What’s Happening in Space Policy September 20-26, 2026
Here is SpacePolicyOnline.com’s list of space policy events for the week of September 20-26, 2026 and any insight we can offer about them. The Senate is in session this week. The House is in recess until after the midterm elections, except for pro forma sessions.
During the Week
The big event in D.C. this week is the Trump-Xi summit from Tuesday to Thursday. Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos reportedly are on the list to attend Wednesday night’s state dinner at the White House along with other tech luminaries (Musk also accompanied Trump to China in May). U.S.-China competition in space is a huge topic within our community, but how much it will factor into these discussions is unclear.
Apart from that it’s a comparatively quiet week. There are a number of interesting events in-person and online, but for those of you eagerly anticipating the next Starship launch that was scheduled for Tuesday, it’s been postponed to September 28.
The House is gone until after the elections. The Senate still plans to be here through October 2, though that could change. The Senate is out tomorrow (Monday) in observance of Yom Kippur. Back on Tuesday, but there’s no space-related legislation or hearings on the agenda this week as far as we know.
Off the Hill, Albania will become the 73rd signatory to the Artemis Accords tomorrow at NASA HQ with Deputy Administrator Matt Anderson presiding.
From Tuesday to Thursday, the National Academies’ Committee on Astronomy and Astrophysics (CAA) meets in-person at the National Academy of Sciences building on Constitution Avenue with representatives of NASA, NSF and DOE among others. A virtual option is available. The NSF-NASA-DOE Astronomy and Astrophysics Advisory Committee also meets this week, online only, Thursday-Friday.
NASA’s Roman space telescope isn’t specifically mentioned on the CAA agenda, but we’re sure Astrophysics Division Director Shawn Domagal-Goldman will highlight it during his presentation, which kicks off the meeting Tuesday morning. On Wednesday, NASA Goddard’s James Ira Thorpe will provide an update on the ESA/NASA Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA) that will search for gravitational waves in space that can’t be detected on the ground. The Trump Administration proposed cancelling LISA last year, but Congress didn’t agree and funded it at $80.5 million. The Administration is proposing to terminate it once more in FY2027, but the House Appropriations Committee similarly disagreed and again approved $80.5 million. The Senate Appropriations Committee hasn’t acted yet. Years ago NASA agreed to provide hardware, data analysis and ground processing for the three-spacecraft mission.
One of the other panels on Wednesday will discuss Katalyst Space’s unsuccessful attempt to reboost the Swift observatory with their LINK on-orbit servicing spacecraft. Katalyst hasn’t posted anything about it since September 4 when they said they expected LINK to deorbit in “2-3 weeks.” Katalyst’s Kieran Wilson, LINK’s principal investigator, will be there.
“What Comes Next for On-Orbit Servicing?” is the topic of another event this week. Space News Senior Staff Writer Sandra Erwin will discuss it with representatives from two other companies in that business, Astroscale and Starfish Space, and U.S. Space Force’s Space Systems Command (SSC). Various parts of the defense department (SSC, SDA, DIU) have awarded contracts to Starfish and Astroscale and others to develop on-orbit servicing systems including three “Deorbit-as-a-Service” or DaaS contracts to D-Orbit, Firefly and Katalyst last month.
Payload Space’s “Off World Summit” takes place in Houston Wednesday-Thursday. They’ve got a top-notch speaker line-up with a heavy emphasis on industry talking about everything from the future of Commercial LEO Destinations (CLDs, the hoped-for successors to the International Space Station) to Nuclear Energy Beyond Earth to building the Moon Base and lunar structures and much more. A fireside chat with NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman is Wednesday afternoon. No virtual option is indicated.
Those and other events we know about as of Sunday morning are shown below. Check back throughout the week for others we learn about later and add to our Calendar or changes to these.
Monday, September 21
- Albania Signs the Artemis Accords, NASA HQ, Washington, DC, 12:00 pm ET
Tuesday-Wednesday, September 22-23
Tuesday-Thursday, September 22-24
- Committee on Astronomy and Astrophysics (Natl Academies), 2101 Constitution Ave., NW, Washington, DC/online (some sessions are closed)
Wednesday, September 23
- 2026 Aerospace Innovation Forum (U.S. Chamber of Commerce), 1615 H St., NW, Washington, DC, 8:00 am-12:30 pm ET
- What Comes Next for On-Orbit Servicing? (Space News), virtual, 1:00 pm ET
Wednesday-Thursday, September 23-24
- Off-World Summit (Payload Space), Space Center Houston, Houston, TX
Thursday, September 24
- AI & Autonomous Networks: The New Baseline for Satellite Operations (GSOA), virtual, 10:00 am ET
- 19th University of Nebraska Space Law Conference, Army & Navy Club, 901 17th St, NW, Washington, DC, 12:10-4:10 pm ET
Thursday-Friday, September 24-25
- SpaceCHI 2026, Moffett Field, CA/online
- Interagency Astronomy and Astrophysics Advisory Committee (AAAC), virtual
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Facts Only
* The Trump-Xi summit occurs from Tuesday to Thursday.
* Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos are reportedly on the list to attend a state dinner at the White House with other tech luminaries.
* Space-related legislation or hearings were not on the agenda for the week.
* Albania will sign the Artemis Accords at NASA HQ with Deputy Administrator Matt Anderson presiding on Monday, September 21.
* The Committee on Astronomy and Astrophysics (CAA) meets in person from Tuesday to Thursday at the National Academy of Sciences building.
* NASA Goddard’s James Ira Thorpe will provide an update on the ESA/NASA Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA) on Wednesday.
* A panel will discuss Katalyst Space’s unsuccessful attempt to reboost the Swift observatory with their LINK spacecraft.
* Payload Space’s “Off World Summit” takes place in Houston from Wednesday to Thursday.
* The Starship launch was postponed to September 28.
* SpaceNews Senior Staff Writer Sandra Erwin will discuss on-orbit servicing with Astroscale, Starfish Space, and the U.S. Space Force’s Space Systems Command (SSC).
* SpaceCHI 2026 and the Interagency Astronomy and Astrophysics Advisory Committee (AAAC) are scheduled for Thursday and Friday.
Executive Summary
The week of September 20-26, 2026, features several space policy events alongside ongoing legislative and scientific activities. The primary event in Washington D.C. is the Trump-Xi summit from Tuesday to Thursday, which reportedly includes Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos alongside other tech figures. Discussions regarding U.S.-China competition in space are present as a major topic, although the weight of this factor remains unclear.
Scientifically, the Committee on Astronomy and Astrophysics (CAA) meets in person at the National Academy of Sciences building from Tuesday to Thursday, involving representatives from NASA, NSF, and DOE. NASA Goddard’s James Ira Thorpe will update the group on the ESA/NASA Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA) on Wednesday, detailing the project's context regarding funding decisions by the Trump Administration and Congress. Other events include a session on Katalyst Space’s attempt to reboost the Swift observatory and a "Payload Space’s Off World Summit" in Houston focusing on commercial LEO destinations and space infrastructure.
Logistically, the Starship launch scheduled for Tuesday was postponed to September 28. In terms of international agreements, Albania is scheduled to become the 73rd signatory to the Artemis Accords at NASA HQ. The schedule includes virtual meetings with the NSF-NASA-DOE Astronomy and Astrophysics Advisory Committee and SpaceCHI 2026 in California.
Full Take
The narrative of this week presents a juxtaposition between high-level geopolitical engagement, fundamental scientific infrastructure updates, and commercial/defense interests in the space sector. The central tension appears to be how external competition, specifically U.S.-China dynamics, intersects with established international frameworks like the Artemis Accords and domestic scientific priorities concerning long-term space endeavors like LISA.
A significant pattern emerges in the handling of complex, multi-stakeholder projects: discussions around LISA highlight a recurring friction point where political bodies (Administration, Congress) propose changes, but funding or operational decisions are deferred or contested across different branches. This mirrors the broader context where commercial servicing attempts, such as Katalyst’s failed reboost attempt, rely on layered contracts and oversight from defense and space agencies.
The clustering of high-profile technology figures at summits alongside detailed scientific briefings suggests a deliberate framing: balancing geopolitical competition with the pursuit of open science and future infrastructure development. The focus on "On-Orbit Servicing" and "Commercial LEO Destinations" alongside gravitational wave research implies an underlying assumption that technological progress is inextricably linked to governance, funding mechanisms, and international cooperation, rather than purely technical execution. The recurring need for external consensus, as seen in the LISA funding saga, suggests a pattern where ambition outpaces established bureaucratic coordination, forcing visibility into the decision-making gaps across government and industry boundaries.
BRIDGE QUESTIONS:
How does the documented friction surrounding LISA funding reflect broader challenges in coordinating long-term space research goals across competing national interests? What structural mechanisms are most effective at ensuring that geopolitical competition does not entirely derail shared scientific objectives like gravitational wave detection? If commercial servicing efforts repeatedly encounter bureaucratic delays, what systemic changes are required to accelerate the transition from theoretical capability to operational realization in space infrastructure?