A space startup can answer to as many as seven US agencies and none of them is in charge

With plans underway to launch massive constellations of satellites to deliver broadband services and support orbital AI data centers and other applications and services, the space economy is enjoying a boom time. But this growing and evolving sector will also need to adhere to current and coming regulations. While multiple regulatory bodies are responsible for setting new rules and greenlighting or denying missions, it's not crystal clear who is responsible for what—and not just in the US, but internationally as well. Robert McDowell, a former Federal Communications Commissioner who is now chair of the Global Communications Practice Group and partner at Cooley LLP, listed several organizations and agencies that a space industry entrepreneur might come up against. In the US, that list includes the FCC, the US Department of Commerce (or even the National Telecommunications and Information Administration itself), the Office of Space Commerce, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the Commercial Remote Sensing Regulatory Affairs Office, the US Department of Defense, the Federal Aviation Administration, and perhaps NASA, too. Multiple agencies may need to approve a space mission, but their regulatory authority is often limited to particular aspects of it rather than the mission as a whole.