From the Trump administration’s efforts to cut red tape for space operators, to industry’s reaction to the acquisition plan for the ISS’ successor, here are some of the biggest space takeaways from the third day of the US Chamber of Commerce’s Global Aerospace Summit.
Let it grow: FCC Space Bureau chief Jay Schwarz said he is aware of the dangers of overregulating the space industry too soon. Instead of imposing many rules on the still-growing space industry, Schwarz said he is “being careful to let 1,000 flowers bloom at this point.”
As a former economist, Schwarz wanted to put a number on the risks of letting regulations and red tape slow innovation in the space sector. Reports have predicted that the industry will grow by ~9% each year. What happens, however, if regulatory issues stall that projected growth?
If the growth rate is 8.7% instead of 9%, Schwarz calculated that it would result in $5T loss over 30 years. While he acknowledged that it’s just an estimate, “it’s motivating for me to have a number that says, ‘This is why we want to get this right’.”
Pivot: Vast CEO Max Haot said he welcomed the reworked CLD Phase 2 plan for seeking to get tech into orbit faster, and support multiple space station companies to foster competition. In response to criticism NASA not including a requirement for long-term habitation, Haot emphasized that setting the demo requirement at a 30-day stay is just a stepping stone—and that quickly launching options for short stays is a better option than waiting longer to get habitats that can support long-duration flights.
Vast is still on track to launch a demo mission this year that will test systems including avionics, propulsion, and de-orbiting tech on a satellite ahead of the launch of Haven-1 next year, Haot said.
