[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 212 (Friday, November 5, 2021)]
[Notices]
[Page 61335]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2021-24125]


=======================================================================
-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY POLICY OFFICE


Orbital Debris Research and Development Plan

AGENCY: Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP).

ACTION: Notice of Request for Comment (RFC).

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: On behalf of the National Science and Technology Council 
(NSTC), Committee on Homeland and National Security, Subcommittee on 
Space Weather Security and Hazards, Interagency Working Group on 
Orbital Debris Research and Development, OSTP requests input from all 
interested parties on the Orbital Debris Research and Development (R&D) 
Plan, which will inform the Orbital Debris Research and Development 
Interagency Working Group's activity for building out an implementation 
plan.

DATES: Responses are due by December 31, 2021.

ADDRESSES: Interested individuals and organizations should submit 
comments electronically to Ezinne Uzo-Okoro at 
[email protected]. Further information may be received by 
calling 202-456-4444.
    Instructions: Response to this RFC is voluntary. Respondents need 
not reply to all questions listed. Each individual or institution is 
requested to submit only one response. OSTP and/or NSTC may post 
responses to this RFC, without change, on a Federal website. OSTP, 
therefore, requests that no business proprietary information, 
copyrighted information, or personally identifiable information be 
submitted in response to this RFC. Please note that the United States 
Government will not pay for response preparation, or for the use of any 
information contained in the response.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Orbital Debris Interagency Working Group 
has commenced the development of an implementation plan to be released 
in 2022. Pursuant to 42 U.S.C. 6622, OSTP is soliciting public input 
through this RFC to obtain recommendations from a wide range of 
stakeholders, including representatives from diverse industries, 
academia, other relevant organizations and institutions, and the 
general public. The public input provided in response to this RFC will 
inform OSTP and NSTC as they work with Federal agencies and other 
stakeholders to develop an Orbital Debris implementation plan. This 
implementation plan is building off the R&D plan published in January 
2021.
    Implementing this plan will close critical gaps in the knowledge 
and capabilities needed to meet current and growing challenges of 
orbital debris risk management. The R&D Plan organizes the orbital 
debris challenges and research topical areas into three main areas of 
orbital debris research and development: limiting debris generation by 
design, tracking and characterizing debris, and remediating or 
repurposing debris. OSTP seeks public input from the R&D community on 
what R&D areas are priorities for government-sponsored initiatives/
coordination, the roles of academia, nonprofit, and industry actors in 
addressing these actions, and potential avenues for coordination 
between actors across public and private sectors.

Questions To Inform Development of the Plan

    OSTP seeks responses to the following questions to improve 
government coordination and to provide long-term guidance for Federal 
programs and activities in support of the United States Orbital Debris 
Research & Development implementation plan.
    (1) The extent to which progress in the R&D topical areas 
identified in the Orbital Debris R&D Plan will address the orbital 
debris challenges. What, if any, R&D areas are missing?
    (2) Among the topic areas listed in the R&D Plan, what are the 
highest priority R&D areas (up to five) for making progress in 
addressing the challenges posed by orbital debris to the space 
environment?
    (3) What near-term actions can be taken by the Federal government 
to make progress towards high priority R&D areas? How would these 
specific actions address the orbital debris challenges in the near 
term?
    (4) What R&D activities would be most valuable in the long-term or 
would be the most transformative to addressing orbital debris 
challenges?
    (5) What are the opportunities to partner with entities outside the 
Federal government, nationally and internationally? What are the viable 
and potentially innovative mechanisms to partner most effectively?

    Dated: November 1, 2021.
Stacy Murphy,
Operations Manager.
[FR Doc. 2021-24125 Filed 11-4-21; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3271-F1-P