The House Appropriations defense subcommittee approved $49.5 million to create a new “program of record for commercial satellite communications." SpaceNews.com

As the National Space Council prepares for its third public meeting, its activities to date have won widespread praise in the space community, even as there is some skepticism about the effectiveness of the council’s advisory group that will soon meet for the first time. SpaceNews.com

A House hearing on the reasons for cost and schedule problems with major NASA programs pointed blame at a wide variety of sources, from the tools used to track programs to the agency’s mindset to Congress itself. SpaceNews.com

Astranis, a startup developing geostationary satellites to offer broadband internet access, plans to equip its MicroGEO spacecraft with Bradford of the Netherland’s high performance green ECAPS thrusters. SpaceNews.com

Oxford Space Systems, a British startup that hopes to compete with space industry giants Harris Corp. and Northrop Grumman in the satellite component business, has raised 6.7 million British pounds ($8.9 million) from investors. SpaceNews.com

Outer space is the last frontier of human exploration. Unfortunately, the glory days of landing men on the moon are now a distant memory. So too are the memories of watching space shuttles rumble to life and roar to space fading away. That is poised to change and America is ready to lead the way. SpaceNews.com

The relay satellite which will facilitate China’s Chang’e-4 lunar far side landing mission late in 2018 has entered its intended halo orbit around Earth-Moon Lagrange point 2. SpaceNews.com

NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine used a recent speech to lay out not just the recent space policy changes that directly affect NASA activities but other administration efforts that focus more on commercial space. SpaceNews.com

Both chambers want legislation that strengthens the U.S. military space posture, said Thornberry. The House and Senate are “not going to let up in our push to do better in space.” SpaceNews.com

Despite conditions that have deprived the Opportunity Mars rover of solar power, NASA officials said June 13 that they expected the long-lived spacecraft to survive an intense ongoing dust storm. SpaceNews.com

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Defense Secretary Jim Mattis told reporters the Pentagon appreciates the congressional focus on space issues and is not being passive about space reforms, although he would like to see further debate on the pros and cons of reorganizing the military. SpaceNews.com

NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine says he’s pushing to have a current NASA center director and former astronaut be nominated to be his deputy. SpaceNews.com

While Angola’s first telecom satellite, Angosat-1, failed not long after reaching orbit late last year, the sub-Saharan African nation will get a second shot at satellite ownership with the planned 2020 launch of Angosat-2. SpaceNews.com

A fiscal year 2019 spending bill approved by a Senate appropriations subcommittee June 12 offers $21.3 billion for NASA, including funding for several missions slated for cancellation in the administration’s budget request. SpaceNews.com

As the Federal Communications Commission nears a decision on the use of C-band satellite spectrum, it and several other U.S. agencies are weighing a broader strategy for the nation’s spectrum. SpaceNews.com

Sen. David Perdue: China has spent a lot of time and money developing capabilities to attack GPS satellites, jam them or take them off orbit. SpaceNews.com

NASA doesn’t expect to make decisions on how it will carry out a Mars sample return effort until late next year despite recent discoveries that have offered additional evidence that the planet was once, and may still be, habitable. SpaceNews.com

As the White House puts the finishing touches on a new space policy dealing with space traffic management issues, the House is considering legislation of its own on the topic. SpaceNews.com

Satellite rideshare company Spaceflight Inc. on June 11 signed on as the anchor customer for three Electron launches from Rocket Lab. SpaceNews.com