Akin Space Law, Regulation and Policy Update | August 8, 2025

The calendar may say we’re in the August doldrums, but it seems no one in the space business is taking the summer off. In Washington, Congress continued to push back against President Trump’s proposed NASA budget cuts, while the acting NASA Administrator unveiled plans to place a nuclear reactor on the moon and replace the ISS with a commercial space station by the end of the decade. Meanwhile, industry awaits the release of an Executive Order intended to slash regulation and accelerate growth in the commercial space industry.

Outside the U.S., Japan proposed international guidelines to track and remove space debris and China’s commercial space industry accomplished a milestone with the first launch of a commercial-built Guowang satellite.

All this and more in this edition of Akin’s Space Law, Regulation and Policy Update.