[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 148 (Monday, September 23, 2024)]
[House]
[Pages H5623-H5625]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




         ACCESSING SATELLITE DATA TO ENABLE NEW DISCOVERIES ACT

  Mr. LUCAS. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill 
(H.R. 6219) to require the Administrator of the National Aeronautics 
and Space Administration to establish a program to identify, evaluate, 
acquire, and disseminate commercial Earth remote sensing data and 
imagery in order to satisfy the scientific, operational, and 
educational requirements of the Administration, and for other purposes, 
as amended.
  The Clerk read the title of the bill.
  The text of the bill is as follows:

                               H.R. 6219

       Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of 
     the United States of America in Congress assembled,

     SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

       This Act may be cited as the ``Accessing Satellite Data to 
     Enable New Discoveries Act'' or the ``ASCEND Act''.

     SEC. 2. COMMERCIAL SATELLITE DATA.

       (a) Findings.--Congress makes the following findings:
       (1) Section 60501 of title 51, United States Code, states 
     that the goal for the Earth Science program of the National 
     Aeronautics and Space Administration (referred to in this 
     section as ``NASA'') shall be to pursue a program of Earth 
     observations, research, and applications activities to better 
     understand the Earth, how it supports life, and how human 
     activities affect its ability to do so in the future.
       (2) Section 50115 of title 51, United States Code, states 
     that the Administrator of NASA shall, to the extent possible 
     and while satisfying the scientific or educational 
     requirements of NASA, and where appropriate, of other Federal 
     agencies and scientific researchers, acquire, where cost 
     effective, space-based and airborne commercial Earth remote 
     sensing data, services, distribution, and applications from a 
     commercial provider.
       (3) The Administrator of NASA established the Commercial 
     SmallSat Data Acquisition Pilot Program in 2019 to identify, 
     validate, and acquire from commercial sources data that 
     support the Earth science research and application goals.
       (4) The Administrator of NASA has--
       (A) determined that the pilot program described in 
     paragraph (3) has been a success, as described in the final 
     evaluation entitled ``Commercial SmallSat Data Acquisition 
     Program Pilot Evaluation Report'' issued in 2020;
       (B) established a formal process for evaluating and 
     onboarding new commercial vendors in such pilot program;
       (C) increased the number of commercial vendors and 
     commercial data products available through such pilot 
     program; and

[[Page H5624]]

       (D) expanded procurement arrangements with commercial 
     vendors to broaden user access to provide commercial Earth 
     remote sensing data and imagery to federally funded 
     researchers.
       (b) Commercial Satellite Data Acquisition Program.--
       (1) In general.--Chapter 603 of title 51, United States 
     Code, is amended by adding at the end the following:

     ``Sec. 60307. Commercial Satellite Data Acquisition Program

       ``(a) In General.--The Administrator shall establish within 
     the Earth Science Division of the Science Mission Directorate 
     a program to acquire and disseminate cost-effective and 
     appropriate commercial Earth remote sensing data and imagery 
     in order to satisfy the scientific, operational, and 
     educational requirements of the Administration, and where 
     appropriate, of other Federal agencies and scientific 
     researchers to augment or complement the suite of Earth 
     observations acquired by the Administration, other United 
     States Government agencies, and international partners.
       ``(b) Data Publication and Transparency.--The terms and 
     conditions of commercial Earth remote sensing data and 
     imagery acquisitions under the program described in 
     subsection (a) shall not prevent--
       ``(1) the publication of commercial data or imagery for 
     scientific purposes; or
       ``(2) the publication of information that is derived from, 
     incorporates, or enhances the original commercial data or 
     imagery of a vendor.
       ``(c) Authorization.--In carrying out the program under 
     this section, the Administrator may--
       ``(1) procure commercial Earth remote sensing data and 
     imagery from commercial vendors to advance scientific 
     research and applications in accordance with subsection (a); 
     and
       ``(2) establish or modify end-use license terms and 
     conditions to allow for the widest-possible use of procured 
     commercial Earth remote sensing data and imagery by 
     individuals other than NASA-funded users, consistent with the 
     goals of the program.
       ``(d) United States Vendors.--Commercial Earth remote 
     sensing data and imagery referred to in subsections (a) and 
     (c) shall, to the maximum extent practicable, be procured 
     from United States vendors.(e) Report.--Not later than 180 
     days after the date of the enactment of this section and 
     annually thereafter, the Administrator shall submit to the 
     Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the 
     Senate and the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology of 
     the House of Representatives a report that includes the 
     following information regarding the agreements, vendors, 
     license terms, and uses of commercial Earth remote sensing 
     data and imagery under this section:
       ``(1)(A) In the case of the initial report, a list of all 
     agreements that are providing commercial Earth remote sensing 
     data and imagery to NASA as of the date of the report.
       ``(B) For each subsequent report, a list of all agreements 
     that have provided commercial Earth remote sensing data and 
     imagery to NASA during the reporting period.
       ``(2) A description of the end-use license terms and 
     conditions for each such vendor.
       ``(3) A description of the manner in which each such 
     agreement is advancing scientific research and applications, 
     including priorities recommended by the National Academies of 
     Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine decadal surveys.
       ``(4) Information specifying whether the Administrator has 
     entered into an agreement with a commercial vendor or a 
     Federal agency that permits the use of data and imagery by 
     Federal Government employees, contractors, or non-Federal 
     users.''.
       (2) Clerical amendment.--The table of contents for chapter 
     603 of title 51, United States Code, is amended by adding at 
     the end the following new item:

