[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 124 (Tuesday, July 30, 2024)]
[Senate]
[Pages S5607-S5608]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
SA 3202. Mr. CORNYN submitted an amendment intended to be proposed by
him to the bill S. 4638, to authorize appropriations for fiscal year
2025 for military activities of the Department of Defense, for military
construction, and for defense activities of the Department of Energy,
to prescribe military personnel strengths for such fiscal year, and for
other purposes; which was ordered to lie on the table; as follows:
At the end of title XV, add the following:
Subtitle E--SAFE Orbit Act
SEC. 1549. SHORT TITLE.
This subtitle may be cited as the ``Situational Awareness
of Flying Elements in Orbit Act'' or the ``SAFE Orbit Act''.
SEC. 1550. SPACE SITUATIONAL AWARENESS AND SPACE TRAFFIC
COORDINATION.
(a) In General.--The Secretary of Commerce shall facilitate
safe operations in space and encourage the development of
commercial space capabilities by acquiring and disseminating
unclassified data, analytics, information, and services on
space activities.
(b) Acquisition of Data.--The Assistant Secretary of
Commerce for Space Commerce (established under section
50702(b) of title 51, United States Code, as amended by
section 1551) is authorized to acquire--
(1) data, analytics, information, and services, including
with respect to--
(A) location tracking data;
(B) positional and orbit determination information; and
(C) conjunction data messages; and
(2) such other data, analytics, information, and services
as the Secretary of Commerce determines necessary to avoid
collisions of space objects.
(c) Database on Satellite Location and Behavior.--The
Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Space Commerce shall
provide access for the public, at no charge, a fully updated,
unclassified database of information concerning space objects
and behavior, which shall include--
(1) the data and information acquired under subsection (b),
except to the extent that such data or information is
classified or a trade secret (as defined in section 1839 of
title 18, United States Code); and
(2) the provision of basic space situational awareness
services and space traffic coordination based on the data
referred to in paragraph (1), including basic analytics,
tracking calculations, and conjunction data messages.
(d) Basic Space Situational Awareness Services.--The
Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Space Commerce--
(1) shall provide to satellite operators, at no charge,
basic space situational awareness services, including the
data, analytics, information, and services described in
subsection (b);
(2) in carrying out paragraph (1), may not compete with
private sector space situational awareness products, to the
maximum extent practicable; and
(3) not less frequently than every 3 years, shall review
the basic space situational awareness services described in
paragraph (1) to ensure that such services provided by the
Federal Government do not compete with space situational
awareness services offered by the private sector.
(e) Requirements for Data Acquisition and Dissemination.--
In acquiring data, analytics, information, and services under
subsection (b) and disseminating data, analytics,
information, and services under subsections (c) and (d), the
Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Space Commerce shall--
(1) leverage commercial capabilities to the maximum extent
practicable;
(2) prioritize the acquisition of data, analytics,
information, and services from commercial industry located in
or licensed in the United States to supplement data collected
by United States Government agencies, including the
Department of Defense and the National Aeronautics and Space
Administration;
(3) appropriately protect proprietary data, information,
and systems of firms located in the United States, including
by using appropriate infrastructure and cybersecurity
measures, including measures set forth in the most recent
version of the Cybersecurity Framework, or successor
document, maintained by the National Institute of Standards
and Technology;
(4) facilitate the development of standardization and
consistency in data reporting, in collaboration with
satellite owners and operators, commercial space situational
awareness data and service providers, the academic community,
nonprofit organizations, and the Director of the National
Institute of Standards and Technology; and
(5) encourage foreign governments to participate in
unclassified data sharing arrangements for space situational
awareness and space traffic coordination.
(f) Other Transaction Authority.--In carrying out the
activities required by this section, the Secretary of
Commerce shall enter into such contracts, leases, cooperative
agreements, or other transactions as may be necessary.
SEC. 1551. OFFICE OF SPACE COMMERCE.
(a) Definitions.--
(1) In general.--Section 50701 of title 51, United States
Code, is amended to read as follows:
``Sec. 50701. Definitions
``In this chapter:
``(1) Assistant secretary.--The term `Assistant Secretary'
means the Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Space Commerce.
