Congress is debating asteroid mining and the oversight of private space exploration.
A new law expected to pass presidential approval this week would give the private spaceflight sector exemption from a wide range of government oversight. H.R. 2262, which is receiving final approval from the House of Representatives today, would exempt private space travel from federal regulation for the next eight years. The bill would primarily benefit companies like SpaceX, Virgin Galactic, and Blue Origin that fear that close oversight by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) or another government agency could seriously slow innovation.
