Office Of Space Commerce Seeks Industry Input On Revolutionizing The US Mission Authorization Process

The Office of Space Commerce (OSC) is inviting industry leaders to help shape a streamlined, one-stop mission authorization process for novel space activities¹—promising to cut red tape, accelerate innovation, and redefine how novel space activities get the green light. OSC will accept comments until 22 December 2025, with the proposed regulatory process to be submitted to the White House in January 2026.²

Directed under Executive Order 14335, "Enabling Competition in the Commercial Space Industry,"³ OSC's Mission Authorization Plan will offer a unified process for novel space industry missions to obtain a "space commerce certification."

Under the plan, a novel space activity will be able to opt-in to OSC's program instead of the traditional parallel interagency licensure process. OSC will identify "light-touch commitments" that an applicant must make to protect fundamental national interests, conduct a due diligence review, and circulate the application to the federal interagency community with firm review deadlines. Finally, OSC will issue a "space commerce certification" for the operation.

OSC intends for this certification to be sufficient to satisfy the Federal Aviation Administration's payload review process and the Federal Communication Commission's non-frequency space requirements for licensure: in other words, a first-of-its-kind single-agency review process for novel activities.

OSC is seeking feedback from industry on all aspects of the plan including, among other things, what types of missions should be able to opt-in, what condition commitments should be developed, timelines, and what is needed ensure OSC's plan works for industry.

Our Policy and Regulatory lawyers routinely monitor regulatory shifts and are available to help the space industry engage with OSC and navigate this rapidly changing regulatory landscape, and advocate for needed changes.

Footnotes

1 Although undefined, novel space activities general refer to any innovative or unconventional mission in the space industry that does not clearly fit within existing regulatory frameworks and may require a new approach to authorization. As examples, OSC currently highlights satellite servicing, In-Space Servicing, Assembly, and Manufacturing (ISAMs), Commercial Low Earth Orbit (LEO) Destinations (CLDs), lunar surface operations, space resource operations, nuclear power and propulsion, and pharmaceutical research and development as potential novel activities, but seeks feedback on what else should be included.

2 Mission Authorization, OFFICE OF SPACE COMMERCE https://space.commerce.gov/category/mission-authorization/ (last visited Dec. 8, 2025).

3 "Enhancing American Greatness in Space": President Trump Signs Executive Order to Expand the Domestic Commercial Space Industry, K&L GATES (Sept. 17, 2025), https://www.klgates.com/Enhancing-American-Greatness-in-Space-President-Trump-Signs-Executive-Order-to-Expand-the-Domestic-Commercial-Space-Industry-9-17-2025.

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