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US HB2600
Bill
Status
Engrossed
2/24/2026
Primary Sponsor
Jeff Hurd
Click for details
AI Summary
- NASA Administrator must establish a program within the Earth Science Division to acquire and disseminate commercial Earth remote sensing data and imagery for scientific, operational, and educational purposes
- Commercial data must be procured from United States vendors to the maximum extent practicable
- License terms cannot prevent publication of commercial data for scientific purposes or publication of information derived from the original commercial imagery
- NASA must submit an initial report within 180 days of enactment and annual reports thereafter to Congress detailing vendor agreements, license terms, and how the data advances scientific research priorities
- Builds on NASA's Commercial SmallSat Data Acquisition Pilot Program established in 2019, which was deemed successful in a 2020 evaluation report
Legislative Description
Accessing Satellite Capabilities to Enable New Discoveries Act ASCEND Act
Science, technology, communications
Last Action
Received in the Senate. Read twice. Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 344.
2/24/2026
Committee Referrals
Science, Space, And Technology4/2/2025
Full Bill Text
No bill text available