Space Office Sets Stage For First Certification Applications
Federal Register Notice Due Within Weeks, But Agency Buy-In And Funding Remain Unresolved
The Office of Space Commerce will soon publish a notice in the Federal Register seeking initial applications for its proposed space licensing certification, moving the process from a public comment draft toward its first real-world test.
“We are honored by President Trump’s trust in the Office of Space Commerce, and we look forward to building a quick path to ‘yes’ for U.S. industry.”
Taylor Jordan, Office of Space Commerce
The notice, described by OSC as a “call for interest,” would invite companies to submit initial applications under the “Space Commerce Certification,” a voluntary process the office proposed in March to consolidate licensing for commercial space activities not clearly covered under existing Federal Aviation Administration, Federal Communications Commission or OSC remote-sensing rules. OSC said it plans to begin certifying missions within months of the notice’s publication.
The announcement comes eight days after OSC Director Taylor Jordan testified before the House Science, Space, and Technology Committee’s Space and Aeronautics Subcommittee, where lawmakers questioned whether the office has the staff and funding to run the certification process. The administration’s fiscal 2027 budget request seeks $11 million for the office, down from an enacted $52.5 million in fiscal 2026. Jordan told the subcommittee the office has not built additional staffing into its budget for the certification work.
The FAA, FCC and OSC’s remote sensing division have not said whether or how they will accept a Space Commerce Certification in place of their own requirements, meaning companies who apply before that question is resolved may not yet know how much relief the certification will actually provide.
Jordan said in a statement posted with the announcement that the office intends to move quickly. “We are honored by President Trump’s trust in the Office of Space Commerce, and we look forward to building a quick path to ‘yes’ for U.S. industry,” he said, adding that the certification process is meant to let U.S. companies bring new capabilities to space.
Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, in a promotional video posted alongside the announcement, framed the certification as a growth play for the department. “Space is going to be a multi-trillion dollar industry. The Department of Commerce is going to lead the way. American innovation is going to drive it,” he said in the video, which also featured footage from NASA’s Apollo and space shuttle programs.
OSC has not yet said which category of novel activity — such as satellite servicing, in-space manufacturing or lunar operations — will be eligible for the first round of applications once the Federal Register notice is published.