Bureaucracy Around Private Spaceflight Must Be Tamed for US to Stay on Top, Experts Say

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, with the Dragon capsule and a crew of four private astronauts, lifts off from pad 39A, at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla., on May 21, 2023. John Raoux/AP Photo

Experts in the growing field of commercial space flight say the United States must develop coherent policies and regulations to remain a leader in space.

They say American entrepreneurs have made significant progress in developing the equipment and practices to make commercial space travel safe and economically viable.