EDITORIAL STEM
The Artemis Accord, Two Years On
77 signatoriesFollow-up
A follow-up to the Treaty article. The Accords have grown from 43 to 77 signatories, with Uzbekistan the 77th on October 19, 2026. What the coalition has and has not done, and how signing shapes who wins contracts.
EDITORIAL STEM
EO 14369 | America Goes Commercial-First in Space
Policy signalDec 2025
Ensuring American Space Superiority mandates OTAs and Space Act Agreements over FAR contracts, crewed lunar return by 2028, and a lunar reactor by 2030. The biggest acquisition-posture signal of the cycle.
EDITORIAL STEM
The EU Space Act | Brussels Writes the Rulebook
Binding 2030Proposed 2025
Proposed in 2025 and binding on any operator selling services in the EU by 2030. Mandatory EUSA certification, debris rules, and orbital traffic management put Brussels alongside the FAA and FCC in compliance weight.
EDITORIAL STEM
The Resource-Rights Patchwork | US, Luxembourg, and Now Italy
National lawsNo treaty
The US and Luxembourg granted property rights over extracted space resources, and others are following, while COPUOS deadlocked on an international framework. ISRU ventures must navigate a patchwork of national laws.
EDITORIAL STEM
The 2028 Safety Cliff | When the Learning Period Ends
RegulatoryExpires 2028
The FAA's occupant-safety moratorium expires January 1, 2028, ending the learning period for commercial human spaceflight. Operators face their first real safety rulemaking, and the SpARC report is the basis.
EDITORIAL STEM
OTAs Over FAR | How Space Force Buys Faster
ProcurementGrowing use
Other Transaction Authorities let Space Force, SDA, and DARPA buy prototypes and capability outside traditional FAR contracting. The mechanism reshaping how fast new entrants reach a real space contract.
EDITORIAL STEM
The Deorbit Regime Split | FCC's 5-Year Rule vs FAA's 25
Conflicting rulesCompliance matrix
The FCC's five-year deorbit rule and the FAA's posture on upper stages create a split regime across the same missions. A two-regulator compliance matrix for satellite buses, dispensers, and upper stages.
EDITORIAL STEM
Space Traffic Management | The Job No Agency Is Funded to Do
UnfundedNo authority
No single entity has authority over space traffic coordination. Commerce was designated the lead and left unfunded, a widening gap as the satellite population grows and close approaches multiply.
EDITORIAL STEM
WRC-27 | The Fight Over Lunar Spectrum Begins
Spectrum fight2027
The next World Radiocommunication Conference will take up lunar spectrum management for the first time, alongside the ongoing megaconstellation spectrum disputes. Who gets the frequencies the Moon economy will run on.