Commerce Centralizing Space Mission Operations

Commerce is moving toward a space regulatory framework where there will be one centralized response, instead of commercial space missions having to deal with a variety of offices, Deputy Secretary Don Graves said Wednesday at the Space Foundation's Space Symposium. That vision "may take a little bit of time to implement," he said. That vision, part of the agency's strategic plan, comes as it has established the Commercial Space Coordination Committee as a forum to engage with the agency across departments and offices on space issues, he said. He said Commerce continues to work toward the September 2024 deadline for taking over space situational awareness data and services from DOD, though added it's "not a lot of time." As part of that SSA effort, the SSA system has been rebranded the Traffic Coordination System, he said.