Commercialization Of Space Systems Policy Implications For The United States PDF Download

Commercialization of Space Systems is a topic of growing interest in national security and thus has significant implications for the government and commercial sector. Commercial industry, international consortia, and many nations such as India, China, Prance, Russia and Canada are now challenging the U.S. government preeminence in space. As U.S. capabilities and national dependence on space continue to increase, the commercial developers are finding new applications to market to government as well as private sector organizations. This study investigated how the military and government currently use commercial space systems to determine if the current policies are coherent and consistent, how the policies are being implemented, problems with policy implementation, and defining elements for a new policy. The findings of this study are that the U.S. needs more directive, active policies; the U.S. government should establish a commercial space systems czar to provide clear guidance and strong national leadership; the United States needs to develop a National Space Security Strategy; the United States must invest in critical technologies to maintain its space technology industrial base; the U.S. government must become a better consumer of commercial space systems by establishing a budget process that simplifies the ability to use these products and services; the U.S. government should establish and comply with standards and procedures for commercial space systems interoperability, export control, and licensing; and, finally, the U.S. government must decentralize how it controls the use of commercial space systems.