Office of Space Commercialization
Frequently Asked Questions
Below are some common questions and answers about space commerce and the Office of Space Commercialization. This list will be expanded with time.
- When will the Office get a new Director? Any ideas who will it be?
- Will the new Administration reinstate the National Space Council?
- What does the Commerce Department have to do with space?
- How long has the Office of Space Commercialization been in operation?
- Does the Office publish commercial space market forecasts?
When will the Office get a new Director? Any ideas who will it be?
The position of Executive Director, Office of Space Commercialization is currently listed in the Plum Book as a Noncareer Appointment. This means it is a political appointment requiring the involvement of the White House personnel office. The civil servants within the Office of Space Commercialization have no insight into this process.
In the meantime, Deputy Assistant Administrator Charles Baker is serving as Acting Director of the Office of Space Commercialization.
What does the Commerce Department have to do with space?
The Department of Commerce is responsible for promoting U.S. business, including U.S. space business. Each year, the private sector invests billions of dollars into the commercial use of space for communications, navigation, earth observation, space transportation, and other services. The Commerce Department's Office of Space Commercialization provides a voice for the U.S. commercial space industry within government policy discussions affecting space.
The Commerce Department is also the parent organization of one of the nation's space agencies -- NOAA -- which operates meteorological satellites used for weather forecasting and environmental monitoring. These satellites produce the images commonly seen on TV weather reports.
View a list of Commerce organizations involved with space...
Does the Office publish commercial space market forecasts?
The Office of Space Commercialization occasionally publishes economic analyses and/or forecasts on the commercial space industry. The most recent public study was documented in a article in Inside GNSS magazine quantifying the projected benefits of certain next-generation GPS capabilities (July/August 2006).
In June 2001, the Office produced the Trends in Space Commerce report, providing near-term projections for the commercial space industry. The report focused on four key sectors within the industry: space transportation; satellite communications; space-based remote sensing; and satellite navigation.
