The first steps a new White House should take on space

The next occupant of the White House – be it Kamala Harris or Donald Trump – should think about space as an economic driver and not solely the domain of national security, according to a new paper from MITRE.

Through that lens, the next administration should prioritize space policy to ensure the government is building the proper infrastructure and relationships for a resilient and dynamic space economy.

“The U.S. commercial space industry is a cornerstone for economic growth, technological innovation, and national security,” the paper reads. “Currently, the U.S. space economy generates over $211 billion in gross output and employs 360,000 Americans. Deliberate investment in commercial space activities has driven down launch costs, making space accessible to a diverse range of users and sparking innovation.”

MITRE, based in McLean, Virginia, and Bedford, Massachusetts, is best known as the not-for-profit corporation that manages several federally funded research centers. It’s also part of the Transition Management Network, a collection of good government organizations set up by the Center for Presidential Transition to support a safe and effective presidential transition. During these periods, the group works with the White House, federal agencies, and transition teams.

The memo on space priorities is part of a series from MITRE’s Center for Data-Driven Policy on topics for the next administration including artificial intelligence, cybersecurity and protecting the defense industrial base.

Nate Dailey, MITRE’s chief strategist for space program development and integration who authored the paper, has reviewed space policy proposals from Kamala Harris and Donald Trump’s campaigns. Both, he said in an Oct. 24 interview, would lead “pro-space” administrations. The key, he said, will be to practice the habits of good government and ensure those policies are more than words in documents and to measure their impact.

“We have an opportunity to enhance space policy - the good space policy that the National Space Council has been producing over the past eight years - and do so in ways that bolster the administrative mechanisms to help carry out the execution of those policies,” Dailey said.

Among the memo’s recommendations:

In the first 100 days, Dailey suggests the new president should create a dedicated Public-Private Space Collaboration Forum that includes representatives from government agencies, commercial space companies, academia, and regulatory bodies as a way to strengthen collaboration.

In addition, in those first months, the National Science & Technology Council should lead an effort to establish research and development grants, tax incentives and subsidies for emerging space technologies, including for subjects such as debris mitigation.

Other initiatives include supporting the space traffic coordination system underway at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Office of Space Commerce, reaffirming support for the Artemis Accords and playing a leading role in establishing a position, navigation and timing system for the moon.

The paper also suggests, more broadly, focusing on initiatives that can bolster the defense industrial base, maintain strategic advantages and help evolve space-based innovation.

Many of those sentiments are echoed in a policy paper released Oct. 24 from the Aerospace Corp., another non-profit corporation that operates a federally funded research center on space.

“Space regulatory reform is an urgent issue and should be pursued assiduously,” the paper from Brian Weeden and Victoria J. Woodburn reads. “The longer it takes to make key decisions, the likelier it is that there will be consequences for future U.S. commercial space sector viability and government programs and policy goals that rely on commercial space.”

The Aerospace Corp. paper specifically points to the challenges of commercial space regulation, specifically on commercial remote sensing satellites and commercial space launch, and how to handle commercial human space flight. “There has been a significant amount of focus on space regulatory reform over the last 20 years, but tangible results have been few and far between,” the paper reads.

The paper suggests the White House focus on which topics can be handled at the agency level and which require a full interagency process.