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An official website of the United States government.
Official websites use .gov
A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.
Secure .gov websites use HTTPS
A lock or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.
Under Space Policy Directive 2, “Streamlining Regulations on Commercial Use of Space,” the Department of Commerce is engaged in a range of regulatory reform activities intended to improve U.S. industry competitiveness and ensure the United States remains the flag of choice for businesses operating in space.
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) …
Legislative Proposal to Establish Bureau of Space Commerce Read more »
On October 4, 2018, the State Department issued minor revisions to the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR), including two changes related to space systems: In response to industry feedback, the State Department added a …
Today, the Commerce Department published an Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (ANPRM) on Licensing Private Remote Sensing Space Systems. View notice in the Federal Register View public comments at regulations.gov Commerce is considering revisions to …
Request for Comments on Remote Sensing Regulatory Reform Read more »
Today, President Trump signed a space policy directive to reform America’s commercial space regulatory framework, ensuring the nation’s place as a leader in space commerce. The directive includes recommendations developed by the National Space Council …
President Signs Directive on Space Regulatory Reform Read more »
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 …
Statement of Secretary Ross on House Passage of Space Commerce Bill Read more »
Today, Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross participated in the second meeting of the National Space Council, held at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Among other things, the Council approved a set of recommendations to …
Today, the Office of Space Commerce and the FAA Office of Commercial Space Transportation published the second edition of their Introduction to U.S. Export Controls for the Commercial Space Industry. The guidebook provides basic information …
Plain Language Guidebook on Satellite Export Controls Read more »
On October 5, 2017, Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross attended the first meeting of the reconstituted National Space Council. As Chairman of the Council, Vice President Mike Pence called for a full review of the …
Commerce Department Now Accepting Public Inputs on Regulatory Streamlining Read more »
On January 10, 2017, the State Department updated its satellite export control rules under the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR). The revised rules include several notable changes requested by the commercial space industry and …
Today, the State Department published a final rule revising Category XII of the U.S. Munitions List (USML) under the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR). View final rule at federalregister.gov Among other things, the rule …
On February 19, the State Department published a proposed export control rule change affecting GPS/GNSS user equipment. Among other things, the rule will move the existing GPS/GNSS receiver controls found in Category XV of the …
Proposed Changes to GPS/GNSS Export Controls Published Read more »
Today, the Commerce Department’s Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) published a “clean-up” rule for its new spacecraft export regulations, similar to the correction published by State on Monday. The Commerce correction rule is (retroactively) effective November …
Technical Corrections to DOC Spacecraft Export Control Rules Read more »
Starting today, U.S. commercial communications satellites are no longer considered defense articles subject to the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR). November 10 is the effective date for most of the sweeping satellite export rule …
On May 13, 2014, the Departments of State and Commerce released a set of interim final rules that move many commercial satellites and related items from the U.S. Munitions List to the Commerce Control List. …
Revised Satellite Export Control Rules Published Read more »
The Commerce Department’s Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) has completed its analysis of the data collected through its “Deep Dive” survey of the U.S. space industrial base. BIS has begun publishing publicly available reports …
Results of U.S. Space Industry “Deep Dive” Assessment Read more »
On May 24, 2013, the State and Commerce Departments published a pair of Proposed Rules to transfer certain satellites from the U.S. Munitions List (USML) to the Commerce Control List (CCL). This move was made possible by the 2013 National …
Proposed Changes to Satellite Export Controls Released for Public Comment Read more »
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 …
Law Clears Way for Satellites to be Removed from U.S. Munitions List Read more »
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 …
Report on Satellite Export Control Policy Reform Read more »
Today, President Obama issued a National Space Policy directive providing comprehensive guidance for all government activities in space, including the commercial, civil, and national security space sectors. The new policy leans farther forward in support …
March 3-5, 2010 Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center Washington, D.C. The Office of Space Commercialization partnered with the U.S. Geospatial Intelligence Foundation (USGIF) to organize this international symposium on satellite-based commercial remote sensing. …
2010 International Commercial Remote Sensing Symposium Read more »
On August 13, 2009, President Obama directed the National Economic Council and National Security Council to initiate an interagency review of the U.S. export control system, including both the dual-use and defense trade processes. The …
White House Review of U.S. Export Control System Read more »
On July 7, the National Research Council released a report on America’s Future in Space: Aligning the Civil Space Program with National Needs. It calls for a closer connection between U.S. space activity and broader …
National Academies Report on U.S. Space Priorities Read more »
On June 10, the House of Representatives passed H.R. 2410, the Foreign Relations Authorization Act for FY 2010-2011. Section 826 of the bill would authorize the President to remove satellites and related components from the …
Michael Beavin of the Office of Space Commercialization gave this presentation during a public forum on “Entrepreneurial Space and Export Control: Red Tape in the Final Frontier,” organized by AIAA on April 29, 2009. It …