foundation’s 31st Space Symposium will culminate on April 16 with ceremonies celebrating the induction into the Space Technology Hall of Fame® of two innovations developed for space that now improve life on Earth.”

Next ISS crew to conduct around 50 experiments on orbit (March 4, 2015 ­ TASS) “The crew bound for a year­long mission at the International Space Station (ISS) plans to conduct around 50 experiments on the orbit, head of the Cosmonaut Training Center Yury Lonchakov told journalists on Wednesday. No spacewalks are planned for them, Lonchakov added.” SpaceX Wins Round 1 of Patent Fight With Blue Origin (March 5, 2015 ­ Parabolic Arc) “SpaceX has won the first round of its fight to invalidate Blue Origin’s patent for recovering reusable launch vehicles on an ocean­going platform. The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office’s Patent Trial and Appeal Board approved SpaceX’s request for an inter partes review of 13 of 15 claims the company made about Blue Origin’s Patent No. U.S. Patent 8,678,321, which is titled, “Sea landing of space launch vehicles and associated systems and methods”. The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office awarded the patent in 2014.” India to test flight reusable rocket soon (March 5, 2015 ­ BGR) “India will conduct a test flight of a reusable launch vehicle by the second quarter of this year to reduce the cost of satellite launches, union minister Jitendra Singh said on Wednesday.” Video About Innovation at Mojave, NASA Armstrong & Edwards AFB (March 6, 2015 ­ Parabolic Arc) “The Rewards of Risk” highlights Edwards Air Force Base, the Mojave Air and Space Port, the Air Force Research Laboratory and NASA Armstrong Flight Research Center. This video also explores the importance of the R­2508 Complex, and how this protected airspace supports aerospace testing.”

The Business: M&A, Joint Ventures, & Corporate News Boeing and Lockheed Martin Post Strong Earnings for Late 2014 Quarter (January 28, 2015 ­ Reuters) “Together with other aerospace companies, Northrop Grumman and General Dynamics, Boeing and Lockheed Martin posted strong earnings in the final quarter of 2014 despite significant fluctuation. This is a substantial return from below­average earnings a year ago in Q4 2013, where all four companies but especially Lockheed Martin performed poorly in earnings measures. The increase could be attributed to many things, but experts attribute it to increased competition in the field and increased demand for launch and satellite maintenance services as smaller start­ups enter the space market.” NASA, Boeing, and SpaceX Set Sights on Mars (February 13, 2015 ­ Fox Houston) “In a press conference on Jan. 26, SpaceX and Boeing together with NASA further detailed the contracts between the companies and the space agency to transport astronauts to and from the ISS. The Commercial Crew Transportation program is expected to produce manned missions to the ISS by 2017, eliminating the current US reliance on Russian astronaut launch services. However, the program also intends to extend its reach to putting astronauts further than the ISS, to the Moon and eventually to Mars. NASA anticipates a fully private low­earth orbit launch service industry by 2024, building on the dreams of American policy makers of a removal of the government from space.”

STRATCOM, Germany to Share Space Situational Awareness Services and Information (January 28, 2015 ­ U.S. Air Force) “Under a new agreement signed by Maj. Gen David Thompson (USSTRATCOM Plans and Policy) and Brig. Gen. Dirk Backen (Defense Attache at German Embassy in Washington DC) on Jan. 9, the United States will now begin sharing Space Situational Awareness information with the German military. Germany now joins the United Kingdom, South Korea, France, Canada, Italy, Japan and Australia already participating in SSA agreements with the United States, as well as two international organizations and 46 commercial entities. The agreement is intended to enhance multinational space cooperation and to streamline the process for STRATCOM to communicate information gathered by the Joint Space Operations Center at Vandenberg Air Force crucial for launch support, satellite maneuver, and collision avoidance among other things.” SpaceX Launches First Air Force Contract, NASA’s DSCOVR Satellite (February 11, 2015 ­ NASA Spaceflight) After three attempts, SpaceX successfully launched its first Air Force contracted payload, the much­delayed NASA/NOAA project DSCOVR. SpaceX was selected as the launch provider for DSCOVR in December of 2012 and has served as a golden opportunity for SpaceX to demonstrate to the Air Force the Falcon’s ability to carry its payloads. The launch was intended to serve as a test for the landing capabilities of the launch vehicle, but due to unfavorable conditions at the sea­based landing pad the vehicle performed a soft landing instead. The DSCOVR mission will be engaged in deep space weather research with some Earth climate observation as a secondary objective. Alliant Techsystems (ATK) and Orbital Sciences Merge (February 10, 2015 ­ Space) After spinning off a separate sporting goods division, ATK merged its remaining business operations, mainly satellite and guided missile parts and components, with Orbital Sciences, a key player in the imaging satellite industry. Orbital shareholders received .449 shares of common stock in the new OrbitalATK for every one share owned. The new company is headquartered in Dulles, VA and officially began operations on Tuesday February 10, 2015. European Space Agency Launches Suborbital Vehicle Successfully (February 11, 2015 ­ Spaceflight Now) On 11 February, the European Space Agency launched their Intermediate eXperimental Vehicle, or IXV. The car­sized, lifting­body craft had a picture­perfect 100 minute flight, traveling to an altitude of 261 miles before crashing down into the Pacific Ocean at the end where a recovery ship was waiting. Google and SpaceX to Join Forces to Launch Global Internet Service (January 23, 2015 ­ Space News) Together with Fidelity Investments, Google has invested a combined $1 billion in SpaceX “to support continued innovation in the areas of space transport, reusability, and satellite manufacturing.” The announcement comes after comments by SpaceX’s Elon Musk that he has plans for a 4,000 satellite network that would provide internet services globally, leading most to connect the funding round to that project. Elon Musk says that SpaceX is entering the satellite manufacturing business in order to develop the significant potential for revenue in a more stable industry.

