Advancing U.S. Space Policies and Programs Internationally through Bilateral and Multilateral Engagement and Cooperation

The Office of Space Affairs carries out diplomatic and public diplomacy efforts to strengthen American leadership in space exploration, applications, and commercialization by increasing understanding of, and support for, U.S. national space policies and programs and to encourage the foreign use of U.S. space capabilities, systems, and services. A primary goal of OES is to advance American space leadership by pursing and maintaining a rules-based international framework for the long-term sustainability, commercialization and utilization of space, and by strengthening America’s role in coalitions and bilateral engagements that extend human presence deeper into outer space for long-term exploration and utilization. To help with this task, the Capstone team will focus on:

• Explore how OES can seek international support for commercial exploitation of space that ensures responsible behavior while placing minimal burden on the U.S. private sector.
• Research how OES can consult with other nations on the enhanced civil use of space for science, Earth observation, civil positioning, navigation, and timing, and other space-based applications.
• Strategize how OES can pursue agreement among space-faring nations and commercial interests on an approach to post-International Space Station exploration, to include plans for space-based platforms for further exploration.