November 2022 – Association of Commercial Space Professionals

U.S. Space Policy

The National Space Council has held listening sessions on the regulatory needs of novel private space services in parallel to the FCC’s ISAM Notice of Inquiry (NOI) proceeding. Both provided high-level consensus: The listening sessions showed broad support for a more comprehensive regulatory framework for novel commercial space activity, and the NOI showed a general consensus that ISAMs need more spectrum and bespoke licensing rules.
Why does this matter to you? The ISAM industry has caught the attention of U.S. government regulators and staked out some high-level principles. However, there were few details offered in either setting on how these ideas could be implemented. The industry needs to think carefully and deliberately about how those principles are achieved during the momentary pause in action by the regulators.

The FCC announced it would create a “Space Bureau” after the explosion in recent satellite applications filed with the Commission. The creation of a Space Bureau reflects the growing importance and Commission workload associated with satellites and space.
Why does this matter to you? The Commission has struggled to keep up with the explosive growth in space-related work. A new Bureau may lead to additional staff and new processes that may allow quicker action on applications and policy initiatives.

The DoD continues working with the Office of Space Commerce (OSC) to transfer space traffic management to OSC. The DoD’s 18th Space Defense Squadron has been responsible for monitoring potential collision events and providing warnings to satellite operators.
Why does this matter to you? Transitioning this responsibility to OSC is more than a bureaucratic change; it is the transfer of space traffic management from a security focus to a commercial one. When OSC assumes this responsibility, possible actions it may undertake (will it promulgate new rules, for example?) could result in significant changes in how satellite and spacecraft orbits and propulsive maneuvers are governed in the U.S.

The White House has issued another space strategy document, this time regarding National Cislunar Strategy. The document demonstrates that space remains a high priority for the administration and shows a committed U.S. government interest in expanding the commercial space economy.
Why does this matter to you? One notable highlight of the document is the reference to Lagrange points, places in space where an object will keep the same position relative to the Earth and the Moon. From a communications and data relay perspective, it seems that those areas in cislunar space will be of particular value as the investment in cislunar space grows.

The White House has proposed a new rule that would require contractors to report their greenhouse gas emission levels, financial risks, and set carbon reduction goals. Contractors and other stakeholders have until January 13, 2023 to provide comment on the proposed rule.
Why does this matter to you? Although the proposed rule will apply differently to large federal suppliers, the reporting requirement alone will likely create an administrative burden on small business contractors. Additional requirements are broad and not-well defined, leading to unforeseen or unexpected costs.

The U.S. Space Force is setting up a command center in South Korea, possibly to monitor North Korean launches. The Space Force has indicated that it intends to open other regional command centers in the future.
Why does this matter to you? While the specifics of the command center have yet to be determined, stakeholders can safely assume that the new base will include new earth stations. For any operators using government spectrum bands in and around Korea, this may lead to additional coordination burdens or spectrum usage constraints in the near future.

The U.S. Space Force is getting serious about in-space servicing and SpaceWERX is tapping into the commercial market through the Orbital Prime program in an attempt to establish in-space servicing and debris removal technologies.
Why does this matter to you? The government wants to utilize commercial defense contractors as much as possible. This means there are big opportunities for small businesses to leverage and perfect their technology and engage in government contracting.

The ESA plans to increase its budget to 16.9 billion Euros over the next three years. The new budget marks a significant increase in European spending on space and signals an interest in further developing European launch, earth observation, and non-geostationary broadband systems.
Why does this matter to you? This is a strong indicator that Europe is intent on remaining a player in space even as it faces strong economic headwinds in the near-term future. The additional spending and planned investments show that Europe wants European-based solutions for many critical space services.

Japan and the U.S. came to an agreement this month that ensured Japan’s commitment to maintaining the ISS and building the Lunar Gateway. This commitment to space infrastructure from the world’s third-largest economy is an important step towards guaranteeing the future of both the ISS and the Gateway.
Why does this matter to you? Private Japanese companies are already playing a large and leading role in the commercial ISAM space. With this commitment and its recently released On-orbit Servicing and Manufacturing Guidelines, the Japanese government continues to demonstrate Japan’s leadership in and commitment to the new space economy.