2/21/2018

COMMERCE/WILBUR ROSS: “Responding to industry complaints that federal rules increasingly hamper private ventures in space, Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross has emerged as the deregulation czar of the heavens.
A senior White House policy group on Wednesday [2-21-18] agreed to tap his agency to be the prime catalyst for loosening federal controls over activities ranging from rocket launches to satellite licensing to asteroid mining. To promote a budding commercial space industry that created some 1,700 new companies around the globe last year—with roughly half based in the U.S.—Mr. Ross said ‘we need an adaptive and relatively permissive’ environment.
Pressure for such action has been building for some time, particularly in light of President Donald Trump’s emphasis on promoting private space projects. Commerce’s newfound prominence in the space arena isn’t a surprise because Mr. Ross, a former private-equity investor who is personally close to Mr. Trump, for months has maneuvered to become the architect of rolling back regulations that apply to rockets and satellites. Many in the industry consider the current regulatory regime, overseen by several agencies including Commerce and the Federal Aviation Administration, outdated and overly stringent.
Aerospace trade associations welcomed the move, which envisions Mr. Ross personally coordinating with the Transportation Department and other agencies to create a ‘one-stop shop for space commerce.’ “

-Andy Pasztor, “Commerce Secretary Becomes Point Man For Promoting Commercial Space Projects,” The Wall Street Journal online, Feb. 21, 2018 06:58pm