Aeronautics and Space Report of the President Fiscal Year 2019 Activities Aeronautics and Space Report OF THE PRESIDENT Fiscal Year 2019 Activities The National Aeronautics and Space Act of 1958 directed the annual Aeronautics and Space Report to include a “comprehensive description of the programmed activities and the accomplishments of all agencies of the United States in the field of aeronautics and space activities during the preceding calendar year.” In recent years, the reports have been prepared on a fiscal-year basis, consistent with the budgetary period now used in programs of the Federal Government. This year’s report covers activities that took place from October 1, 2018, through September 30, 2019. Please note that these activities reflect the Federal policies of that time and do not include subsequent Aeronautics and Space Report of the President • Fiscal Year 2019 Activities and SpaceAeronautics Report 2019 of the Year President • Fiscal events or changes in policy. On the title page, clockwise from the top left: 1. During a spacewalk outside the International Space Station on August 22, 2019, astronaut Nick Hague and fellow crewmember Andrew Morgan install the second International Docking Adapter on the complex to enable commercial spacecraft from Boeing and SpaceX to carry astronauts to the station. Credit: NASA. 2. Aircraft maintenance crews at NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center prepare the remotely piloted Ikhana aircraft for a test flight. Credit: NASA/Ken Ulbrich. 3. Artist’s concept of the Suomi National Polar-orbiting Partnership (Suomi-NPP), an Earth-observing satellite operated by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Credit: NASA. 4. Lidar data collected by NOAA aircraft showing Bixby Bridge and Bixby Creek along the coast of central California. Credit: NOAA. 5. The 50-year anniversary of the Apollo 11 mission was celebrated on July 19, 2019, with full-motion projection-mapping artwork on the Washington Monument. Credit: NASA/Bill Ingalls. 6. On May 29, 2019, NASA’s Juno spacecraft captured this view of an area of Jupiter’s clouds. Credit: Enhanced image by Kevin M. Gill based on images provided courtesy of NASA/Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL)– Caltech/ Southwest Research Institute (SwRI)/MSSS. TABLE OF CONTENTS Table of Contents Table The National Space Council . .v National Aeronautics and Space Administration . 1 Human Exploration and Operations Mission Directorate 1 Science Mission Directorate 28 Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate 44 Space Technology Mission Directorate 50 Department of Defense . .59 Federal Aviation Administration . .83 Department of Commerce. 93 Department of the Interior. 117 Federal Communications Commission . 143 U.S. Department of Agriculture . 151 National Science Foundation . 171 Department of State . 183 Department of Energy . 191 Smithsonian Institution. 205 Appendices A-1 U S Government Spacecraft Record 217 A-2 World Record of Space Launches Successful in Attaining Earth Orbit or Beyond 218 B Successful Launches to Orbit on U S Vehicles 220 C Human Spaceflights 223 D-1A Space Activities of the U S Government—Historical Table of Budget Authority in Millions of Real-Year Dollars 224 D-1B Space Activities of the U S Government—Historical Table of Budget Authority in Millions of Inflation-Adjusted FY 2019 Dollars 226 D-2 Federal Space Activities Budget 228 D-3 Federal Aeronautics Activities Budget 229 E Space Policy Directive-4 of February 19, 2019: Establishment of the United States Space Force 230 Acronyms . 233 v The National Space Council Space National The THE NATIONAL SPACE COUNCIL Since its revival by Executive Order on June 30, 2017, the National Space Council has advised and assisted the President on national space policy and strat- egy, advised on international space activities, and fostered closer coordination and cooperation among the domestic civil, national security, and commercial space sec- tors. The Council’s Chair, Vice President Mike Pence, is supported by the National Space Council membership, which includes the heads of the agencies, offices, and departments responsible for the United States space enterprise. At the President’s direction, the Council meets regularly to publicly discuss the status of Administration priorities and propose new recommendations to the President regarding national space policy and strategy. In addition to an audi- ence comprised of stakeholders from industry, government, academia, and non- governmental organizations, Council meetings are livestreamed to encourage public involvement and transparency. The Council is supported by a Users’ Advisory Group (UAG) comprised of non- federal senior leaders from industry, academia, and other non-governmental organi- zations. The