With competition between the United States and China heating up over space travel, a legislative effort aims to boost America's edge for control.
The Licensing Aerospace Units to New Commercial Heights Act — also called the LAUNCH Act — was introduced Friday by Reps. August Pfluger, R-Texas, and George Whitesides, D-Calif.
The legislation is designed "to streamline the application of regulations relating to commercial space launch and reentry requirements and licensing of private remote sensing space systems," Newsweek reported.
Pfluger emphasized the need to modernize U.S. space policy.
"President [Ronald] Reagan once described space as a 'new frontier,' noting that our willingness to explore it 'will reflect whether America's men and women today have the same bold vision, courage, and indomitable spirit that made us a great nation.' He was right," Pfluger told the outlet.
"Space exploration and dominance are vital to America's long-term strength and security.
"As adversaries like China seek to weaponize and exploit the space domain and the emerging technologies that come from it, we must implement long-overdue regulatory reforms that keep the United States at the forefront," he added.
"My bill delivers on that mission by modernizing current regulations to support innovation at critical spaceports nationwide, including Midland Spaceport, which I am extremely proud to represent."
An identical proposal was introduced in the Senate in June by Republican Sens. Rick Scott of Florida and John Cornyn of Texas, with Democratic Sens. Ben Ray Lujan of New Mexico and Mark Kelly of Arizona, a former astronaut, as co-sponsors.
A similar measure introduced last year also drew bipartisan support, including from then-Sen. Marco Rubio, who is now secretary of state.
China's rapid progress in space, including robotic lunar and Martian missions and construction of a space station, has heightened U.S. concerns.
Whitesides, former NASA chief of staff and head of Virgin Galactic, told Newsweek the legislation is critical.
"The LAUNCH Act will cut red tape, improve coordination across agencies, and make it easier for U.S. companies in my district and across the country to compete and lead in the global space economy," he said.
"By streamlining these processes, we're ensuring that America remains at the forefront of aerospace discovery and opportunity."
Allen Cutler, president and CEO of the Coalition for Deep Space Exploration, stressed to a Senate committee in early September the need for rapid U.S. space exploration advances in light of Chinese efforts.
"If Congress and NASA fail to act swiftly, we risk losing our position in the space race to China," he said.
Jim Mishler ✉
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