SPCNEWS
Office of Space Commerce Weighs User Fees for TraCSS as Commercial Rivals Emerge
The Trump administration is considering whether to charge for space traffic data, even as SpaceX and Anduril offer free alternatives.
The Trump administration is considering whether to charge for space traffic data, even as SpaceX and Anduril offer free alternatives.
The Trump administration has not decided whether to charge for space safety data, even after a policy change that removed language prohibiting user fees.
A December executive order removed the phrase "free of direct user fees" from Space Policy Directive 3, the 2018 policy that authorized the Commerce Department to establish a civil space traffic coordination system. Many in the industry interpreted the change as enabling the Office of Space Commerce to charge for access to the Traffic Coordination System for Space, known as TraCSS.
However, during a March 12 panel at the Goddard Space Science Symposium, administration officials said no decision has been made.
"The changes in the language are not reflective of a solution set. They're reflective of a trade space," said Charlie Powell, assistant director for space and spectrum at the Office of Science and Technology Policy.
Taylor Jordan, assistant secretary of commerce for environmental observation and prediction and acting director of the Office of Space Commerce, said the agency is "beginning the conversations" about what form user fees might take. Options include in-kind data contributions from users.
"We're not dead set on applying some type of user-fee construct to SPD-3 for these systems, but it gives us the flexibility to have those conversations," he said.
The timing is notable. In January, SpaceX announced its own space traffic management system called Stargaze, offered free to operators who share maneuver plans. On March 11, Anduril Industries announced it is acquiring ExoAnalytic Solutions, which operates one of the world's largest commercial networks of telescopes for tracking satellites and debris.
TraCSS has faced other challenges. The administration's fiscal year 2026 budget proposal sought to cancel the system, claiming it was behind schedule. House and Senate appropriations bills restored at least partial funding. The system was scheduled to roll out its first production version early this year but has not announced that milestone.
Janice Starzyk, deputy director of the Office of Space Commerce, announced March 13 she will step back from the role in the coming weeks.