FIRST ON THE DAILY SIGNAL—President Donald Trump is expected to sign an executive order elevating the Office of Space Commerce, The Daily Signal has learned.
The order will move the office out of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, an agency focused on the condition of the oceans, atmosphere, weather, and climate.
The Office of Space Commerce will instead report directly to the highest level of the Commerce Department, the office of Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick.
The Office of Space Commerce, or OSC, promotes the growth and competitiveness of the U.S. commercial space industry while ensuring it operates safely and responsibly. It coordinates space policy, licenses certain commercial satellites, and leads efforts in civil space traffic management and debris tracking.
The order demonstrates that the Trump administration values outer space as key to the U.S. economy and the nation’s status as a global leader, a U.S. official told The Daily Signal.
The directive aims to provide clarity for operators of unique space missions by identifying the Department of Commerce as the one-stop shop for authorizing “novel space activities,” the U.S. official said.
The White House could not immediately be reached for comment.