Sigh. Now the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Agency is using it’s power to help ruin the promising future of spaceflight that SpaceX is trying to usher in.

NOAA statement on today’s broadcast of the SpaceX Iridium-5 launch

The National and Commercial Space Program Act requires a commercial remote sensing license for companies having the capacity to take an image of Earth while on orbit.

Now that launch companies are putting video cameras on stage 2 rockets that reach an on-orbit status, all such launches will be held to the requirements of the law and its conditions.

The NOAA thinks that you need a special license to take a photo of THE EARTH. Apparently this new development is a result of the Starman videos.

Expect this sort of thing to become a *real* problem if someone looks likely to make a real go of orbital tourism. Imagine if you need a special license to take your Nikon with you… or even your cell phone.

If one was of a conspiratorial bent, one might conclude that the government is doing a “death by a thousand cuts” thing, using a mountain of seemingly small regulatory headaches to keep the private companies from getting too uppity. Just imagine what new and innovative laws will be interpreted if the BFR actually looks likely to start sending private citizens to Mars.