Summer 2022

The Aerospace Advocate

As a benefit of your AIAA membership, we provide quarterly updates on public policy issues of relevance to the aerospace community.

LEGISLATIVE UPDATES

House Advances FY23 Appropriations Bills

The funding bills include appropriations for aerospace-related programs at various departments and agencies. Senate democratic appropriators released their respective bills just ahead of the August recess. Key lawmakers in both chambers do not expect to finish this work before the 30 September deadline and anticipate there to be a continuing resolution, funding the federal government at FY22 levels, that extends past the November election.

FY23 Defense Authorization Act Passes House, Senate Committee

The House version of the annual policy bill authorizes $808 billion for the Department of Defense. Among many provisions, it establishes a separate Space National Guard, directs the Pentagon to explore options for creating a “National Hypersonic Initiative,” and urges the DoD to use commercial space services for communications, space domain awareness, and debris removal. The Senate version, which is not expected to come up for a floor vote until at least September, funds the department at $817 billion.

CHIPS+ Act Signed Into Law, Includes NASA Authorization

The Creating Helpful Incentives to Produce Semiconductors (CHIPS) Act, which provides significant federal investment for semiconductor manufacturing across the country, includes authorizing language for NASA. Among many provisions, the bill calls for an SLS launch annually after the first successful crewed launch of Orion; extends operations of the International Space Station to September 2030; creates the Planetary Defense Coordination Office; and instructs the agency to establish an Independent Program Analysis and Evaluation Office to perform cost and technical assessments of agency programs and carry out strategic planning activities. AIAA endorsed the legislation.

Drone, Flying Taxi Grant Programs Bills Advance in House

In late April, the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee passed a bill creating a $100 million infrastructure inspection grant program to fund drones that could help find cracks in bridges. AIAA has endorsed this legislation. Meanwhile, in June, the House passed a separate bill establishing a $25 million pilot program to provide grants to plan for advanced air mobility infrastructure, such as vertiports, where air taxis could land.

House Transportation Committee Passes Aerospace Supply Chain Bill

The American Aerospace Supply Chain Resiliency, Innovation, and Advancement Act would require the Department of Transportation to form a task force to study the aerospace supply chain, including an evaluation of raw material availability.

Congress Advances Legislation to Prepare Communities for AAM Integration

The Advanced Aviation Infrastructure Modernization (AAIM) Act would establish a pilot program to help state, local, and tribal governments prepare for anticipated advanced air mobility operations and ensure communities can take advantage of the potential benefits of the safe integration of these technologies in our nation’s airspace.

Legislation Promoting Cleaner, Quieter Airplanes Introduced in House

The Cleaner, Quieter Airplanes Act would bolster NASA’s efforts to reduce emissions from the aviation industry while also reducing the impact of airplane noise in airport-adjacent communities.

Bill Would Double R&D Tax Credit

The Fostering Innovation and Research to Strengthen Tomorrow (FIRST) Act would double the traditional research and development tax credit to 40 percent, double the Alternative Simplified Credit to 28 percent, more than double the credit for firms with little research history to 14 percent, and double the startup limit to $500,000.

New Caucus for Graduate Researchers

The newly established House Grad Caucus represents graduate student researchers conducting groundbreaking work in coordination with federal research agencies and the private sector. It is co-chaired by Reps. Mike Doyle (D-PA), Gus Bilirakis (R-FL), Zoe Lofgren (D-CA), and Stephanie Bice (R-OK).

EXECUTIVE UPDATES

Phil Washington Nominated as Next FAA Administrator

Washington is a U.S. Army veteran and has worked in the transit industry for more than 20 years, previously heading Los Angeles’s public transportation system. He currently serves as chief executive officer of Denver International Airport. Former administrator Steve Dickson resigned in March.

President Biden Nominates Arati Prabhakar as Next OSTP Director

Applied physicist Arati Prabhakar previously led NIST during the Clinton Administration and DARPA during the Obama Administration. Prabhakar will also serve as the president’s science advisor and be a cabinet member. She succeeds Eric Lander, who resigned on 7 February.

Next Chief of U.S. Space Force Nominated

Lt. Gen. B. Chance Saltzman, who currently serves as U.S. Space Force deputy chief of operations, has been nominated by President Biden to lead the Space Force as chief of space operations. He will also be promoted to four-star general. If confirmed, Saltzman will succeed Gen. John “Jay” Raymond, who is retiring after 38 years of service.

New OSC Director Appointed

Rich DalBello has been officially appointed as the next director of the Office of Space Commerce, beginning his duties on 9 May. He has more than 30 years of experience in the space industry, having previously served as vice president of Business Development and Government Affairs for Virgin Galactic and as the director of Space and Aeronautics in the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy from 2013 to 2015.

White House Issues Orbital Debris Implementation Plan

The plan was developed to ensure activities related to space debris, such as monitoring the orbital debris environment, understanding the effects of space weather on satellite predictions, regulating space activities, remediating debris, and working with the international community, are coordinated efforts across federal departments and agencies. It identifies 44 specific actions for agencies to lead.

White House Updates R&D Priorities

The annual R&D priorities memorandum provides guidance to federal agencies as they formulate their budget requests for fiscal year 2024. It continues to stress issues such as climate change, pandemic preparedness, emerging technologies, STEM education, and equity in innovation.

Biden Administration Restricts Science Collaborations with Russia

The White House Office of Science and Technology Policy announced in June that the U.S. will wind down research collaborations with Russia in response to its invasion of Ukraine. The policy applies to federally funded projects involving research institutions and individuals affiliated with the Russian government, and it permits non-government organizations in the United States to make their own decisions on whether to continue collaborations.

DHS Publishes Space Policy

A recently published space policy from the Department of Homeland Security focuses on three critical areas. The first is the protection of government and commercial space systems and their supply chains from threats, especially cyberattacks. The second is on minimizing the impact of any natural or human disruptions on the agency's day-to-day mission execution. A third focus is on preparation of contingency plans for operations in an environment threatened by natural causes and activities by adversaries.

Identified Path to Enable Aviation, 5G to Safely Co-Exist

Verizon, AT&T, and the FAA have identified steps to continue to protect commercial air travel from disruption by 5G C-band interference while also enabling enhanced wireless service around some airports. The plan requires operators of regional aircraft with radio altimeters most susceptible to interference to retrofit them with radio frequency filters by the end of 2022.

Climate Rules for Commercial Planes

A new FAA proposal calls for fuel efficiency requirements for commercial planes beginning in 2028, as part of the U.S. Aviation Climate Action Plan released last year. The proposal aligns with aircraft CO2 emission standards established by the United Nations’ International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) and with USEPA’s regulations implementing the ICAO standard. Public comments must be submitted by 15 August.

U.S. to Merge “Foundational” and “Emerging” Export Controls

The Commerce Department’s Bureau of Industry and Security announced last week it will not differentiate between “foundational” and "emerging" technologies in implementing a 2018 law that requires it to continually assess whether specific technologies in each category should be subject to export controls.

National Space Intelligence Center Formally Established

The center will be run by a new Space Force unit, Space Delta 18, responsible for analyzing foreign threats to the United States in the space domain. It will be co-located with the National Air and Space Intelligence Center at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Ohio.

GAO Warns of Weaknesses in U.S. Defense Industrial Base

The annual Weapon System Annual Assessment has identified defense industrial base challenges that are driving delays and cost overruns. GAO recommends an update to the Defense Department's industrial base assessment "to define the circumstances that would constitute a known or projected problem or substantial risk that a necessary industrial capability may be lost."