U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick is pictured last month in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, D.C. The Commerce Department said Taylor Jordan’s new role as director of the Office of Space Commerce underscored the Trump administration’s “commitment to strengthening U.S. leadership in space commerce.” File Photo by Shawn Thew/UPI | License Photo
U.S. Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick announced Tuesday the appointment of Taylor Jordan to lead the Office of Space Commerce.
The Commerce Department said Jordan’s new role as director of the Office of Space Commerce underscored the Trump administration’s “commitment to strengthening U.S. leadership in space commerce.”
“I am deeply honored to lead the nation’s principal office dedicated to promoting commercial space activity,” Jordan said in a statement.
Jordan currently sits as U.S. assistant commerce secretary for environmental observation and prediction where Jordan oversees certain aspects of strategic direction and oversight at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
OSC serves as the Commerce Department’s “focal point” for U.S. space commerce policy.
A 1999 department report highlighted the growing importance of outer space commercialization, saying once the idea of science fiction writers, the idea of capitalism in space had “gone mainstream.”
According to the administration, Jordan will continue to serve concurrently in the NOAA role. He authored the 2017 Weather Research and Forecasting Innovation Act of 2017.
Jordan holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of North Texas and a master’s from Johns Hopkins University.
He worked on Capitol Hill for nearly 10 years prior as lead staffer for the House Committee on Science, Space and Technology at NOAA, prior to joining NOAA as senior policy adviser.
“Strengthening America’s leadership in space is a top priority of this administration, and I look forward to working with industry and government partners to advance U.S. commercial interests in the space domain,” he added.
