Deregulation will boost
the space industry, says Vice President Mike Pence, who visited the Space Coast yesterday.
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER — President Donald Trump’s general deregulatory approach has made its way into the space industry, with industry and government leaders saying that’s how the U.S. can lead the world in space exploration and innovation.
Vice President Mike Pence said Wednesday that the government should streamline rules and regulations that govern launch permitting.
That would mean companies approved to launch in Florida, for instance, would also be allowed to launch in California without having to wait for a West Coast permit.
“The government has figured out how to acknowledge drivers licenses across state lines so there is no reason we can’t do the same for rockets,” said Pence, who made the comments during a National Space Council meeting at Kennedy Space Center.
The meeting was the council’s second since Trump reinstated the panel in September.
As part of the gathering, Pence officially appointed a 29-member advisory group, one that includes astronauts, former government officials and top executives of some of the industry’s largest companies, including Lockheed Martin, Boeing and SpaceX. Members of the group will be unpaid, aside from travel expenses.
On Wednesday, advisers sat in a crowd as council members, underneath a backdrop of a large American flag, conducted their public meeting in front of industry leaders, students and NASA workers.
NASA Acting Administrator Robert Lightfoot said Trump had “invigorated” the space industry with recent announcements of budget increases.
“The path through space goes through this place,” he said, just before introducing Pence.
The group’s reinstatement comes at a crucial time because collaboration between government agencies and commercial companies will likely frame the future of the industry, said Mary Lynne Dittmar, president and CEO of the Coalition for Deep Space Exploration.
Launch companies like SpaceX and Blue Origin have been ramping up their presences on the Space Coast, just as United Launch Alliance also prepares for a launch next week.
The council “gets these groups driving toward a specific day and it incentivizes people to get their work done,” said Dittmar, who appeared on a panel in front of the council Wednesday and was appointed as part of the user advisory group.
The meeting featured updates from a handful of government leaders, including Neomi Rao, the administrator of the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs.
She said the space industry needs freedom to research.
“As an administration, we
want to advance a regulatory environment that leaves industries and businesses as free as possible to innovate and to create the technology of the future,” she said. “Government shouldn’t be picking winners and losers through regulation.”
Administration officials said space firms must be left to build and create the tech that will drive the future of the industry. Phil Larson, assistant dean of the University of Colorado’s College of Engineering and Applied Sciences, said he was encouraged to see the discussions at the Cape.
“The fact that the Space Council met on these topics today shows just how strong U.S. industry in space is and that it’s poised to continue to grow and innovate,” said Larson, who served as space policy adviser to President Barack Obama. “The right set of policies and partnerships can ensure optimal growth in the U.S. aerospace industry.”
Pence had spent parts of two days on the coast, landing at Kennedy Space Center’s Shuttle Landing Facility on Tuesday.
“In America, the sky is not the limit,” he said during the speech. “We stand at the dawn of a new era of American leadership in space.”
“The right set of policies and partnerships can ensure optimal growth in the U.S. aerospace industry.” Phil Larson, assistant dean of the University of Colorado’s College of Engineering and Applied Sciences