by P.J. Blount with the blog faculty

NOAA has issued an open letter to Google X Prize Participants on its licensing regime (hat tip The Launch Pad):

Dear Google Lunar X PRIZE Participant:

As part of your effort to win the Google Lunar X PRIZE, will your entry or any related facilities be capable of actively or passively sensing the Earth’s surface, including

bodies of water, from space by making use of the properties of the electromagnetic waves emitted, reflected, or diffracted by the sensed objects?

If so, and if your team is based wholly or partially in the USA, you may need to apply for a license from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). This is because Land Remote Sensing Policy Act of 1992 and its implementing regulations require any person subject to the jurisdiction or control of the United States who operates or proposes to operate a private remote sensing space system that images the Earth, and/or establishes substantial connections with the United States regarding the operation of such a system to obtain a license from NOAA.

If you think this may apply to your team, NOAA strongly encourages you to contact us for a non-binding consultation at:

Email: noaa.crsl@noaa.gov

Phone: 301-713-2024 ext 213/202

Obtaining a license can take up to 120 days once application is received by NOAA.

Should you wish to review the regulations, found at 15 CFR Part 960, describing NOAA’s licensing and regulation of such systems, they are available online at: http://www.licensing.noaa.gov/reference.html.