Issue Brief: The Future of Civil and Commercial Space Authorization and Oversight

After the November 2020 presidential election, members of the U.S. space community began speculating on what the new administration would do regarding space policy formulation and oversight in the Executive Office of the President. Discussions centered on whether the National Space Council, which had been reestablished in 2017, would be continued, and, if so, how it would operate. As the space community monitors this situation, it is equally important to ensure that the U.S. Congress continues the evolution of its committee structure and processes for guiding the U.S. government’s space efforts. This paper examines congressional space authorization, including a brief discussion of its history and a look ahead to future organizational and information needs as the nation’s and the world’s space enterprises grow.