State Department Seeks Private Sector Collab on Space Infrastructure and Markets
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The U.S. government is continuing its regulatory efforts of outer space’s emerging usages.
The U.S. State Department is seeking private sector cooperation in establishing first best practices for the shared commercial and civil usage of outer space, as more nations launch efforts into exploring beyond Earth’s atmosphere.
Published in the Federal Register on Tuesday, the notice states that State Department officials are looking for academia, commercial space firms and other sectors to participate in a series of forthcoming events that will discuss the regulations outlined in both the 2020 National Space Policy and the 2021 United States Space Priorities Framework.
Some of the key issues the federal government is looking for input on are the safety of crewed and unmanned outer space operations, sustainability in space travel, and identifying emerging markets within the commercial space sector.
The commercial space sector has been increasingly regarded as the next set of critical infrastructure to secure. As satellite capabilities advance to provide both internet access and global positioning technologies, federal agencies and experts have called for the burgeoning space sector to be given the same resources as other critical infrastructure sectors, such as food supply chains and utilities companies.
The deadline to apply as a participant in the State Department's collaboration is December 31.