Latest Space Policy Directive Aimed at Space Situational Awareness, Includes FCC
President Donald Trump's space policy directive signed Monday has the U.S. "lead[ing] the management of traffic and mitigat[ing] the effects of debris in space." The directive said policy will be to use commercial and government technologies for tracking and monitoring…
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space debris. The U.S. will update orbital debris mitigation standard practices and set new guidelines for satellite design and operation for data sharing. The NASA administrator, coordinating with other agency heads including the FCC chairman, will craft updates to the practices and new guidelines for satellite design and operation. Secretaries of commerce and transportation will consult the FCC chairman to assess incorporating updated standards into licensing processes. Heads of agencies including the FCC will jointly develop space traffic standards. Heads of Commerce, Transportation, State and Defense, the NASA administrator and director of national intelligence, consulting with the FCC chairman, will coordinate to mitigate risks of harmful RF interference. The secretary of state -- in coordination with other agencies and in consultation with the FCC chief -- will lead U.S. efforts on international engagement regarding international transparency and space object registry on space traffic management and space situational awareness issues. Heads of agencies including the FCC will jointly develop space traffic best practices. The country commits to continue to provide "basic space situational awareness data and basic space traffic management services" for free. DOD will keep the authoritative catalog of space objects, and Commerce will make space safety data and services publicly available. Improved space situational awareness data standards and information sharing will use U.S. standards in trying to share international norms and cut regulatory burdens. During a National Space Council meeting Monday, Trump pledged to create a sixth military branch, the Space Force, separate from the Air Force. He made creation the job of Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Joseph Dunford. Trump signed a directive in May aimed at deregulation to better foster commercial space services (see 1805240031).