S. 4814 — what changed

Active debris remediation— The term active debris remediation—

does not include de-orbit, repurposing, or other disposal of orbital debris by passive means.

Administrator— The term Administrator means the Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.

Appropriate committees of Congress— The term appropriate committees of Congress means—

Demonstration program— The term demonstration program means the active orbital debris remediation demonstration program carried out under section 4(b).

Eligible entity— The term eligible entity means—

a United States-based—

non-Federal, commercial entity;

institution of higher education (as defined in section 101(a) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1001(a))); or

nonprofit organization;

any other United States-based entity the Administrator considers appropriate; and

a partnership of entities described in subparagraphs (A) and (B).

Orbital debris— The term orbital debris means any human-made space object orbiting Earth that—

has reached the end of its mission; or

Secretary— The term Secretary means the Secretary of Commerce.

Space traffic coordination— The term space traffic coordination means the planning, coordination, and on-orbit synchronization of activities to enhance the safety and sustainability of operations in the space environment.

List— Not later than 90 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Administrator, in consultation with the Secretary, the Secretary of Defense, the National Space Council, and representatives of the commercial space industry, academia, and nonprofit organizations, shall publish a list of identified orbital debris that pose the greatest immediate risk to the safety and sustainability of orbiting satellites and on-orbit activities.

Contents— The list required under paragraph (1)—

shall be developed using appropriate sources of data and information derived from governmental and nongovernmental sources, including space situational awareness data obtained by the Office of Space Commerce, to the extent practicable;

shall include, to the extent practicable—

a description of the approximate age, location in orbit, size, tumbling state, post-mission passivation actions taken, and national jurisdiction of each orbital debris identified; and

may include orbital debris that poses a significant risk to terrestrial people and assets, including risk resulting from potential environmental impacts from the uncontrolled reentry of the orbital debris identified.

Purpose— The purpose of the demonstration program shall be to enable eligible entities to pursue the phased development and demonstration of technologies and processes required for active debris remediation.

Procedures and criteria— In establishing the demonstration program, the Administrator shall—

establish—

eligibility criteria for participation;

a process for soliciting proposals from eligible entities;

criteria for the contents of such proposals;

program compliance and evaluation metrics; and

program phases and milestones;

identify government-furnished data or equipment; and

develop a plan for National Aeronautics and Space Administration participation in technology development, as appropriate, and intellectual property rights.

Proposal evaluation— In evaluating proposals for the demonstration program, the Administrator shall—

consider the safety, feasibility, cost, benefit, and maturity of the proposed technology;

consider the potential for the proposed demonstration to successfully remediate orbital debris and to advance the commercial state of the art with respect to active debris remediation;

carry out a risk analysis of the proposed technology that takes into consideration the potential casualty risk to humans in space or on the Earth’s surface;

in an appropriate setting, conduct thorough testing and evaluation of the proposed technology and each component of such technology or system of technologies; and

consider the technical and financial feasibility of using the proposed technology to conduct multiple remediation missions.

In general— The Administrator shall consult with the head of each relevant Federal department or agency in advance of each demonstration mission.

In general— To inform decisions regarding the acquisition of active debris remediation services by the Federal Government, not later than 180 days after the completion of the demonstration program, the Administrator shall submit to Congress a report that—

summarizes a technical analysis of technologies developed under the demonstration program;

identifies any technology gaps addressed by the demonstration program and any remaining technology gaps; and

provides, as applicable, any further legislative, regulatory, and policy recommendations to enable active debris remediation missions.

Availability— The Administration shall make the report submitted under clause (i) available to the Secretary, the Secretary of Defense, and other relevant Federal departments and agencies, as determined by the Administrator.

Arrangement or agreement with partner country— Any arrangement or agreement entered into with a partner country under subparagraph (A) shall be—

concluded—

in the interests of the United States Government; and

without prejudice to any contractual arrangement among commercial parties that may be required to complete the active debris remediation mission concerned; and

consistent with the international obligations of the United States under the international legal framework governing outer space activities.

considers planned space systems, including satellite constellations; and

addresses—

collision risk;

casualty probability;

post-mission disposal of space systems;

time to disposal or de-orbit;

spacecraft collision avoidance and automated identification capability; and

the ability to track orbital debris of decreasing size.

Publication— Not later than 1 year after the date of the enactment of this Act, such update shall be published in the Federal Register and posted to the relevant Federal Government websites.

Regulations— To promote uniformity and avoid duplication in the regulation of space activity, including licensing by the Federal Aviation Administration, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and the Federal Communications Commission, such update, after publication, shall be used to inform the further development and promulgation of Federal regulations relating to orbital debris.

International promotion— To encourage effective and nondiscriminatory standards, best practices, rules, and regulations implemented by other countries, such update shall inform bilateral and multilateral discussions focused on the authorization and continuing supervision of nongovernmental space activities.

Promotion of standard practices— On completion of such standard practices, the Secretary, the Secretary of State, the Secretary of Transportation, the Administrator, and the Secretary of Defense shall promote the adoption and use of the standard practices for domestic and international space missions.