If space policy had a theme for this edition, it might be “build more—but build it better.” In Washington, lawmakers are advancing a $55.5 billion Space Force budget while reintroducing greater cost transparency through renewed acquisition reforms, and a new executive order pushes NASA to develop a plan for quantum space applications. On the ground, NASA’s Inspector General warns that aging launch infrastructure may struggle to keep pace with demand, even as the agency moves forward with missions like DAPHNE. In Europe, the emphasis is less on budgets and more on independence, calling to strengthen its own space autonomy away from the U.S.

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