On December 5, 2018, Kevin O’Connell delivered a keynote address at the 13th Annual Eilene M. Galloway Memorial Symposium held in Washington, D.C., by the International Institute of Space Law. Below are his remarks as prepared for delivery. Good morning, …

Advancing Space Commerce: What Does “Light Touch, Permissive Regulation” Mean? Read more »

Today, at the fourth meeting of the National Space Council, Under Secretary of Commerce Karen Dunn Kelley reported on the Commerce Department’s progress in promoting U.S. space commerce and implementing the tasks assigned to it under Space Policy Directives 2 …

Commerce Provides Updates at 4th National Space Council Meeting Read more »

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 …

Legislative Proposal to Establish Bureau of Space Commerce Read more »

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 its regulations for the licensing …

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 regarding commercial space transportation regulations, …

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 (1) to enhance the existing …

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 the President for regulatory reforms …

Space Council Focuses on Regulatory Reform Read more »

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 to help commercial space organizations, …

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 U.S. regulatory framework for commercial …

Commerce Department Now Accepting Public Inputs on Regulatory Streamlining Read more »