U.S. Sen. Roger Wicker (R-MS) on Nov. 15 signed on as the lead original cosponsor of a bipartisan bill to establish the federal Commercial Space Activity Advisory Committee.
“The commercial space industry is growing rapidly, and it is important for government to help it continue,” Sen. Wicker said. “Establishing a new advisory committee staffed by subject matter experts across industry, academia, and policy will help us guide this industry into the next era.”
The Commercial Space Activity Advisory Committee Act, S. 3342, which is sponsored by U.S. Sen. Gary Peters (D-MI), would establish the Commercial Space Activity Advisory Committee within the Office of Space Commerce, which is the principal unit for space commerce policy activities within the U.S. Department of Commerce. The office’s mission is to foster the conditions for the economic growth and technological advancement of the U.S. commercial space industry.
If enacted, S. 3342 would enable the advisory committee to share important insights into non-governmental space activity and empower its members to inform and shape federal policy and programs, according to a bill summary provided by Sen. Wicker’s staff.
“As connected technologies continue to evolve, space-based assets will only become more critical to our safety and national security,” said Sen. Peters. “This bipartisan legislation would give our space industry leaders a seat at the table to help shape federal space policy and ensure the United States is at the forefront of commercial space development.”
Under S. 3342, the Commercial Space Activity Advisory Committee would be comprised of 15 members who would make recommendations on priorities such as those related to international obligations and export controls that affect the commercial space sector; the need to access reliable radio frequency spectrum; best practices for U.S. entities to avoid harmful environmental impacts to both earth and space; and space sector development, among others, the summary says.
S. 3342, which is under consideration by the U.S. Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee, has been endorsed by the Commercial Spaceflight Federation and ATLAS Space Operations.