To promote space situational awareness and space traffic coordination and to modify the functions and leadership of the Office of Space Commerce, and for other purposes.
About This Bill
Committee
Latest Action · November 13, 2023
Referred to the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology.
The SAFE Orbit Act of 2023 directs the Department of Commerce to collect and publicly share information about objects in space to prevent collisions and improve coordination among satellite operators. The bill requires the Commerce Department's Office of Space Commerce to provide free basic space situational awareness services to satellite operators while avoiding competition with private companies that offer advanced tracking services. The legislation upgrades the head of the Office of Space Commerce from a Director position to an Assistant Secretary role, making it a Senate-confirmed position that reports directly to the Commerce Secretary and pays at the Executive Schedule level IV rate. Within five years, the Office of Space Commerce must relocate its main office to the Commerce Department headquarters. The bill grants the government immunity from lawsuits related to providing space situational awareness information and encourages the use of commercial data sources to build the government's tracking database.
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