Sen. Roger Wicker, R-Miss., has said the nation must take a “whole-of-government approach” and relaunch the National Space Council (NSC) to drive the discussion on the space domain while eliminating bureaucracy.
Wicker, who serves as a ranking member of the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee, wrote in an opinion piece published Tuesday on SpaceNews that President Biden must reactivate the National Space Council to “keep space issues on the radar” and provide a forum for related diplomatic discussions.
The council must also have a diverse set of experts to reflect space policy's implications on commercial, military and civil customers, he noted. These applications include satellite communications technologies and on-orbit servicing which is an inherently dual-use concept.
“The Biden Administration should reenlist the proven success of the National Space Council,” said Wicker. “Space policy is too important to be delegated to mid-level interagency groups who lack the authority to make difficult and consequential decisions. The ever-expanding space domain requires the attention of the President’s appointees.”