``60307. Commercial Satellite Data Acquisition Program.''.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
Oklahoma (Mr. Lucas) and the gentlewoman from North Carolina (Mrs. 
Foushee) each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Oklahoma.


                             General Leave

  Mr. LUCAS. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may 
have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and 
include extraneous material on H.R. 6219, the bill now under 
consideration.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Oklahoma?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. LUCAS. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to rise in support of the ASCEND Act, led 
by my colleague, Mr. Kean of New Jersey.
  The ASCEND Act creates a permanent commercial satellite data 
acquisition program within NASA's Science Mission Directorate.
  As the global space sector rapidly evolves, it is critical for NASA 
to have access to the very best tools and research our Nation has to 
offer, ensuring its continued leadership as the world's premier space 
agency.
  This bill supports those efforts by enabling NASA to procure remote 
sensing data from commercial providers under the new acquisition 
program. By taking this step, researchers will have access to cutting-
edge datasets and imagery obtained from the commercial space sector. 
These resources will play a significant role in advancing research and 
development in vital areas, such as precision agriculture and natural 
disaster monitoring.
  By utilizing industry data, our NASA researchers can obtain valuable 
insights that enhance their already innovative work. The more knowledge 
we acquire, the better we can lead in this field.
  The bill also requires the NASA Administrator to submit an annual 
report to Congress on the uses and impact of commercial data products 
and licensing agreements. This information will be valuable for us as 
we monitor and support the program's efforts.
  As we look forward to the future, maintaining our leadership in the 
space sector will depend on various factors, including our 
collaborative efforts between the public and private sectors. Allowing 
NASA to expand its commercial data procurement program through the 
ASCEND Act will only help achieve the agency's current and long-term 
goals.
  Mr. Speaker, I thank Representative Kean and Representative Bonamici 
for working together to get this bill to the floor today. I urge all of 
my colleagues to support this legislation, and I reserve the balance of 
my time.
  Mrs. FOUSHEE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I stand in support of the ASCEND Act, which is sponsored 
by Representatives Kean and Bonamici. Their bill would codify the 
existing program, the Commercial Satellite Data Acquisition program, 
after NASA successfully demonstrated the viability of purchasing 
commercial small-satellite data to support NASA's Earth system science 
programs.
  During evaluation of the initial pilot project, the data acquisitions 
were shown to complement the suite of Earth observations taken by 
NASA's fleet of satellites and instruments. NASA has continued the 
activities as the Commercial SmallSat Data Acquisition Program. This 
bill capitalizes on the accomplishments of the initial pilot by 
authorizing the program.
  It also authorizes the Administrator, in carrying out the program, to 
procure commercial Earth remote sensing data and imagery from 
commercial vendors and to establish or modify end-use license terms and 
conditions to allow for the use of the procured data and imagery by 
individuals other than NASA-funded users.
  The bill includes measures to support data publication and 
transparency, reporting to Congress on the program, and the widest 
possible use of the data procured under the program consistent with 
program goals.
  Mr. Speaker, I thank the bill's sponsors for their work on the ASCEND 
Act, and I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting it. I reserve 
the balance of my time.
  Mr. LUCAS. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the 
gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Kean), to speak on his bill.
  Mr. KEAN of New Jersey. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to express my 
gratitude to the Speaker's Office, the majority leader, Chairman Lucas, 
and my colleagues for their collaborative efforts in addressing the 
urgency of passing my bill, H.R. 6219, the Accessing Satellite Data to 
Enable New Discoveries Act, the ASCEND Act.
  I also extend my appreciation to Representative Bonamici for co-
leading the ASCEND Act, which will establish a program through which 
NASA can procure satellite imagery and data from commercially operated 
satellites to support and complement its science objectives.
  Space, once dominated by government actors, is now home to a growing 
variety of commercial operators. This commercial space industry 
includes commercial operators of small satellite constellations that 
produce remote sensing imagery and data. NASA could obtain cost-
effective imagery and data for its science missions by purchasing such 
products from these commercial providers as one of their many 
customers.

