119th (2025–2027)
S. 4264
The NASA UAS Detection Act authorizes NASA to detect, identify, monitor, and track unmanned aircraft systems (drones) that pose a credible threat to NASA facilities and assets. Under this authority, NASA personnel and authorized contractors can intercept communications used to control threatening drones without requiring prior consent, while coordinating closely with the Federal Aviation Administration to protect aviation safety. The bill requires NASA to develop a comprehensive list of covered facilities, conduct risk assessments for each location, and use only approved technologies jointly maintained by multiple federal agencies including the Department of Justice, Department of Homeland Security, and the Federal Communications Commission. NASA must provide semiannual briefings to Congress detailing all drone detection activities, privacy safeguards, and impacts on the national airspace system, with strict limits on retaining intercepted communications to 180 days unless needed for investigations. The authority granted under this legislation expires on September 30, 2031.