GAO Denies Sierra Nevada Bid Protest (January 5, 2015 ­ Florida Today) After a lengthy battle, Sierra Nevada has lost its bid protest with the Government Accountability Office (GAO) regarding the award of contracts to Boeing and SpaceX for the newest round of American manned spaceflight. The central argument by Sierra Nevada was that NASA placed undue weight on the anticipated completion date of the projects, rather than the overall weight (Sierra Nevada’s proposal was significantly cheaper than Boeing’s). GAO found that NASA did not place undue weight on this criteria, finding that NASA’s request for bids was clear that “proposals would be evaluated against its goal of certification by the end of 2017,” a standard not met by Sierra Nevada’s Dream Chaser proposal. Boeing and SpaceX have both completed their first milestones under the contracts. Boeing to Consolidate Space Exploration Programs into new internal Division (February 18, 2015 ­ Space News) In an effort to decrease management costs, and increase management efficiencies, Boeing announced Feb. 11 that it is consolidating several of its aerospace development programs into a new division called BDS Development. The new division is patterned after Boeing’s similar commercial aircraft unit, and will contain the Space Launch System (SLS, to launch NASA’s Orion capsule) and the CST­100 (Boeing’s own entry into the commercial crew race). The new division will be run by Mr. Jim O’Neill. FAA Begins Licensing Lunar Activities Citing “Principles of Non­Interference” (February 10, 2015 ­ The New York Times) In December 2013, Bigelow Aerospace requested a payload review of one of its lunar base “habitats.” Using these habitats, Bigelow intends to conduct scientific research and commercial activities such as resource mining. The company sought FAA licensure in an attempt to start clarifying the issues relating to property rights in their lunar base. The agency’s associate administrator George Nield said that the FAA recognizes the need of the private sector to have a firmer idea of how their space­based assets are protected while in space. To achieve this, the FAA conducted the payload review in order to make sure that American companies do not interfere with each other on the moon or elsewhere. This does not further solidify the issue of property rights vis a vis the nationals of other nations, but it is a significant step forward for American lunar business. The Fights: Lawsuits, Settlements & Investigations SpaceX Drops Lawsuit against US Air Force (January 28, 2015 ­ Slate) “Claiming unfair practices in contracting, California­based SpaceX filed a lawsuit against the US Air Force last year challenging the ‘sole source’ contracts granted to United Launch Alliance which precluded SpaceX from competing for many military launch contracts. In late January of this year, SpaceX dropped the lawsuit with assurances from the US Air Force that the military will expedite the national security launch certification process to make SpaceX able to compete fully for the ULA launches.”

Iranian Satellite Jamming Causes Storm Of Controversy (July 23, 2014 ­ Global Security) “The Iranian regime has long used signal jamming to disrupt the flow of information into the Islamic republic, but it couldn't have forecast the strategy's deadly consequences. Satellite­jamming technology is being blamed for disrupting Iran's ability to predict a major dust storm that hit Tehran in June, killing five people. In a report presented to parliament this week, the Iran Meteorological Organization claimed it was unable to forecast the massive dust storm because of signals emitted by jamming devices, according to the semiofficial ISNA news agency on July 22…. In February, the Iranian Health Ministry set up a committee to investigate whether the government's jamming of satellite signals could pose a health risk to citizens.” General scolded over SpaceX comments (July 17, 2014 ­ Florida Today) “When SpaceX sued the Air Force this spring, claiming the Pentagon was illegally blocking competition for its military satellite launch business, the head of the Air Force Space Command scolded the California­based aerospace company. ‘Generally, the person you're going to do business with, you don't sue them,’ Air Force Gen. William Shelton was quoted as saying at a Colorado space symposium in May. On Wednesday, GOP Sen. John McCain of Arizona reprimanded Shelton for those comments during a hearing examining access to space from U.S soil. ‘If some company or corporation thinks they are not being fairly treated, you don't think that they should be able to sue? I mean that's not our system of government, Gen. Shelton,’ McCain told the general as he sat at a table with several other witnesses. ‘It shows a real bias against the ability of any company in America to do what they think is best.’ GAO Says NASA Wrongly Booted Uncertified JV From Bidding (June 02, 2014 ­ Law 360) “The U.S. Government Accountability Office on Thursday said NASA should reinstate Banda Group International LLC and Fiore Industries Inc.'s joint venture into competition for a Langley Research Center services contract, because NASA incorrectly found that their JV agreement hadn't been certified” Space Center Food Concessionaire Can't Escape FCA Suit (June 11, 2014 ­ Law 360) “Florida federal judge on Wednesday rejected a Kennedy Space Center food concessionaire's bid to dismiss a False Claims Act suit alleging it cheated the government by serving substandard food, ruling that the company failed to show the suit is precluded by the FCA's first­to­file or public disclosure bars.” Gov't Says Minority Contractor Assistance Program Is Legal (June 17, 2014 ­ Law 360) “The U.S. Department of Defense and the U.S. Small Business Administration fired back Monday against a lawsuit looking to overturn federal laws that give minority­owned small businesses a leg up in some government contract competitions, asking a federal court to toss the lawsuit because the program plainly satisfies constitutional requirements.”

