In the sterile language of federal ethics, they are known as "Widely Attended Gatherings," or WAGs. To the outside observer, these determinations—official permissions for NASA personnel to attend industry events—might look like mere administrative paperwork. Yet, taken together, the agency’s latest list of approved gatherings for late 2025 and 2026 forms a map of the modern space-industrial complex, where the lines between government oversight and private enterprise are increasingly blurred.
The upcoming calendar is dominated by the logistical and social requirements of the Artemis program. From the Artemis II rollout receptions to supplier conferences and networking events hosted by SpaceX and Amazon, the schedule reflects a pivot toward a permanent lunar presence. These gatherings serve as the informal boardrooms for the "New Space" economy, providing the necessary friction for policy experts, aerospace engineers, and lobbyists to align their trajectories ahead of the decade’s most ambitious missions.
Beyond the high-profile lunar missions, the list highlights the steady drumbeat of regional and specialized interests that sustain the agency. Receptions for the Maryland Space Business Roundtable and the California Manufacturers and Technology Association underscore the geographic dispersion of NASA’s supply chain. While the technology of flight is often the focus of public attention, these ethics determinations remind us that the mission to the stars is equally dependent on the earthly machinery of consensus-building and bureaucratic protocol.
With reporting from NASA Breaking News.
Source · NASA Breaking News
