one of which is ensuring the safety of operations taking place outside of United States’ territorial seas. To address this issue, the Coast Guard establishes safety zones beyond territorial seas but within the exclusive economic zone (EEZ) as part of a two-year pilot program autho- rized by Congress. The program recognizes the unique nature of these special activities and seeks to establish a baseline understanding of how the Coast Guard will execute this authority while preserving international maritime norms and behaviors. Once again we are lead- ing the way, as this historic pilot program is establishing maritime law precedence globally. Field commanders are leveraging creative thinking and adapting our traditional mindset to manage our waterways. Looking forward, however, many questions remain, including: • How do you balance the economic interests and waterways access for all stakeholders? Does one user have greater weight or priority over another? • Should the Coast Guard be the primary resource for monitoring and enforcing LAAs? What is the role of private operators? What local or other government agency authorities could be employed? • What is the Coast Guard, and ultimately the United States government’s, role in establishing LAAs in international waters? Should the pilot program be codified into law? • In today’s information age, does our current model to achieve public “notice” work? How do we leverage technology to ensure each method of notice is appropriate for the maritime user? • What is the appropriate methodology and criteria to consistently and equitably assess risk? Our partners use the concept of aggregate risk—with a focus on the loss of human life—should other factors like environmental or economic risk weigh into launch approval? Federal On-Scene Coordinator Responsibilities Under Federal On-Scene Coordinator authority, hazard- ous materials and spill response support involves opera- tions on the launch pad, in-flight anomalies, or materials transport within our ports that introduce propellants or other hazardous materials into the environment. The emergence of space operations has forced incident Hypergolic Materials Hypergolic fluids are toxic liquids that react spontane­ ously and violently when they contact each other. —NASA management personnel to learn about new propellants, understand hypergolic materials, and consider the safe recovery and salvage of space debris and support ves- sels. For example, in July 2020, NASA sponsored the Perseverance Rover launch from Cape Canaveral which uses radioactive plutonium, provided by the Department of Energy. The existing area contingency plans, network of experts, and regulatory framework do not squarely fit in the Federal On-Scene Coordinator response to space operations. Missions like the Perseverance require close interagency collaboration and communication. Port Canaveral Coast Guard personnel staff the Launch Emergency Operations Centers (EOC), along with federal, state, and local partners, to provide real- time notification and coordination for non-nominal situ- ations. In the event of an incident, embedded personnel can rapidly preserve the safety and integrity of the MTS. With industry treating each launch like a research and development opportunity, existing regulatory frame- works quickly become out of date. The commercial space industry continues to explore alternative fuels and pro- pellants, as well as unique booster recovery and offload methods—challenging the professional expertise and capacity of local Coast Guard units. Several questions need further evaluation to effectively monitor or regulate industry processes, procedures, and equipment within the maritime domain, including: • Should space providers be considered regulated facilities due to the nature and amount of hazardous materials and oil products stored onsite and transferred? • What are area contingency plan requirements or provider contingency plan exercise needs? • How do the regulatory requirements for a federal range differ from a commercial range? • Should the National Response Center receive notifications of space activities within the EEZ? • As we move towards long-range missions to Mars, how do we adequately leverage nuclear energy without increasing environmental or security threats? What is the Coast Guard’s role? • Are regulated timelines or contracts with oil spill removal organizations (OSRO) necessary to expedite response to maritime environmental threats? Federal Maritime Security Coordinator Responsibilities For the Coast Guard, space operations predominately center around preserving the safety of our MTS. However, through the role of Federal Maritime Security Coordinator, the Coast Guard must also ensure the secu- rity of our ports, waterways, and coastal communities. Against a backdrop of global strategic competition and 26 Proceedings Summer 2023