Growing up, I felt like I could access the universe by just crossing the street. Steps from my childhood home in Cleveland, Ohio stood the Warner and Swasey Observatory, an astronomical hub and resource center revered as a “plumb line to the heavens.” At an early age, I became fascinated by the observatory, started building my own model rockets, and dreamed of one day becoming an astronaut.
Where my friends looked to heroes on the court like Julius “Dr. J” Irving and Kareem Abdul-Jabar, my heroes — the first Black astronauts, Guy Bluford, Ron McNair, Fred Gregory and Charlie Bolden — were in the skies. My passion for space led me to Williams College, where I hoped to study astrophysics under Jay Pasachoff. However, as a young adult witnessing the civil unrest of the 80s and 90s, I found myself becoming increasingly motivated by the impact of public service. In an effort to combine these two interests, I applied for an internship at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
Though my astronaut dreams didn’t come true, and I didn’t get the NOAA internship, in 2021 I was fortunate to become Deputy Secretary of the Department of Commerce in the Biden-Harris administration. People may not think of Commerce as a space agency, but our space portfolio is deep and varied. Not only are we home to NOAA’s fleet of weather satellites, but we play a vital role in advancing American leadership in the commercial space industry. And while America has cemented its role as a leader in space, much work remains to continue that leadership.
Once a frontier exclusive to explorers, space is now an indispensable part of our economy. United States space firms deliver critical services to the American people, including TV, radio, mobile Internet, GPS navigation and disaster preparedness. Launches continue to break records, while annual space investment has frequently exceeded $6 billion since the beginning of the administration. All of this activity supported approximately 347,000 private-sector jobs and accounted for approximately $131.8 billion of our GDP in 2022.
I take pride in the extraordinary work the Commerce Department has done to advance American space commerce. During Secretary Raimondo’s and my tenure, we have protected U.S. satellite interests, cut red tape to expand aerospace trade and promoted sustainable space activity. We helped to increase transparency for commercial space businesses in addition to working to democratize and diversify the commercial space workforce and supply chains.
In four years, we streamlined license conditions, freeing U.S. satellite imaging firms to fully compete in the global market. We updated regulations to enable license-free exports of many satellites to our partners and proposed further streamlining of export rules. We also engaged over a dozen countries in commercial space dialogues that promoted business partnerships and countered China’s sphere of influence.
The uptick in space exploration requires a commitment to safety in orbit. Just as the Commerce Department operated lighthouses in the past to ensure safe shipping and trade, we started fielding a modern Traffic Coordination System for Space (TraCSS) for preventing in-space collisions that generate hazardous orbital debris.
Despite these strides, much is left to do.
The debate on how to authorize and regulate future space business activities and innovative capabilities remains unresolved. Congress must pass legislation providing clarity and certainty to these entrepreneurs and operators. As Earth’s orbits become congested, the federal government must continue developing TraCSS as an operational safety system serving the world. And we must continue to lead international discussions on responsible space operations and space traffic data sharing. For everyone’s sake, we must establish ways to communicate and deconflict spaceflight activities, even with those who are not our partners.
My personal commitment to the future of space commerce is inspired by the “giant leaps” we’ve seen throughout American history. Past heroes have set the stage for today’s democratized, energetic space industry, where American entrepreneurs are leading the world with their innovations. To support their success, the U.S. government must maintain the momentum the Biden-Harris administration has built as there remains space to grow, innovate, and excel.
Serving in the Biden-Harris administration, Don Graves is the 19th Deputy Secretary of the United States Department of Commerce. Graves has a rich family history connected to the Commerce Department. His four-times great-grandparents built a successful horse and buggy taxi business in Washington that once stood at the site of the Department’s headquarters. Their son went on to own a premier hotel just blocks away and become one of our nation’s first Black patent-holders through the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.
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