NASA - National Aeronautics and Space Administration

The recently released National Space Policy provides a useful guideline in understanding the renewed commitment to Commercial Space:

"A robust and competitive commercial space sector is vital to continued progress in space. The United States is committed to encouraging and facilitating the growth of a U.S. commercial space sector that supports U.S. needs, is globally competitive, and advances U.S. leadership in the generation of new markets and innovation-driven entrepreneurship."

The goals underlying this new policy are to energize competitive domestic industries to participate in global markets and advance the development of satellite manufacturing, satellite-based services, space launch, terrestrial applications and increased entrepreneurship.

Defining Commercial Space

The diagram below can be used as a context for understanding what makes something a 'Commercial Space' activity.

There are three key themes that underscore some of the changes already underway in how NASA is engaging the Commercial Space sector:

• Private sector role as partner rather than contractor
• Government purchase of services instead of hardware
• Creating broader opportunities for innovation

All these themes are consistent with the relationship that NASA had with the emerging aviation industry back in the days of the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA). Here, the NACA approach focused on building an industry, not a program:

“… the members of the NACA believed to a man that the future of aviation in the United States depended on a healthy and prosperous aircraft manufacturing industry, and that it was the NACA’s duty to help where it could. From the outset, the NACA was an industry booster limited only by its need to be fair and impartial in disbursing favors and assistance.” – Alex Roland, “Model Research”, NASA History SP-4103, page 34

For NASA today, this implies seeking the Wright Brothers of 21st Century through open innovation and focusing on the foundational research and technology required to foster commercial markets.

NASA's role in fostering the Emerging Commercial Space sector is shared with the FAA Office of Commercial Space Transportation and the Office of Space Commercialization of the Department of Commerce.

At the first Commercial Space workshop in June 2010, NASA established 5 working groups that focus on mapping the barriers for Commercial Space and identify potential solutions to these barriers. During a follow on workshop in July, the working groups have addressed these issues and are working on mapping the barriers and possible solutions. This will ultimately drive the prioritization of where NASA technology development and investment will be steered towards.

This 'NASA and Commercial Space' section with the Office of the Chief Technologist will provide an up-to-date overview of NASA's activities in Commercial Space.

Further reading:

• National Space Policy of the United States of America
• Technology Innovation magazine: Commercial Space
• Accelerating entrepreneurial space: The case for an NACA-style organization
• Overview of NASA's Commercial Space Efforts

Questions may be directed to Doug Comstock at doug.comstock@nasa.gov.

Government
› NASA Advisory Council Commercial Space Committee
› FAA Office of Commercial Space Transportation
› Commercial Space Transportation Advisory Committee
› Department of Commerce Office of Space Commercialization
› Hosted Payloads (part of Department of Commerce - Office of Space Commercialization)

Industry
› Commercial Spaceflight Federation

Academia
› AIAA Commercial Space Group

(More at the Commercial Space Wiki)