The National Space Council has formed a new policy that seeks to advance space traffic management and calls for the Commerce Department to provide space situational awareness support for use in public and commercial sectors.Vice President Mike Pence announced the proposed policy Monday at the 34th Space Symposium in Colorado Springs, Colorado.
Pence said the Commerce Department will offer space situational awareness based on the Pentagon’s space catalog in support of military efforts to defend and safeguard space assets that are critical to national security.
The proposed policy aims to incite collaboration between the government and commercial space sector in the development of safety standards, technical guidelines and data-sharing platforms designed to prevent satellite collisions and reduce space debris.
Pence noted that the council will soon submit the policy to the White House for President Donald Trump’s approval.
He mentioned the National Space Strategy and the president’s signing of a bill that would authorize approximately $21 billion in fiscal 2018 funds for NASA’s human space exploration missions.
The White House unveiled in March the National Space Strategy that seeks to advance industry partnerships and regulatory reforms in an effort to help the U.S. maintain its competitive edge in space technology and services.
