For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
May 13, 2003
Fact Sheet: U.S. Commercial Remote Sensing Space Policy
U.S. Commercial Remote Sensing Space Policy
The United States Government last year began a broad review of U.S.
space policies to adjust to the domestic and international developments
in recent years that affect U.S. space capabilities. One important
component of the current review focuses on the relationship between the
United States Government and the commercial remote sensing industry.
The last policy covering this area was issued in 1994. Since that
time, there have been significant changes to this critical area of U.S.
national and economic security. This policy is the first product of
the ongoing National Space Policy Review.
Background
Vital national security, foreign policy, economic, and civil
interests depend on the U.S. ability to remotely observe Earth from
space. Toward these ends, the U.S. Government develops and operates
highly capable remote sensing space systems for national security
purposes, to satisfy civil mission needs, and to provide important
public services. U.S. national security systems are valuable assets
because of their high quality data collection, timeliness, volume, and
coverage that provide a near real-time capability for regularly
monitoring events around the world. U.S. civil remote sensing systems
enable such activities as research on local, regional, and global
environmental change, and support services and data products for
weather, climate, and hazard response, and agricultural,
transportation, and infrastructure planning.
A robust U.S. commercial remote sensing space industry can augment
and potentially replace some existing U.S. Government capabilities and
can contribute to U.S. military, intelligence, foreign policy, homeland
security, and civil objectives, as well as U.S. economic
competitiveness. Continued development and advancement of U.S.
commercial remote sensing space capabilities also is essential to
sustaining the nation's advantage in collecting information from
space. In order to maintain a robust U.S. commercial remote sensing
industry, we must enhance the international competitiveness of the
industry.
Commercial Remote Sensing Policy
The fundamental goal of U.S. commercial remote sensing space policy
is to advance and protect U.S. national security and foreign policy
interests by maintaining the nation's leadership in remote sensing
space activities, and by sustaining and enhancing the U.S. remote
sensing industry. Doing so will also foster economic growth,
contribute to environmental stewardship, and enable scientific and
technological excellence.
In support of this goal, the U.S. Government will:
Rely to the maximum practical extent on U.S. commercial remote
sensing space capabilities for filling imagery and geospatial needs for
military, intelligence, foreign policy, homeland security, and civil
users;
Focus U.S. Government remote sensing space systems on meeting
needs that cannot be effectively, affordably, and reliably
satisfied by commercial providers because of economic factors, civil
mission needs, national security concerns, or foreign policy concerns;
Develop a long-term, sustainable relationship between the U.S.
Government and the U.S. commercial remote sensing space industry;
Provide a timely and responsive regulatory environment for
licensing the operations and exports of commercial remote sensing
space systems; and
Enable U.S. industry to compete successfully as a provider of
remote sensing space capabilities for foreign governments and
foreign commercial users, while ensuring appropriate measures are
implemented to protect U.S. national security and foreign policy
interests.
Further information is available on the White House Office of
Science and Technology Policy Web Site: www.ostp.gov
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