Leonard David's INSIDE OUTER SPACE

U.S. President Donald Trump holds up the Space Policy Directive – 1 after signing it, directing NASA to return to the Moon, alongside members of the Senate, Congress, NASA, and commercial space companies in the Roosevelt room of the White House in Washington, Monday, Dec. 11, 2017.
Credit: NASA/Aubrey Gemignani

The U.S. administration is planning to significantly enlarge the space portfolio of the U.S. Department of Commerce to help expand the nation’s commercial space sector and accelerate its evolution.

Remaking U.S. Regulation of Space Commerce is a newly released issue brief prepared by Dr. James Vedda of The Aerospace Corporation senior policy analyst in The Aerospace Corporation’s Center for Space Policy and Strategy.

Deep space architecture.
Credit: NASA

Adequate resources

Vedda notes that the reinvigoration of what traditionally has been a small office can start with providing adequate resources to carry out a space commerce strategic plan that has been in place for more than a decade.

Additionally, the office is expected to regulate and facilitate an array of space activities that are emerging in the private sector.

Range of responsibilities

A range of responsibilities will include far more than just regulatory reform and space traffic management, the two topics that dominate current planning.

Axiom space station.
Credit: Axiom

Among other topics are private-sector space stations; the exploitation of extraterrestrial resources; and utilities in cislunar space.

To view this informative issue brief, go to:

https://aerospace.org/sites/default/files/2018-07/Remaking-US-Regulation%200718.pdf