Commerce Department budget proposal revives concerns about TraCSS

WASHINGTON — A budget proposal for the Department of Commerce raises new doubts about the future of a civil space traffic management system under development there.

A high-level fiscal year 2027 budget proposal released by the department April 3 included $11 million for the Office of Space Commerce, now located in the Departmental Management account of the budget. The office, previously part of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, was moved to directly report to the secretary of commerce after an executive order in August 2025.

Industry sources interpreted the $11 million request for the Office of Space Commerce in 2027 as another attempt by the White House Office of Management and Budget to cancel or severely curtail TraCSS. In the 2026 proposal, NOAA cited delays in the development of TraCSS and argued that the private sector could instead provide space traffic coordination services.