Main Engine Cut OffCommerce Department’s New Remote Sensing Regulations Make a Surprising Amount of Sense
Jeff Foust, for SpaceNews:
The revised regulations, finalized after months of interagency review, would subject systems to only the “bare minimum of conditions” if they offer capabilities no better than what is available by foreign competitors, with somewhat more stringent conditions if they offer better capabilities or novel services not otherwise available.
It’s worth reading Jeff’s article on these changes. They make so much sense that I almost have nothing to say about it.
The one question I have is how Tier 3 systems, classified as those having “a completely novel capability” not available elsewhere in the world, will be looked at if their approach is novel but not a risk to national security in any way. The rules are just vague enough to leave some confusion there, but maybe I haven’t read enough.
Which would be understandable, because the document explaining the new rules is massive.