On May 14, Director Kevin O’Connell of the Office of Space Commerce testified before the Senate Commerce Committee at a hearing on “The Emerging Space Environment: Operational, Technical, and Policy Challenges.” He stated that the future space operating environment will…
Office of Space Commerce
Helping U.S. businesses use the unique medium of space to benefit our economy
Secretary Ross Remarks from 2019 Space Symposium
On April 9, Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross delivered a keynote address at the 35th Space Symposium in Colorado Springs, CO. Among other things, he announced that the Departments of Commerce and State will co-host a Space Enterprise Summit on…
Tagged with: Congress, legislation, Secretary of Commerce, spectrum, speech, State Department
Posted in Export Controls, Regulatory Reform, SSA/STM
Posted in Export Controls, Regulatory Reform, SSA/STM
Testimony from Senate Hearing on U.S. Space Leadership
On March 13, 2019, Kevin O’Connell of the Office of Space Commerce testified before the Senate Commerce Committee for a hearing on “The New Space Race: Ensuring U.S. Global Leadership on the Final Frontier.” Below is his opening statement as…
Legislative Proposal to Establish Bureau of Space Commerce
On October 15, 2018, Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross submitted to Congress a legislative proposal to establish a new Bureau of Space Commerce headed by an Assistant Secretary for Space Commerce. Download legislative proposal (PDF) Download section-by-section analysis (PDF) Section-by-Section…
Tagged with: Congress, legislation, Secretary of Commerce
Posted in Commercial Remote Sensing, GPS, Regulatory Reform
Posted in Commercial Remote Sensing, GPS, Regulatory Reform
Statement of Secretary Ross on House Passage of Space Commerce Bill
Yesterday, Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross issued a statement regarding the U.S. House of Representatives’ passage of H.R. 2809, the American Space Commerce Free Enterprise Act. View statement The stated purpose of the bill is (1) to enhance the existing…
Tagged with: Congress, legislation, Secretary of Commerce, space mission authorization, statement
Posted in Commercial Remote Sensing, Regulatory Reform
Posted in Commercial Remote Sensing, Regulatory Reform
Weather Act Addresses Commercial Satellite Data and Hosted Payloads
On April 18, President Trump signed the Weather Research and Forecasting Innovation Act of 2017. Section 302 authorizes the Commerce Department to enter into agreements for commercial weather data purchases and hosted payload arrangements. The legislation requires NOAA to prepare…
Tagged with: Congress, CWDP, legislation, radio occultation
Posted in Commercial Space Solutions for NOAA, Data Buys, Hosted Payloads
Posted in Commercial Space Solutions for NOAA, Data Buys, Hosted Payloads
NOAA Report to Congress on Commercial Weather Data Pilot
We posted a report on how NOAA plans to execute the Commercial Weather Data Pilot (CWDP) program. Based on the findings of recent market research and FAR processes (e.g., Requests For Information), NOAA has selected GNSS-RO as the most suitable…
Tagged with: Congress, CWDP, radio occultation, report
Posted in Commercial Space Solutions for NOAA, Data Buys
Posted in Commercial Space Solutions for NOAA, Data Buys
NOAA Requests Funding Increases for Office of Space Commerce, Commercial Weather Data Pilot
The President’s Fiscal Year 2017 budget request for NOAA, released February 9, includes $2 million for the Office of Space Commerce, a $1.4 million increase compared to its current funding level. The funds will increase the capacity of the office…
Law Clears Way for Satellites to be Removed from U.S. Munitions List
On January 2, 2013, President Obama signed the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2013. Section 1261 of the law repeals the 1999 legislation that placed satellites and related items under the strict rules of the International Traffic in…
Report on Satellite Export Control Policy Reform
On April 18, the Departments of Defense and State released a report on space export control policy reform, recommending that many satellites and satellite components be transferred from the USML to the Commerce Control List (CCL) administered by the Department…
Tagged with: CCL, Congress, DOD, ITAR, legislation, report, State Department, USML
Posted in Export Controls
Posted in Export Controls