Sherman & Howard aerospace attorney Shawn Cheadle spoke with Law360’s Daniel Wilson about the U.S. Space Force (USSF) Commercial Space Strategy, which outlines how the service plans to retool processes and cultivate commercial partnerships to increase U.S. competitive advantage. Cheadle discussed the increased demand from the USSF, the potential regulatory issues in certain areas, and the short supply of workers with higher security clearances.

Below is an excerpt from the article.

There are also potential regulatory snarls in areas such as hybrid commercial-defense space launches, given the broad range of agencies holding authority over aspects of the commercial space launch and operational process, which may limit the industry’s ability to meet the demand from the Space Force, said Shawn Cheadle, a member at Sherman & Howard LLC who previously worked for Lockheed Martin Space.

“The question I have with the [strategy is] what is truly going to be the difference? It’s a defense launch, it’s a defense application, but they’re doing this hybrid commercial product, is that the spacecraft itself?” he asked. “Can they do a commercial launch? Can they launch defense articles on a commercial launch?”

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