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12h ago

White House Seeks $11 Million for Space Commerce Office as Doubts Grow Over TraCSS

The small request signals a tilt toward commercial alternatives with potential user fees.

An 83% Budget Cut to the Office of Space Commerce Puts America's Space Traffic Management Future in Limbo
An 83% Budget Cut Tells You Everything About Washington's Real Priorities on Space Traffic Management

Overview

  • The Commerce Department’s fiscal 2027 plan requests about $11 million for the Office of Space Commerce, an 83% drop from the $65 million the office received in 2024.
  • A similar fiscal 2026 request sought roughly $10 million and excluded dedicated funding for TraCSS, reinforcing concerns that support for the program has been pulled back.
  • Industry sources told SpaceNews the new request looks like an effort to cancel or sharply scale down TraCSS, a civil warning system meant to alert satellite operators to possible collisions.
  • Development of TraCSS continues without an operating date, as the Office of Space Commerce opened a test waitlist for satellite operators but did not provide a schedule for onboarding.
  • Congress will set final funding in appropriations and has previously worked to restore TraCSS money after proposed cuts, so the request is not the last word.