The Money: Space Law And Economics Mining the Moon? Space Property Rights Still Unclear, Experts Say (July 25, 2014 ­ Space) “[I]t's unclear at the moment who is allowed to extract and profit from the moon's resources, leading to a growing debate within scientific, entrepreneurial and policy circles — a debate made more lively and complicated by the changing landscape of stakeholders in space.... An entrant in getting this conversation kick­started is Bigelow Aerospace, an American firm eager to open up the final frontier to all of humanity. Bigelow is pushing for the adoption of a series of recommendations supporting the ability of the private sector to enjoy the fruits of any extraterrestrial labor — on the moon and elsewhere — and to operate on ‘a non­interference basis.’ Bigelow Aerospace has requested a ‘payload review’ to recognize the ownership by the company and other U.S. firms of resources they extract. The Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) Office of Commercial Space Transportation (FAA­AST) is now working on a response to a Bigelow lunar payload review request. Discussion of the Bigelow lunar payload review has been undertaken by the U.S. Commercial Space Transportation Advisory Committee (COMSTAC) – an advisory body to the FAA­AST.” Audit: NASA Doesn't Have the Money for Big Rockets (July 23, 2014 ­ Phys.Org) “NASA doesn't have enough money to get its new, $12 billion rocket system off the ground by the end of 2017 as planned, federal auditors say. The Government Accountability Office issued a report Wednesday saying NASA's Space Launch System is at "high risk of missing" its planned December 2017 initial test flight. The post­space shuttle program would build the biggest rockets ever — larger than the Saturn V rockets which sent men to the moon — to send astronauts to asteroids and Mars. ‘They can't meet the date with the money they have,’ report author Cristina Chaplain said. She said it wasn't because the space agency had technical problems with the congressionally­required program, but that NASA didn't get enough money to carry out the massive undertaking. The GAO report put the current shortfall at $400 million, but did say NASA was ‘making solid progress’ on the rocket program design. NASA's launch system officials told the GAO that there was a 90 percent chance of not hitting the launch date at this time.” U.S. Seeks Decision Soon on Ending Dependence on Russian Rocket Engines (July 13, 2014 ­ The Wall Street Journal) “The Pentagon will try to decide in the next few months how it may sever dependence on Russian rocket engines for some of its space launches after supplier relationships were strained by Russia’s actions in Ukraine…. The U.S. since the 1990s stopped producing some types of rocket engines, leaving it heavily reliant on the Russians. Russian politicians in May threatened to halt shipments of the engine after the U.S. imposed sanctions following Russia’s annexation of Crimea. The Pentagon has previously looked at whether to remove the reliance on Russia for the critical component, though earlier studies determined the risk to supply was considered acceptable. ‘That has changed,’ Mr. Kendall told reporters. ‘One way or the other we are going to have make a decision.’” 3D Opportunity For Aerospace And Defense (June 02, 2014 ­ Deloitte University Press) “The aerospace and defense industry is increasingly using additive manufacturing to reduce material costs, decrease labor content, and increase availability of parts at point of use, which may have a dramatic impact on the supply chain.”

CONFERENCES AND OTHER ANNOUNCEMENTS Space Frontier Foundation, NewSpace 2015 (July 16­18, 2015) Silicon Valley, CA The commercial space industry is building a new market with efficient business processes, a wide spectrum of technology, and almost prescient investors. It's been said that the first trillionaires will be made through space industrialization and we're going to show how space pioneers are creating new products and profits. NewSpace is undergoing rapid expansion, similar to the Internet explosion of the 1990s, and needs to be filled with revolutionary businesses like yours. The Space Frontier Foundation's annual conference is one of the most important commercial space conferences in the nation, and will be held July 15­18 in Silicon Valley. NewSpace 2015 is where networking with leaders, supporters, investors, and activists evolves into enterprises that propel the industry upward. It will host a wide range of thought­provoking panels and visionary keynote speakers that will surpass NewSpace 2014's already highly­praised programming. For additional information, please visit: https://newspace.spacefrontier.org/ Space Law Resume Book Astro, Esq., a weekly e­newsletter for space law students and young professionals, invited readers and other student leaders, to submit their resumes for the 1st Space Law Resume Book. If your place of business is interested in reading resumes from over 20 self­identified space law students you can request a copy by e­mailing: AstroEsq@gmail.com.