[[Page H5625]]

  In 2017, NASA established a pilot program called the Commercial 
SmallSat Data Acquisition, CSDA, Program to identify and to evaluate 
commercial capabilities that could add value to NASA research. The 
program also established new processes to acquire and use such 
products.
  The CSDA pilot program proved to be a great success, with 
participating scientists finding commercial datasets to be both 
reliable and highly valuable for a wide range of research applications.
  The ASCEND Act seeks to build upon the success of the pilot program 
and to permanently authorize the CSDA Program within NASA, thus 
ensuring the program's continued growth and longevity.
  This bill directs the NASA Administrator to establish a commercial 
satellite data acquisition program within NASA's Science Mission 
Directorate, allowing scientists and agencies to access cost-effective 
commercial satellite data products.

  The bill also allows the Administrator to both obtain commercial 
Earth remote sensing imagery and data needed by agencies and scientists 
and to also encourage growth of private-sector space entities.
  Additionally, this legislation requires the Administrator to submit a 
report to Congress describing the implementation of the program, 
including the types of data acquired, the sources of that data, its 
uses within NASA, and any impacts.
  Not only does this program benefit NASA scientists, but it also 
supports federally funded and accredited researchers across various 
agencies, such as NOAA, USDA, or DOI, as well as Federal grantees, 
including the National Science Foundation and other agencies.
  By utilizing a diverse set of capabilities and data sources, and 
leveraging advancements in the private sector, we are ensuring that 
America remains at the forefront of scientific discovery and 
technological advancements for generations to come.
  Now is an important time for Congress to reaffirm our support for 
this program by enacting it into statute, thus ensuring its continued 
growth and success for the Federal scientific community.
  Access to such timely, high-quality satellite data is essential for 
improving our understanding of natural disasters, enhancing response 
capabilities, and mitigating impacts, especially for flood-prone 
coastal areas like New Jersey. This data will help protect our 
communities by informing more accurate predictions and better 
preparation efforts.
  The ASCEND Act demonstrates a strong commitment to advancing our 
scientific capabilities, such as by providing data that would enhance 
disaster preparedness and response efforts and by supporting commercial 
space efforts.
  This bipartisan legislation reinforces our dedication to promoting 
sound research and innovation in space exploration and ensuring NASA 
remains at the forefront of scientific discovery and public service.

                              {time}  1830

  Again, I thank the Speaker's Office, the majority leader, and 
Chairman Lucas for helping advance this impactful legislation.
  Mr. Speaker, I encourage my colleagues to support this legislation.
  Mrs. FOUSHEE. Mr. Speaker, I have no further speakers to speak on 
this bill, and I am prepared to close.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. LUCAS. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time.
  Again, I thank Representatives Kean and Bonamici for their bipartisan 
efforts.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from Oklahoma (Mr. Lucas) that the House suspend the rules 
and pass the bill, H.R. 6219, as amended.
  The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the 
rules were suspended and the bill, as amended, was passed.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

                          ____________________