Washington D.C. – Today the U.S. House of Representatives passed the Spurring Private Aerospace Competitiveness and Entrepreneurship Act of 2015 (SPACE Act of 2015) by a large bipartisan majority, 284-133. Among other things, the SPACE Act of 2015 addresses many of the major policy issues currently facing the commercial spaceflight industry relating to the Commercial Space Launch Act of 1984.
This bill represents the culmination of many years of bipartisan oversight and study by the House, spanning multiple congresses, on matters related to U.S. commercial space transportation. It responds to input from a diverse set of experts in industry, government, academia and non-profit organizations, communicated through a multitude of democratic mediums, including Congressional oversight hearings, briefings, and reports.
CSF President Eric Stallmer released the following statement regarding the House’s bipartisan passage of the SPACE Act of 2015:
“The U.S. commercial space industry is rapidly expanding, and today’s bipartisan vote illustrates the House’s strong commitment to policies that enable its continued growth and international competitiveness. Most importantly, this bipartisan bill reaffirmed the FAA’s authority to regulate commercial space launches and reentries for the safety of the uninvolved public, safety of crew, and safety of spaceflight participants in response to an incident or a series of indications that something is wrong. Further, the SPACE Act fosters the development of industry-wide voluntary consensus standards and other means by which the federal government can encourage an ever-improving safety framework for the industry.
CSF would like to thank the 284 members of the House who voted for this important legislation. In addition, we would like to thank Majority Leader McCarthy, Chairman Smith, the cosponsors of this bill, the Republicans and Democrats who offered thoughtful amendments to improve the base bill, and the Congressional staff whose months of hard work and dedication made this possible. We look forward to continuing work with both parties in both houses of Congress towards a bipartisan bill that the President can sign into law this year.”
About the Commercial Spaceflight Federation
The mission of the Commercial Spaceflight Federation (CSF) is to promote the development of commercial human spaceflight, pursue ever-higher levels of safety, and share best practices and expertise throughout the industry. The Commercial Spaceflight Federation’s member companies, which include commercial spaceflight developers, operators, spaceports, suppliers, and service providers, are creating thousands of high-tech jobs nationwide, working to preserve American leadership in aerospace through technology innovation, and inspiring young people to pursue careers in science and engineering. For more information please visit www.commercialspaceflight.org or contact Sirisha Bandla at sirisha@commercialspaceflight.org or at 202.715.2928.
