The Trump administration launched the Space Catalyst Partnership (SCP), an initiative to deepen space cooperation with other countries. The effort seeks to “create opportunities for foreign governments, industry, space agencies, and research organizations to benefit from the vibrant U.S. space ecosystem through commercial partnerships and scientific collaboration, while ensuring outer space is used safely, peacefully, and transparently to the benefit of mankind,” the State Department said.
The effort focuses on diplomatic outreach, foreign assistance, and industry engagement. Part of the State Department outreach extends to U.S. businesses, where the Department will align “scientific experiments, equipment, and other capabilities of foreign space agencies and research institutions in support of U.S.-led civil space activities” with companies. The Trump administration will further deploy foreign assistance to secure space goods and services, such as a $6.5 million project to offer satellite-based internet to schools and businesses in Peru.
As a means of engaging with the larger industry, the State Department plans to launch several partnerships with companies to foster growth in the space sector.
The initiative aligns with a recent executive order from President Trump that calls for a space transportation policy placing national and economic security at the forefront of the industry.
“Access to, from, and within space is a vital national and economic security interest. American space transportation capabilities underpin the global economy, and commercial space innovation flourishes with affordable, reliable, and safe space transportation,” the proclamation reads. “The United States must establish and maintain space transportation capabilities that ensure access to the full range of orbital regimes relevant to United States interests, from suborbital and very-low Earth orbit altitudes to the lunar surface, Lagrange points, and deep space.”
The memo notes that by 2030, the nation is to support “more than 1,000 launches and reentries every year” as to exemplify its “continued superiority in space.”
