Findings; sense of Congress

(a) Findings Congress makes the following findings: (1) The safety and sustainability of operations in low-Earth orbit and nearby orbits in outer space have become increasingly endangered by a growing amount of orbital debris. (2) Exploration and scientific research missions and commercial space services of critical importance to the United States rely on continued and secure access to outer space. (3) Efforts by nongovernmental space entities to apply lessons learned through standards and best practices will benefit from government support for implementation both domestically and internationally. (b) Sense of Congress It is the sense of Congress that to preserve the sustainability of operations in space, the United States Government should— (1) to the extent practicable, develop and carry out programs, establish or update regulations, and commence initiatives to minimize orbital debris, including initiatives to demonstrate active debris remediation of orbital debris generated by the United States Government or other entities under the jurisdiction of the United States; (2) lead international efforts to encourage other spacefaring countries to mitigate and remediate orbital debris under their jurisdiction and control; and (3) encourage space system operators to continue implementing best practices for space safety when deploying satellites and constellations of satellites, such as transparent data sharing and designing for system reliability, so as to limit the generation of future orbital debris.

(a) Findings Congress makes the following findings: (1) The safety and sustainability of operations in low-Earth orbit and nearby orbits in outer space have become increasingly endangered by a growing amount of orbital debris. (2) Exploration and scientific research missions and commercial space services of critical importance to the United States rely on continued and secure access to outer space. (3) Efforts by nongovernmental space entities to apply lessons learned through standards and best practices will benefit from government support for implementation both domestically and internationally. (b) Sense of Congress It is the sense of Congress that to preserve the sustainability of operations in space, the United States Government should— (1) to the extent practicable, develop and carry out programs, establish or update regulations, and commence initiatives to minimize orbital debris, including initiatives to demonstrate active debris remediation of orbital debris generated by the United States Government or other entities under the jurisdiction of the United States; (2) lead international efforts to encourage other spacefaring countries to mitigate and remediate orbital debris under their jurisdiction and control; and (3) encourage space system operators to continue implementing best practices for space safety when deploying satellites and constellations of satellites, such as transparent data sharing and designing for system reliability, so as to limit the generation of future orbital debris.