[Federal Register Volume 87, Number 86 (Wednesday, May 4, 2022)]
[Notices]
[Pages 26377-26378]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2022-09549]


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OFFICE OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY POLICY


Notice of Request for Comment

AGENCY: Office of Science and Technology Policy.

ACTION: Notice of Request for Comment.

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SUMMARY: On behalf of the National Science and Technology Council 
(NSTC), the In-space Servicing, Assembly, and Manufacturing (ISAM) 
Interagency Working Group coordinates science and technology policy, 
strategy, and federal research and development (R&D) pertaining to 
ISAM-related capabilities. NSTC operates under the auspices of the 
Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP). This coordinated effort 
aims to ensure that U.S. leadership in servicing, assembly, 
manufacturing capabilities in space and their applications is 
maintained and expanded for future use. OSTP requests

[[Page 26378]]

input from all interested parties on the In-space Servicing, Assembly 
and Manufacturing (ISAM) National Strategy,\1\ and on specific U.S. 
Government actions or initiatives to advance the strategy's stated 
goals. Input received will inform the ISAM Interagency Working Group's 
development of an ISAM implementation plan.
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    \1\ https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/04-2022-ISAM-National-Strategy-Final.pdf.

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DATES: Responses are due by June 30, 2022.

ADDRESSES: Interested individuals and organizations should submit 
comments electronically to Ezinne Uzo-Okoro at [email protected]. 
Further information may be received by calling 202-456-4444.
    Instructions: Response to this RFC is voluntary. Respondents need 
not reply to all questions listed. Each individual or institution is 
requested to submit only one response. OSTP and/or NSTC may post 
responses to this RFC, without change, on a Federal website. OSTP, 
therefore, requests that no business proprietary information, 
copyrighted information, or personally identifiable information be 
submitted in response to this RFC. Please note that the United States 
Government will not pay for response preparation, or for the use of any 
information contained in the response.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The ISAM Interagency Working Group has 
commenced the development of an implementation plan to be released in 
2022. Pursuant to 42 U.S.C. 6622, OSTP is soliciting public input 
through this RFC to obtain recommendations from a wide range of 
stakeholders, including representatives from industry, academia, other 
relevant organizations and institutions, and the general public. Input 
provided in response to this RFC will inform OSTP and NSTC as they work 
with Federal departments and agencies and other stakeholders to develop 
an In-space Servicing, Assembly, and Manufacturing implementation plan. 
This implementation plan will identify key actions to advance the goals 
and objectives outlined in the ISAM national strategy published in 
April 2022. The national strategy can be found at: https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/04-2022-ISAM-National-Strategy-Final.pdf.
    Implementing this strategy will help the United States realize the 
benefits of ISAM capabilities by taking steps to: improve coordination 
and collaboration both within the USG, as well as among the USG, 
academia, industry, and international partners; send a clear and 
consistent demand signal to private industry in order to stimulate 
investment, mitigate risk, and address investor confidence; and 
establish and adopt ISAM standards to help promote growth. The strategy 
is organized around six goals: (1) Advance ISAM research and 
development, (2) prioritize expanding scalable ISAM infrastructure, (3) 
accelerate the emerging ISAM commercial industry, (4) promote 
international collaboration and cooperation, (5) prioritize 
environmental sustainability and 6) inspire the future space workforce.
    OSTP seeks public input from the community of ISAM stakeholders on 
what priorities the government should focus on in the implementation 
plan. This includes actions for government-sponsored initiatives/
coordination; the roles of academia, nonprofit, and industry actors in 
addressing these actions; and potential avenues for coordination 
between actors across public and private sectors.

Questions To Inform Development of the Implementation Plan

    OSTP seeks responses to the following questions to improve 
government coordination and to provide long-term guidance for Federal 
programs and activities in support of the United States In-space 
Servicing, Assembly, and Manufacturing implementation plan.
    (1) What specific technologies and capabilities require priority 
R&D focus to enable and advance the development of a suite of 
commercial ISAM capabilities over the next 10-15 years?
    (2) What infrastructure, ground, space-based, or digital, or other 
non-monetary resources will be critical to enabling the advancement of 
ISAM capabilities and the commercial ISAM industry?
    (3) What factors (e.g., demand for services, lack of regulation, 
government funding, USG space priorities and space architecture 
decisions, significant debris event) may accelerate or decelerate 
progress in the development and advancement of the ISAM industry?
    (4) What are the most effective kinds of partnerships, between the 
U.S. Government, industry, and academia, that would advance ISAM 
industry maturity and ISAM capabilities? What partnership opportunities 
exist, both nationally and internationally, outside of the Federal 
Government?
    (5) What are the highest priority actions that the USG can take 
over the next five years to implement the goals outlined in the ISAM 
strategy?

    Dated: April 29, 2022.
Stacy Murphy,
Operations Manager.
[FR Doc. 2022-09549 Filed 5-3-22; 8:45 am]
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