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Volume 15, Number 3 June/July/August 2003
Countdown
Bush's First Space Policy
By Frank Sietzen,
Jr.
On May 13th the Bush administration
put its first ‘stamp’ on U.S. Space Policy, and while it is only the
first policy action in an anticipated series, it has a clearly identifiable
cast to its contents. The new space remote sensing policy released by the National
Security Council has a decidedly free market, conservative slant as it seeks
to craft a new cooperative framework between U.S. federal users of space photography
and the fledgling industry that is struggling to offer such services. Commercial
sources of high resolution images will now be Uncle Sam’s primary way of
obtaining such images. The so-called “National Technical Means,” in
English: government-owned satellites, will focus only on that capability that
cannot be commercially bought.
It is a landmark step in the evolution of the remote sensing industry, and if
matched with budget resources—something that must be defined in the next
several weeks in Washington— could trigger actual growth in that space
business sector. The two current providers of one meter resolution images from
space; Space Imaging and Digital Globe, have struggled to define a purely commercial
market outside of government clients. Orbimage is set to launch OrbView 3 into
orbit this year, making it the third entrant. And the technology research continues
into ever greater optical capabilities from satellite platforms.
The Bush policy also in effect drops restrictions on the design and construction
of such advanced spacecraft. But embedded in the policy plan are licensing safeguards
and other restrictions on where such future, higher resolution pictures could
be sold, and to whom. The new policy might require government-to-government
agreements if the buyers were foreign entities, or limit such sales to the U.S.
government itself.
Administration sources told this column yesterday that the lead agency to implement
the policy would be NIMA, the National Imagery and Mapping Agency. Even it will
get a new shine under the conservative administration: it’s new name will
be the National Geospatial Intelligence Agency.
More space policy changes are ahead, in space transportation and possibly navigation
and communications. One by one the Bushies are getting around to space. The
appointment of Sean O’Keefe was one step. This new space policy is another.
Space Transportation is next, possibly followed by satellite navigation and
communications, too.
And, HEAD’S UP: A money-packed special FY04 budget supplemental is heading
for the Hill, filled with hundreds of millions in extra funding for space shuttle,
OSP, and related projects. Alternate Access is now called cargo services, and
may be included. All needed for NASA to fix the Columbia-accident causes and
get flying once again.
Stay tuned!