Senator Schmitt’s Launch Communications Act Signed into Law

WASHINGTON – Senator Eric Schmitt announced today that President Joe Biden signed S.1648, The Launch Communications Act, into law. The new law, which Senators Schmitt and John Hickenlooper (D-CO) introduced last year, will establish a new process for the FCC to issue spectrum licenses for commercial space launches. This updated process will not only help eliminate the mountain of regulatory paperwork the agency’s personnel are required to process but also help improve interagency coordination over the use of spectrum frequencies, while protecting federal users.  

“It’s great news that the White House signed my Launch Communications Act into law. I will never stop advocating for common sense legislation which streamlines unnecessarily burdensome government processes. As Ranking Member of the Space and Science Subcommittee on the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee, I have made it a priority to make it easier, not harder, for the commercial space industry to continue to innovate. America must maintain its edge in the 21^st century space race against China, and this legislation is a necessary step in maintaining American space dominance. I want to also thank Senator Hickenlooper and Representatives Soto and Dunn for their work on this critical piece of legislation. I look forward to working with my colleagues to ensure the new law is implemented correctly and enforced properly,” said Senator Eric Schmitt. 

“Our Launch Communications Act is a win for American innovation,” said Senator Hickenlooper. “We’re excited President Biden signed it into law so we can lead the next era of space exploration.”

BACKGROUND:

• As the commercial spaceflight industry continues to innovate, the need for more launches is expected to grow exponentially. Data from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) reveals that 79 commercial launches occurred in the year 2022. That number increased to a record 117 launches in 2023. 
• This makes it more necessary that regulatory processes at federal agencies are modernized to keep pace with a rapidly innovating commercial space industry.
• However, the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) current process for licensing spectrum for commercial space launches was created decades ago when there were few to no such launches.
• As the United States’ presence in space expands, the FCC must modernize the spectrum licensing process for commercial space launches to ensure the United States and not China or any of our other adversaries is the global leader in space.
• The FCC’s licensing rules have not kept up with the growing demand for commercial space launches which bolster the United States’ scientific, economic, and national security objectives. In fact, as commercial space launch providers face enough issues with mission cancellations due to weather and other factors, the FCC’s current process further strains the agency’s ability to predict and properly perform critical launch missions.  

• The Launch Communications Act provides an immediate solution to resolve current challenges in the FCC’s licensing process by:
  • Requiring the FCC to allocate temporary spectrum access for commercial space launch and reentry activities on a secondary basis within the following frequency bands if approved.
  • Allowing launch providers to bundle spectrum applications for multiple similar launches to streamline the application process and decrease the administrative burden on providers and the FCC.
  • Instructing the FCC to modernize the agency’s current process to better automate the review process for license applications instead of the current manual review process which has unfortunately culminated in a ground stop of critical launches that are critical towards preserving U.S. leadership in space.
  • Requiring the FCC to issue new regulations to improve coordination with the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) which will expedite the authorization process.
• A similar version of the Launch Communications Act, sponsored by Representatives Soto and Dunn, had passed the House of Representatives unanimously in July 2023. Representatives Soto and Dunn also helped to usher the Senate-passed version of the Launch Communications Act through the House. 
• This is Senator Schmitt’s first ever bill to be signed into law, and he is the only Senate freshman to have a bill signed into law this Congress.