LAS VEGAS — Ongoing development of a regulatory framework for overseeing new commercial space activity is critical to NASA’s long-term exploration plans that will rely increasing on the private sector, the agency’s deputy administrator said.
In an Oct. 24 speech at AIAA’s ASCEND conference here, NASA Deputy Administrator Pam Melroy said the agency supported ongoing work by the National Space Council to develop what is known as “mission authorization,” a regulatory framework to comply with treaty requirements to oversee commercial missions not currently licensed by other agencies.
“We are leaning heavily on our commercial partners. Our industry needs a clear, timely and consistent path to success and safety,” she said, citing “the risk to all space activities of not having some form of coordinated oversight that has clarity for both NASA and the industry.”
Both industry and government have been pushing for years to create a mission authorization system that would provide “authorization and continuing supervision,” in the words of Article 6 of the Outer Space Treaty, for commercial space activities not overseen today by government agencies like the Federal Aviation Administration, Federal Communications Commission and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Those agencies currently license launch and reentry, communications and remote sensing, respectively.
Melroy cited as examples of activities that would benefit from mission authorization commercial lunar landers and space stations. NASA is relying on commercial landers to deliver cargo and astronauts to the lunar surface while it supports development of commercial space stations as successors to the International Space Station.
“I just can’t say enough how vitally important it is that we succeed in coming up with the right framework,” she said. “Commercial partners are critical to the success of not just NASA but to our country and, I believe, the…
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