Office Of Space Commerce Seeks Industry Input On Revolutionizing The US Mission Authorization Process

The Office of Space Commerce (OSC) is inviting industry leaders to help shape a streamlined, one-stop mission authorization process for novel space activities¹—promising to cut red tape, accelerate innovation, and redefine how novel space activities get the green light. OSC will accept comments until 22 December 2025, with the proposed regulatory process to be submitted to the White House in January 2026.²

Directed under Executive Order 14335, "Enabling Competition in the Commercial Space Industry,"³ OSC's Mission Authorization Plan will offer a unified process for novel space industry missions to obtain a "space commerce certification."

Under the plan, a novel space activity will be able to opt-in to OSC's program instead of the traditional parallel interagency licensure process. OSC will identify "light-touch commitments" that an applicant must make to protect fundamental national interests, conduct a due diligence review, and circulate the application to the