Export Control Reform to Help Spaceflight Industry

President Bush has announced a reform to government policies and practices, making it easier for US companies to buy and sell launcher and satellited components, among other things, with other countries around the world.

For those of you who are unfamiliar with the issue, ITAR and other restrictions are laws our government has put in place which make it difficult or impossible for US companies to sell things like satellite parts to other countries. This has crushed the US dominance in the world market over things like satellite components. The new reform deals with how licences are granted for import or export of said components. Educate yourself on the issue here, here, here, and here.

A relevant bill relating to licensing imports and exports of items on the munitions list can be read here.