2019 ISSRDC Award: Development of Innovative Policies and Enabling Documentation to Support NASA’s Low-Earth Orbit Strategic Commercialization Plan

Each year, the International Space Station (ISS) Research and Development (R&D) Conference, held in coordination with the ISSInternational Space Station U.S. National Laboratory, NASANational Aeronautics and Space Administration, and the American Astronautical Society, highlights individuals who have pushed the boundaries of space-based research through the presentation of research awards. This week, we are spotlighting awardees in the category of “innovation,” honoring individuals who have leveraged the ISS to pioneer a new frontier in space-based science. Today’s spotlight is on Christie Cox of NASA, for innovation in commercialization and nongovernment utilization.

Cox, ISS division utilization and commercialization lead, collaborated with numerous stakeholders to establish NASA’s Low-Earth Orbit Strategic Commercialization Plan. The plan outlines NASA’s vision of a commercialized low Earth orbit(Abbreviation: LEO) The orbit around the Earth that extends up to an altitude of 2,000 km (1,200 miles) from Earth’s surface. The International Space Station’s orbit is in LEO, at an altitude of approximately 250 miles., in which the agency will be one of many customers as it turns its focus to deep space exploration under the Artemis program.