SpacePolicyOnline.com

What’s Happening in Space Policy February 22-28, 2026

President Trump will deliver his State of the Union address on Feb. 24, where space defense initiatives such as the Golden Dome missile shield could re‑emerge alongside a renewed focus on lunar missions. NASA plans to roll the Artemis II SLS/Orion stack back to the Vehicle Assembly Building to fix a helium‑flow issue, potentially shifting the launch from March to April. The House will consider the bipartisan ASCEND Act, directing NASA to acquire and share commercial Earth‑remote‑sensing data, while SpaceX’s CRS‑33 Cargo Dragon is slated to undock from the ISS at month’s end. A packed week of conferences—from the AFA Warfare Symposium to Japan’s National Space Policy Symposium—highlights strategic discussions on LEO economics, space sustainability, and U.S.–China competition.