A one-line change in the Dec. 18, 2025 Executive Order, Ensuring American Space Superiority, reopened a debate: should the United States charge satellite operators for basic space situational awareness (SSA) and civil space traffic coordination (STC) services? The order revised SPD-3 by removing the expectation that these services be provided “free of direct user fees,” and instead described them as available “for commercial and other relevant use.”

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