/sci/ - Science & Math

New commercial space bill addresses mission authorization and SSA ,
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https://spacenews.com/new-commercial-space-bill-addresses-mission-authorization-and-ssa/
> WASHINGTON — The Republican leadership of the House Science Committee has introduced legislation that would create a mission authorization system for commercial space activities and alter plans for a space traffic coordination system.
> “This bill crafts a favorable and competitive environment right here at home by streamlining our regulatory process and clarifying federal roles in licensing commercial space activities,” Lucas said in the statement about the bill.
> A key part of the bill would be to create a “certification” process for commercial spacecraft not licensed by other agencies, such as the Federal Aviation Administration, Federal Communications Commission or the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Companies would provide basic information about their spacecraft to the Office of Space Commerce, including a debris mitigation plan, and the office would have 60 days to either grant or deny the application.
> “To continue strengthening American leadership in space, we must modernize our commercial space framework. The Commercial Space Act will do just that by addressing outdated laws, enhancing innovation, and ensuring our partners are not stymied by regulatory hurdles,” Babin said in a statement about the bill.
> Another section of the bill addresses civil space situational awareness (SSA) work led by the Office of Space Commerce. The bill would direct the office to select a consortium led by an academic or nonprofit organization to provide SSA “data, information and services.” That would appear to supersede the office’s own work on an SSA system, called the Traffic Coordination System for Space, currently in development.