Are you fucking serious? Fund TraCSS

TraCSS is the space traffic coordination system being built by the Office of Space Commerce (OSC) within NOAA within the U.S. Department of Commerce. 

TraCSS = Traffic Coordination System for Space; essentially it would be automated air traffic control, but in space for satellites.

Space is big but occasionally there are collisions and near-misses. And there will be tens of thousands more satellites in the next decade.

It is pretty cool that the U.S. is investing in tech to have satellites not crash into each other. Or is it??

In the President’s fiscal year 2026 budget request, the whole TraCSS program is being defunded. To zero dollars.

There are some government services that enable private sector investment and this is one of them.

Even if you hate Elon Musk and think all Starlinks should crash... Wait, what the hell? Why would you think that. Starlink provides a valuable service. Just wish for Tesla’s stock to fall instead.

Space traffic coordination is essential for satellite communications like LEO broadband to bring internet to rural and remote Americans, for remote sensing satellites to track natural disaster damage, and for emergency communications.

OSC is doing a great job with TraCSS so far.

Space Policy Directive 3 (2018) moved space traffic coordination from PERMANENTLY from the Department of Defense to the Department of Commerce.

Operators of thousands of satellites are participating in current TraCSS beta testing.

OSC has spent years building relationships with private companies and international partners to optimize the system for users and ensure other countries will use our system.

OSC is lean and efficient. I have never met a team of stone cold killers so intensely dedicated to the mission of having satellites not crash into each other.

Last month, China announced plans to build their own space traffic management system.

Who knows how long this might take (definitely years). And honestly the quality of the final product. But if it ends up being ready before anything else, American companies will have to use the Chinese system. And isn’t the whole point of this administration to NOT outsource stuff to China??

We could literally have space traffic coordination by the Office of Space Commerce in January 2026. OR we could have space traffic coordination by the Chinese National Space Agency in like, 2030 maybe.

The annual budget for TraCSS is literally $60 million, that is all they are asking.

PETE HEGSETH let two fighter jets fall off of aircraft carriers in the last month.

“An individual F/A-18 fighter jet costs more than $60 million, according to the Navy.” You could literally save this much money by not letting planes fall off the boats.

There are cost savings involved too. TraCSS can be used to enforce compliance with FCC deorbiting rules.

Also, satellite collisions would bring untold economic harm. People would probably die too. Yeah probably should have started with this

Some have suggested that the mission of space traffic coordination can be done by a private company or nonprofit instead of OSC.

NO

The private industry will not build this system if OSC loses funding for TraCSS because it is a massive, unfunded undertaking and they would have to start from scratch. 

That is like telling the airline industry that air traffic control is being defunded and they have to do it themselves.

Literally no one will build this system. Except China in a bunch of years.

So, so, so

For the low price of 1 fighter jet. Or 3 episodes of Severance.

We could have a space traffic coordination system in place by next year that will help prevent satellite collisions.

Do it!!

Disclaimer: some concepts were simplified so this didn’t get too long. Also, i’m not a lawyer or registered lobbyist and I don't make money from this blog! All views are my own and not associated with my employer.