Department Of Commerce Proposes ‘Space Commerce Certification’ Process

The proposed Space Commerce Certification process is intended to interface with commercial space regulations and streamline agency review, and would:

• Be open to “novel space activities” not clearly regulated by existing federal regulatory frameworks and identified as eligible by the Office of Space Commerce (OSC);
• Be voluntary and opt-in;
• Involve a light-touch, interagency review focused on national security, foreign policy, international obligations, and space safety; and
• Operate on a presumption of Secretary of Commerce approval of a Space Commerce Certification, with decisions generally issued within 120 days.

The Certification process would not replace existing Federal Communications Commission (FCC), Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), or Department of Commerce, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Commercial Remote Sensing Regulatory Affairs (CRSRA) licensing obligations.