Russia will invest US $820 million US Dollars in a new spaceport which is to be operational by 2015. The Vostochny cosmodrome is intended to ease dependence on the Baikonur site and will mostly handle civilian launches. 'Along with the construction, Russian space agency seeks international partners for future missions', announced Prime Minister Vladimir Putin.

In NASA's recently released online game Moonbase Alpha solo or team players can step into the role of an exploration team member in a futuristic 3-D lunar settlement. Their mission is to restore critical systems and oxygen flow after a nearby meteor strike cripples a solar array and life support equipment.

The National Space Policy (PDF) released on Monday by the Obama administration goes directly against the previous president's plans. According to the document, exploring space is more a cooperative program than a competition. The new directive offers an expanded role for foreign governments and private companies in monitoring Earth's climate, tracking and removing orbital debris and protecting satellites. It also states that space is for everybody and "calls on all nations to work together to adopt approaches for responsible activity in space to preserve this right for the benefit of future generations."

Jason Dunn, Chief Engineer of the GLXP Team Omega Envoy attended the Singularity University Graduate Summer Program (GSP10). The core premise of the program is the team project, which asks the question, "How will you positively affect 1 billion people in the next decade?" Read Jason's introduction on the GLXP blog here; what is your idea on using space to solve humanity's biggest problems?