TL;DR: On June 18, 2018, President Donald Trump signed Space Policy Directive-3 during the third National Space Council meeting, creating the first U.S. National Space Traffic Management Policy to shift public space-safety services to the Commerce Department while the Defense Department keeps the authoritative debris catalog.

What was signed at the White House

President Donald Trump signed Space Policy Directive-3 in the East Room of the White House on June 18, 2018, during the third meeting of the National Space Council, according to the Office of Space Commerce.

The White House described the document as the first National Space Traffic Management Policy. The directive provides guidelines intended to keep the United States in a leading position in supplying a safe and secure orbital environment as commercial and civil traffic grows, according to the White House fact sheet titled "President Donald J. Trump is Achieving a Safe and Secure Future in Space."

The signing took place alongside broader space announcements that day. Coverage by CNBC of the National Space Council meeting noted that the debris directive was the third space directive of that presidency.

Vice President Mike Pence had previewed the action in April, saying the National Space Council was sending the first comprehensive space traffic management policy for Trump to sign, according to CNBC. Pence said at that time that the new policy directs the Department of Commerce to provide a basic level of space situational awareness for public and private use, based on the space catalog compiled by the Department of Defense.

Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross also used the June 18 council meeting to announce personnel and regulatory moves. The Office of Space Commerce reported that Ross announced the selection of Kevin O'Connell as incoming Director of the Office of Space Commerce and said NOAA would publish an Advanced Notice of Proposed Rulemaking on commercial remote sensing reform that week.

Why orbital clutter forced action

The directive defines orbital debris, or space debris, as any human-made space object orbiting Earth that no longer serves any useful purpose, according to the White House text of Space Policy Directive-3.

The same directive says the Defense Department tracks over 20,000 objects in space and warns that the total will increase dramatically as more capable sensors detect smaller objects. It says the department publishes a catalog and issues notifications of potential conjunctions, meaning two or more objects arriving at the same or nearly the same point in time and space.

CNBC reported a higher operational figure at the time of signing, saying the U.S. military was already tracking more than 23,000 objects around Earth. The difference reflects separate characterizations in the policy text and contemporaneous reporting; both point to rapid growth in tracked objects.

The policy text warns that the existing limited traffic-management activity and architecture will become inadequate as object numbers rise. It also says the contested nature of space is increasing demand for Defense Department focus on protecting and defending U.S. assets and interests.

Speed makes even small objects dangerous. According to CNBC, objects 2 centimeters or larger moving at thousands of miles per hour can cause catastrophic damage to anything in their path, while then-current technology could track objects about 10 centimeters in size. AGI Vice President Travis Langster told CNBC in March that current public catalogs only account for about 4 percent of objects around Earth.

The White House policy text adds that new commercial ventures including satellite servicing, debris removal, in-space manufacturing and tourism, along with small satellites and very large constellations, are outpacing government policies and processes for those activities.

Commerce takes the public safety role

A central change in Space Policy Directive-3 is the division of responsibility between the Pentagon and the Commerce Department.

Under the directive, the Department of Commerce will make space safety data and services available to the public, while the Department of Defense maintains the authoritative catalogue of space objects, according to the Office of Space Commerce.

The White House fact sheet repeats that structure and adds that the United States should continue to provide basic space situational awareness data and basic space traffic management services free of direct user fees, consistent with national security constraints.

The full policy text defines space situational awareness as knowledge and characterization of space objects and their operational environment to support safe, stable and sustainable activities. It defines space traffic management as planning, coordination and on-orbit synchronization of activities to enhance safety, stability and sustainability.

The policy also sets principles for safety, data sharing and debris control. It says timely and actionable awareness data and management services are essential, that basic government-derived data and services should be available free of direct user fees subject to security constraints, and that the United States recognizes flight safety as a global challenge requiring transparency and data sharing, according to the White House directive text.

The White House said the effort will improve data standards and information sharing, use U.S. standards and best practices to shape international norms, and streamline processes and reduce regulatory burdens that inhibit commercial growth.

Stronger debris rules and satellite design guidance

The directive requires an update to the U.S. Orbital Debris Mitigation Standard Practices and calls for new guidelines for satellite design and operation, according to the White House fact sheet.

The underlying directive text says debris mitigation guidelines, standards and policies should be revised periodically, enforced domestically and adopted internationally to reduce operational effects of debris. It also calls for a management framework built from best practices, technical guidelines, safety standards, behavioral norms, pre-launch risk assessments and on-orbit collision avoidance services.

The fact sheet says the United States will pursue and use both government and commercial technologies to track and monitor debris. It also says Washington will spearhead new data-sharing initiatives to manage traffic more effectively.

CNBC noted that the directive did not specify time frames for implementation of the guidelines or requirements. It also reported that the directive requires an unspecified entity to update the mitigation practices, underscoring that many implementation details were left to agencies.

The policy directs agencies to pursue goals including advancing awareness and management science and technology, improving fundamental knowledge of the environment such as characterization of small debris, and enabling research and development for practical applications, according to the directive text.

A commercial boom in crowded orbits

Federal officials framed the policy as a response to commercialization. The White House said rapid commercialization requires a traffic framework that protects U.S. interests and considers private-sector needs, according to the fact sheet.

Several companies were planning thousands of additional satellites. CNBC reported that SpaceX was testing the first satellites of a constellation of more than 4,425 satellites approved by the Federal Communications Commission in March of that year. It also named Telesat, Boeing, OneWeb, EarthNow and others as firms that had raised billions toward constellations of hundreds of satellites in various orbits.

Lockheed Martin was nearing completion of Space Fence for the U.S. Air Force, a system intended to sharply expand tracking sensitivity, according to CNBC. Program director Bruce Schafhauser told CNBC the system could improve the Air Force catalog ten-fold from its level at the time.

Schafhauser described Space Fence as looking like a wedge-shaped fan of energy and said it was expected to go online in 2019, according to CNBC. He said current technology could track objects about 10 centimeters wide, while Space Fence was sensitive enough to track marble-sized objects in low Earth orbit.

With near-misses becoming more common, CNBC reported that companies focused on debris made up 2 percent of the $350 billion space industry. Ross said in April that more launches and more satellites reaching end of life would create a problem to address, according to CNBC: as more launches occur and satellites age out, disposal becomes unavoidable.

How it fits Trump's wider space agenda

The White House presented Space Policy Directive-3 as part of a sequence of space actions.

On May 24, 2018, the president signed Space Policy Directive-2 to reform the commercial space regulatory framework and support U.S. leadership in commerce, according to the White House fact sheet. On March 23, 2018, Trump unveiled a National Space Strategy intended to keep the United States strong and competitive in space.

Earlier, on Dec. 11, 2017, the president signed Space Policy Directive-1 instructing NASA to return astronauts to the Moon followed by human missions to Mars, according to the same fact sheet. On June 30, 2017, Trump signed an Executive Order reviving the National Space Council for the first time in 24 years.

The June 18, 2018 directive says the future operating environment will be shaped by greater volume and diversity of commercial activity. It says the United States must develop a new approach that sets priorities for innovation, incorporates national security considerations, encourages commercial growth, establishes an updated architecture and promotes safety standards internationally.

The directive assigns work across departments including State, Defense, Commerce, Transportation, Homeland Security, the Director of National Intelligence, the Office of Management and Budget, national security and science advisers and the Joint Chiefs of Staff. It instructs agencies to create conditions for a safe, stable and operationally sustainable environment while preserving freedom of action in space.

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