Senate Commerce Sets Wednesday Federal Government Space Regulation Hearing

The Senate Commerce Space Subcommittee plans a Wednesday hearing on the “federal government’s role in regulating human activities in space,” including the “importance of streamlined authorization processes, safety regulations for in-space operations, and responsibilities of government agencies overseeing commercial human space activities,” the Commerce Committee said Thursday. SpaceX Vice President-Build and Flight Reliability William Gerstenmaier and Blue Origin Senior Vice President-New Shepard Business Unit Phil Joyce are among those set to testify, the panel said. Also on the docket: Virgin Galactic Vice President-Government Affairs and Research Sirisha Badla, National Aerospace Solutions President Wayne Monteith and CS Consulting President Caryn Schenewerk. The hearing will begin at 2:30 p.m. in 106 Dirksen. Senate Commerce in July advanced the Orbital Sustainability Act (S-447) and Launch Communications Act (S-1648) in a bid to revamp some satellite-related space regulatory practices (see 2307260037).