The U.S. Office of Space Commerce (OSC), operating within the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) which is part of the Department of Commerce, is the primary entity responsible for fostering the economic growth and technological advancement of the U.S. commercial space industry. Its key activities include policy advocacy, regulation of private remote sensing space systems, and the provision of space situational awareness services, notably through the Traffic Coordination System for Space (TraCSS). OSC works with various government agencies like NASA and international organizations such as ESA to promote U.S. space commerce and ensure compliance with regulations. The OSC aims to advance U.S. leadership in the global commercial space sector by removing regulatory barriers and promoting U.S. space products/services.
All verified mentions of this organization in source documents.
In January, the U.S. Office of Space Commerce placed orders with COMSPOC, LeoLabs, and Slingshot Aerospace to provide data and services on objects in low Earth orbit.
Slingshot Aerospace was selected by the United States Department of Commerce’s Office of Space Commerce to provide LEO space situational awareness data and services for the Traffic Coordination System for Space (TraCSS) Consolidated Pathfinder project.
The Department of Commerce’s Office of Space Commerce selected Slingshot Aerospace to provide data on objects in low Earth orbit for a project to create a civilian space traffic coordination and management system.
NOAA’s Office of Space Commerce plans to announce additional partnering opportunities in the near future.
The CRADA’s research efforts will assist NOAA’s Office of Space Commerce in developing capabilities to deconflict and manage the increasingly crowded orbital environment.
The CRADA was established on 2024-01-31 and allows the sharing of facilities between the Office of Space Commerce and SpaceX without exchanging funds.
The Office of Space Commerce will perform an astrodynamics evaluation of the tools SpaceX uses to manage more than 5,000 Starlink broadband satellites.
The Office of Space Commerce plans to announce additional partnering opportunities shortly.
The SAFE Orbit Act would formally authorize the Office of Space Commerce to develop and operate a space traffic coordination system including maintaining a public catalog and providing basic services at no charge.
LeoLabs received a Consolidated Pathfinder order from NOAA’s Office of Space Commerce for the development of the civil-led national Traffic Coordination System for Space (TraCSS).
The Office of Space Commerce secured $70,000,000 for fiscal year 2023 and requested $88,000,000 for fiscal year 2024.
The Office of Space Commerce is planning a separate pathfinder called Improved Satellite Owner/Operator Ephemeris to incorporate satellite position data provided directly by satellite operators.
The Office of Space Commerce is taking an iterative 'crawl, walk, run' approach to TraCSS with an initial Phase 1.0 set to be ready as soon as September and quarterly updates planned through September 2025.
The Office of Space Commerce selected COMSPOC, LeoLabs, and Slingshot Aerospace to participate in a Consolidated Pathfinder program on 2024-01-19.
The Office of Space Commerce would have 60 days to review applications for certification with a presumption of approval.
The Office of Space Commerce would manage all other uncrewed space activities not otherwise licensed.
The White House proposal divides mission authorization responsibilities between the FAA/AST and the Office of Space Commerce.
The Office of Space Commerce would be responsible for the certification of commercial spacecraft under the Commercial Space Act of 2023.
The House Republican leadership’s Commercial Space Act of 2023, introduced 2023-11-02, would create a certification process for novel space activities led by the Office of Space Commerce.
The Commercial Spaceflight Federation supports making the Office of Space Commerce the sole agency for providing mission authorization with a light-touch approach that includes presumption of authorization, supervision via self-certification, firm timelines for approval, and narrowly defined evaluation criteria.