Commerce Eyeing Late January for Novel Space Mission Authorization Draft
The Commerce Department's Office of Space Commerce is working toward having a draft mission authorization process in late January for novel commercial space activities, Jenner & Block's Trey Hanbury and Elizabeth Pullin wrote last week. The Commerce effort stems from the White House's commercial space executive order, issued in August (see 2508140006). OSC said it's considering a regulatory framework for in-space servicing, assembling and manufacturing (ISAM) activities, lunar operations and commercial low earth orbit destinations, the lawyers noted.
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Commerce's mission-authorization concept would offer a single point of contact and single point of application for orbital mission authorization, and the FCC would still have authority over all communications and spectrum operations for ISAM and other novel missions, the lawyers said. Operators should expect to maintain compliance with FCC requirements even after a Commerce-administered authorization process is established, they added.