To most, the new space exploration initiative announced by President Bush in January is the new national space policy. In fact, a phased review of overall national space policy, started in June 2002, is still ongoing. At the International Policy Seminar, part of the AIAA’s Air and Space Symposium late last month, Brett Alexander of the White House’s Office of Science and Technology Policy outlined the status of that policy review (see his PowerPoint slides). To date the review has produced only two documents: the Commercial Remote Sensing Space Policy in April 2003 and the Space Exploration Policy in January 2004. Several other policies are still under review:
- Space-Based Positioning, Navigation, and Timing Policy, better known as GPS policy. This policy covers the civilian and military roles in the GPS system, as well as cooperation between GPS and Europe’s Galileo system. Alexander said they are neading the end of the review of this policy, but offered no specific date when it would be published.
- Space Transportation Policy. This review was in progress and, according to various sources, 90-95% complete around the time of the Columbia accident. The review was then put on hold but has since resumed. Alexander said he hoped to have this policy completed in the next couple of months.
- National Space Policy. This would be an “overarching” national space policy designed to establish goals and priorities for the civil, commercial, and military use of space by the US. This review is scheduled to start soon, and Alexander said it should be wrapped up by the end of the year.
