Exploring the Unknown - NASA's History Office

EXPLORING THE UNKNOWN 501
Outline of Commercial Space Policy Issues
1. How does the Administration insure a consistent Federal space policy?
2. What constitutes a fair and favorable pricing policy?
3. What economic incentives should be considered to promote commercial space activity?
• profit
• tax credits
• depreciation
• low cost capital
• free R&D flight time
• risk sharing/risk reduction
• insurance pools
4. What Federal funding/program commitments are important?
• shuttle availability
• space station: manned and unmanned
• basic research
5. How will property rights be protected?
• patent law
• proprietary protections
6. What techniques should be used to expand the market for commercial space activities?
• special government procurement policies
• period of exclusivity for high risk, high-cost, high-benefit ventures
• facilitate private sector access to government data
• provide market guarantees for space products
• heighten awareness about commercial space ventures
7. What is the appropriate role for NASA?
• STS operations
• research
• regulator
8. What regulatory barriers exist that could retard commercial space development?
• overlapping jurisdictions
• unfavorable regulations
9. What national security issues affect commercial space ventures?
• need to reexamine classification policies and procedures
• reassess international space issues (technology transfer, foreign cooperative projects,
etc.) given foreign competition
Document III-19
Document title: Craig L. Fuller, The White House, Memorandum for the Cabinet Council
on Commerce and Trade, “Commercial Space Initiatives,” April 10, 1984, with attached:
“Private Enterprise in Space—An Industry View,” pp. iv–v.
Source: Documentary History Collection, Space Policy Institute, George Washington
University, Washington, D.C.
This memo and the attached document (below is only the introduction) summarized a series of issue
papers prepared by business and government interests. The White House was a strong supporter of
space commercialization, and this memo detailed the initiatives that industry felt would be necessary
for the government to begin opening space to business opportunities. Craig Fuller was a White House
staff member for the Cabinet Council on Commerce and Trade who had a particular interest in space
commercialization.