``(2) Bureau.--The term `Bureau' means the Bureau of Space
Commerce established under section 50702.
``(3) Orbital debris.--The term `orbital debris'--
``(A) means--
``(i) any human-made space object orbiting Earth that--
``(I) no longer serves an intended purpose;
``(II) has reached the end of its mission; or
``(III) is incapable of safe maneuver or operation; and
``(ii) a rocket body and other hardware left in orbit as a
result of normal launch and operational activities; and
``(B) includes fragmentation debris produced by failure or
collision of human-made space objects.
``(4) Secretary.--The term `Secretary' means the Secretary
of Commerce.
``(5) Space object.--The term `space object' means any
object launched into space or created in space robotically or
by humans, including the component parts of such an object.
``(6) Space situational awareness.--The term `space
situational awareness' means--
``(A) the identification, characterization, tracking, and
the predicted movement and behavior of space objects and
orbital debris; and
``(B) the understanding of the space operational
environment.
``(7) Space traffic coordination.--The term `space traffic
coordination' means the planning, assessment, and
coordination of activities to enhance the safety, stability,
and sustainability of operations in the space environment.''.
(2) Clerical amendment.--The table of sections for chapter
507 of title 51, United States Code, is amended by striking
the item relating to section 50701 and inserting the
following:
``50701. Definitions.''.
(b) Transition of Office to Bureau.--Subsection (a) of
section 50702 of title 51, United States Code, is amended by
inserting before the period at the end the following: ``,
which, not later than 5 years after the date of the enactment
of this Act, shall be elevated by the Secretary of Commerce
from an office within the National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration to a bureau reporting directly to the Office
of the Secretary of Commerce''.
(c) Additional Functions of Bureau.--Subsection (c) of such
section is amended--
(1) in paragraph (4), by striking ``; and'' and inserting a
semicolon;
(2) in paragraph (5), by striking the period at the end and
inserting ``; and''; and
[[Page S5608]]
(3) by adding at the end the following:
``(6) to perform space situational awareness and space
traffic management duties pursuant to the SAFE Orbit Act.''.
(d) Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Space Commerce.--
(1) In general.--Subsection (b) of such section is amended
to read as follows:
``(b) Assistant Secretary.--The Bureau shall be headed by
the Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Space Commerce, who
shall--
``(1) be appointed by the President, by and with the advice
and consent of the Senate;
``(2) report directly to the Secretary of Commerce; and
``(3) have a rate of pay that is equal to the rate payable
for level IV of the Executive Schedule under section 5315 of
title 5.''.
(2) Conforming amendments.--
(A) Section 50702(d) of title 51, United States Code, is
amended--
(i) in the subsection heading, by striking ``Director'' and
inserting ``Assistant Secretary''; and
(ii) in the matter preceding paragraph (1), by striking
``Director'' and inserting ``Assistant Secretary''.
(B) Section 5315 of title 5, United States Code, is amended
by striking ``Assistant Secretaries of Commerce (11)'' and
inserting ``Assistant Secretaries of Commerce (12)''.
(3) References.--On and after the date of the enactment of
this Act, any reference in any law or regulation to the
Director of the Office of Space Commerce shall be deemed to
be a reference to the Assistant Secretary of Commerce for
Space Commerce.
(e) Transition Report.--
(1) In general.--Not later than 1 year after the date of
the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Commerce shall
submit to the appropriate committees of Congress a report
that sets forth transition and continuity of operations plans
for the functional and administrative transfer of the Office
of Space Commerce from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration to a bureau reporting to the Office of the
Secretary of Commerce.
(2) Goal.--The goal of transition and continuity of
operations planning shall be to minimize the cost and
administrative burden of establishing the Bureau of Space
Commerce while maximizing the efficiency and effectiveness of
the functions and responsibilities of the Bureau of Space
Commerce, in accordance with this section and the amendments
made by this section.
(3) Appropriate committees of congress defined.--In this
subsection, the term ``appropriate committees of Congress''
means--
(A) the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation
and the Committee on Appropriations of the Senate; and
(B) the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology and the
Committee on Appropriations of the House of Representatives.
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