UAG members are organized into six subcommittees: Exploration and Discovery, National Security Space, Economic Development and the Industrial Base, Technology and Innovation, Outreach and Education, and Space Policy and International Engagement. These subcommittees meet regularly to produce recom- mendations to the National Space Council for consideration. vi Meetings of the National Space Council The Council met on March 26, 2019, at the U.S. Space and Rocket Center in Huntsville, Alabama, marking the fifth meeting since the Council’s revival in 2017. Prior to the meeting, the Vice President delivered remarks in which he issued the Administration’s direction for a crewed mission to the lunar surface by 2024. The meeting included reports from the National Security Council, Department of Defense, Office of Science and Technology Policy, Department of Transportation, Department of Commerce, and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). Subsequently, the Council heard two panels of expert testimony that focused on space exploration and human spaceflight. The Council voted unanimously to adopt recommendations to expedite a return to the lunar surface, as well as recommendations on space-related export controls. On August 20, 2019, the Council convened for its sixth meeting at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum’s Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, Virginia. This meeting focused on implementation of the Administration’s direction for a crewed mission to the lunar surface by 2024 and sustained presence on the Moon as a proving ground for crewed missions to Mars. In particular, the meeting addressed measures necessary to reform the space sector, and highlighted innovative technologies that will expedite deep space exploration efforts. The Council voted on recommendations related to space nuclear power sources, exploration and international cooperation, commercial space and indus- Aeronautics and Space Report of the President • Fiscal Year 2019 Activities and SpaceAeronautics Report 2019 of the Year President • Fiscal trial base issues, and acquisition and workforce reform at NASA. At the recom- mendation of the National Space Council and the National Security Council, the President signed a new National Security Policy Memorandum to streamline the process of launching nuclear material for use in space exploration. Space Policy Directive Implementation Recommendations from previous meetings and other Administration priorities are articulated in Space Policy Directives, of which four have been issued since the Council’s revival in 2017. The implementation of the existing SPDs is ongoing and summarized below. Space Policy Directive-1 (SPD-1) amended the 2010 National Space Policy, also vii known as Presidential Policy Directive-4, to require NASA to return to sustain- Council Space National The able human exploration of deep space with commercial and international partners. At the March 2019 meeting of the National Space Council, NASA announced it would expedite the return of the next American man and the landing of the first American woman on the Moon’s lunar South Pole by 2024, followed by a sustainable lunar presence by 2028 in preparation for crewed missions to Mars. To accomplish the goals of SPD-1, the National Space Council has actively encour- aged NASA to conduct necessary internal reforms. Negotiations and contracting processes are underway to include the unique capabilities of commercial and inter- national partners in the effort. Space Policy Directive-2 (SPD-2) requires certain departments and agencies to streamline regulatory requirements to ensure that there are no undue barriers to the acceleration of commercial space activities. Among them, the Department of Commerce is currently updating regulations on commercial remote sensing to keep United States industry at the forefront in an increasingly competitive global mar- ket. Not only are advanced remote sensing phenomena entering the market, but a wide range of data management and analytic tools are creating insights in a variety of market areas, including agriculture, finance, and insurance. The Department of Transportation is also working to streamline the Federal Aviation Administration’s launch and reentry regulations to better reflect the increasing cadence and techno- logical developments of the space transportation industry. Space Policy Directive-3 (SPD-3) provided for the creation of the Nation’s first space traffic management architecture to ensure protection of the national and economic security of the United States. The Departments of Defense and Commerce are developing transition plans and cooperative agreements to imple- ment SPD-3. As final FY20 appropriations did not include adequate funding to do so, the FY21 President’s