New initiatives in the commercial development of space

This paper provides a status report on aggressive new initiatives by the NASA Office of Commercial Programs to implement new commercial space policy. The promotion of a strong U.S. commercial presence in space via Spacehab, the Space Shuttle external tanks, privatization of the Space Station, and the development of commercial remote sensing systems is addressed. The privatization of launch services and the development of a talent base for commercial space efforts are considered. Groups, policies, and plans involved in these developments are discussed.