WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators John Cornyn (R-TX), Gary Peters (D-MI), Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), Eric Schmitt (R-MO), Mark Kelly (D-AZ), Roger Wicker (R-MS), Ben Ray Luján (D-NM), and John Hickenlooper (D-CO) today introduced their Situational Awareness of Flying Elements in (SAFE) Orbit Act, which would encourage the development of commercial space capabilities by directing the Office of Space Commerce (OSC) within the U.S. Department of Commerce to acquire and disseminate unclassified data, analytics, information, and services on space activities and space traffic coordination in low-Earth orbit:

“Commercial space objects in low-Earth orbit can help scientists make new discoveries and spur technological innovation, but this hinges on the ability to conduct safe and effective space traffic coordination,” said Sen. Cornyn. “The SAFE Orbit Act would prevent dangerous and costly accidental collisions in low-Earth orbit and improve access to data collection and analysis to help propel the United States into the next phase of space exploration.”

“To continue as a global leader in commercial space activity, the United States must lead the way to protect astronauts in orbit and space-based assets,” said Sen. Peters. “This legislation would provide important data that can help inform space exploration decisions and promote safe expansion.”

“The world is entering a new space race, and we must equip American innovators with every resource to win,” said Sen. Blackburn. “The SAFE Orbit Act would take an important step to centralize and improve space traffic coordination, ensuring there are no tragic collisions in space. As we enter this new frontier, we must be certain that we prioritize safety and coordination with our partners around the globe.”

“As the commercial space industry continues to grow, we need to safely track and manage objects in orbit and prevent collisions,” said Sen. Kelly. “We’re providing the tools for critical space situational awareness that will safeguard public access to orbital data, empower scientists and innovators to advance this critical frontier, and strengthen American leadership in space.”

“Future expansion in space requires better technology and data coordination. Currently, companies lack the awareness of other objects such as space junk, which could collide with valuable satellites,” said Sen. Wicker. “This new emerging business sector represents the new economic frontier, but we must make sure we are prepared to tap its potential.”

“This legislation will help make essential improvements to how we track objects in Earth’s orbit, enhancing space safety through better tracking and coordination to reduce collision risks,” said Sen. Luján. “As the commercial space activity grows, in New Mexico and across the country, access to critical space data is necessary to ensure safety and security.”

“The boom in commercial space activities has filled low-Earth orbit with more debris and satellites than ever,” said Sen. Hickenlooper. “A cutting-edge traffic coordination system will help preserve our leadership in space.”

Background:

Space situational awareness (SSA) and space traffic coordination (STC) are critical to ensuring safe and sustainable access to low-Earth orbit and space writ large, and current government SSA services are not keeping pace with the accuracy levels the industry needs. The FY2020 Consolidated Appropriations Act directed the Department of Commerce to take on this responsibility, and the SAFE Orbit Act would allow OSC to conduct SSA and STC activities and direct OSC to:

• Make basic-level SSA data, analytics, information, and services available for public use through an easily accessible web-based interface at no charge to the end user;
• Maintain a public catalogue of SSA data and information and maximize the use of satellite owner and operator data, U.S. Government data, and the usage of commercial services, data, analytics, information, services, and platforms;
• Facilitate the development and adoption of voluntary industry consensus standards to ensure data standardization with satellite owners and operators, commercial service providers, the academic community, and nonprofits;
• Collaborate with U.S Government and foreign government operators to encourage participation in data-sharing with respect to their assets in orbit;
• And prioritize purchasing data, analytics, information, and services from commercial SSA providers and ensure any licensing agreements enable private U.S. firms to continue market growth and protect proprietary commercial systems and data.

This legislation is endorsed by the Commercial Spaceflight Federation, which is made up of more than 85 members, including many companies with Texas operations.