“Mission authorization is the ultimate permission slip to conduct your mission,” said Rich Leshner, vice president for Government Affairs, Vast Space, at an AIAA public policy breakfast on 14 March in Washington, D.C.
Industry stakeholders gathered to discuss the timely topic of commercial mission authorization and economic growth in the commercial space ecosystem. Held at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the panel addressed the issues and opportunities surrounding mission authorization.
Moderated by AIAA CEO Clay Mowry, the panel included Shawn Barnes, Space Force Association; Karl Kensinger, Federal Communications Commission (FCC); Rich Leshner, Vast Space; Ramzi Masri-Elyafaoui, Axiom Space; and John Reed, United Launch Alliance. Their goal was to articulate how space mission regulatory processes can and should be enablers—not obstacles—to economic growth.
“As commercial space companies push the boundaries of what’s possible, the regulatory landscape must keep pace. At the same time, economic growth in space is not just about policy; it’s about unlocking new markets, expanding infrastructure, and fostering public-private partnerships that sustain long-term prosperity,” opened Mowry.
When asked about how the defense and national security space sector considers regulation, Shawn Barnes of the Space Force Association said, “The Space Force thinks about commercial space as essential, and they don’t think about it enough. There’s a very good recognition that the innovations are going to come out of the commercial world. The way we’ve done business for the past several decades is not sufficient for today. I don’t think they’re thinking about it in a holistic fashion, about all that commercial [companies] can provide,” Barnes added.
From the FAA’s Office of Commercial Space Transportation for launch and reentry—to the FCC for use of radio-frequency bandwidth – to NOAA’s Office of Space Commerce for Earth remote sensing—navigating the myriad regulatory agencies leaves many in the commercial space industry encountering uncertainty, fragmented oversight, and regulatory bottlenecks that can stifle innovation and investment.
“In many ways, when we are pushing boundaries in space activities, we are opening up new market opportunities for our industry. It is happening through public-private partnerships—Commercial Crew, CLD, etc. In establishing those public-private partnerships, there should be an appreciation on the part of the government that those of us in industry have to balance and optimize between servicing some set of government requirements and having services that are sufficiently well priced as to be successful in the market,” Leshner added.
The panelists underscored that mission authorization would enhance U.S. competitiveness in the growing space ecosystem. “Mission acceleration” emerged as a concept during the discussion—meaning that mission authorization will be a success if it accelerates innovation, especially as competition increases with China.
Attendees included representatives from AIAA Corporate Member organizations as well as industry media and other key stakeholders. The panel responded to questions from attendees to round out their collaborative dialogue.
“This vital discussion comes when the commercial space sector is not only reshaping the space economy today, but also redefining humanity’s role beyond Earth—and it’s not done yet. We’ll continue to move the topic of mission authorization forward at AIAA’s premier space event, ASCEND, this summer in Las Vegas,” concluded Mowry.
