The nonprofit International Association for the Advancement of Space Safety (IAASS) issued a new report in March calling for the establishment of an independent Space Safety Institute to speed development of commercial space flight safety standards and certification processes. SpaceNews.com

New Chinese launch firm Space Transportation carried out a test April 22 in northwest China in cooperation with Xiamen University, launching a 3,700-kilogram technology demonstrator named Jiageng-1. SpaceNews.com

NASA will establish an independent committee to review its planetary protection policies to reflect new developments in human space exploration and commercial spaceflight. SpaceNews.com

As NASA studies ways to accelerate development of the Space Launch System, an independent safety panel called on the agency to retain a major upcoming test of the vehicle. SpaceNews.com

The United States should do more to protect its space systems and build capabilities as a form of deterrence, experts said. SpaceNews.com

U.K. Export Finance, an agency with a long-standing interest in supporting satellite projects but with little to show for it until now, has signed a $325 million loan with Turkey to support two satellites Airbus is building under a 2017 contract. SpaceNews.com

Members of an independent safety panel said it will take time to determine what happened during a SpaceX Crew Dragon testing incident several days ago, and that its impact to the overall commercial crew program remains uncertain. SpaceNews.com

DoD IG report says Musk told Shanahan that SpaceX did not win an Air Force launch service contract because it had written a poor proposal that “missed the mark.” SpaceNews.com

Nearly a year after Northrop Grumman’s acquisition of Orbital ATK closed, company executives say they’re getting the benefits they expected from the deal in terms of cost savings and new business. SpaceNews.com

Seven states have National Guard space units: Alaska, California, Colorado, Florida, New York, Arkansas and Ohio. SpaceNews.com

The Air Force 45th Space Wing is gearing up for three high-profile space launches at Cape Canaveral over the coming months. SpaceNews.com

The Justice Department has reached a settlement with the company that provided faulty components that led to the failure of back-to-back Taurus launches for NASA. SpaceNews.com

The reason for the Atlas 5 upper stage break up, believed to have occurred between March 23 and March 25, is not yet known. SpaceNews.com

As NASA works to develop a plan for an accelerated human return to the moon, a top White House official emphasized the need for long-term sustainability that will require both a Gateway and a lunar base. SpaceNews.com

Kitay: Actions in space “will directly affect the outcome of future conflicts or crises." SpaceNews.com

ÅAC Microtec subsidiary Clyde Space plans to build and begin operating in 2020 two cubesats equipped with Automatic Identification System (AIS) receivers for Orbcomm in a contract valued at 54 million Swedish Krona ($5.9 million). SpaceNews.com

Iridium CEO Matt Desch said April 23 the company expects to finalize a multi-year renewal of its Enhanced Mobile Satellite Services (EMSS) contract with the Defense Department in the next 30 days. SpaceNews.com

Chinese startup Linkspace succeeded with a vertical takeoff and landing test late last month on the same day fellow private launch firm OneSpace failed to reach orbit with its OS-m rocket. Also that week, two other Chinese companies declared success with engine tests as they push to develop new launch vehicles. SpaceNews.com

Polish space industry startup KP Labs has awarded an order to Scottish cubesat manufacturer Clyde Space which will act as a subcontractor for the company’s Intuition-1 project SpaceNews.com