President Donald Trump is beginning to shape his space policy this week.

  • National Space Council was last used during George H. W. Bush's presidency
  • Council helps coordinates efforts between NASA, DOD and commercial industry

It was confirmed earlier this week that the new administration would re-establish the National Space Council.

“In very short order, the president will be taking action to re-launch the National Space Council, he’s asked me to chair that as vice presidents have in the past,” Vice President Mike Pence said, after Trump signed a NASA funding bill in the White House.

The National Space Council was created and last used by the George H. W. Bush administration to coordinate the United States efforts in space among NASA, the Department of Defense, commerce and other agencies.

“Space is becoming much more than just NASA and National Security, it’s become a whole market place and this will help better coordinate the federal government’s response to and use of that marketplace,” said Space Florida’s Dale Ketcham.

Ketcham says he hopes the National Space Council will establish uniform rules for space travel, especially with commercial companies launching more from the Space Coast.

“This is where the rubber hits the road more than anywhere else because one of the issues that’s been discussed in the last couple of days in Washington is managing the air traffic that’s impacted by an increasing launch rate,” said Ketcham.

Uniformed rules could streamline the industry, meaning more launches and more jobs for the area, he explained.

"We're going to be bringing together the best and the brightest in NASA and also in the private sector," said Pence.

Critics of the National Space Council say it failed before because it intervened too much into NASA’s affairs, negatively impacting the agency.

There has been no timetable for the formation of the council. Trump has yet to nominate someone for NASA Administrator.