ASCEND Act
The ASCEND Act requires NASA to create a Commercial Satellite Data Acquisition Program to buy and share commercial Earth observation data and imagery to support NASA's scientific, operational, and educational work and, when appropriate, other federal uses. It protects the right to publish scientific results based on commercial data, encourages broad access through flexible license terms, and directs NASA to prioritize U.S. vendors and report annually to Congress.
Key Points
- 1Establishes a NASA program to cost‑effectively acquire and disseminate commercial Earth remote sensing data and imagery to complement NASA and other federal scientific needs.
- 2Ensures commercial data can be used and published in scientific research, and allows NASA to set or change license terms to maximize non‑NASA use when consistent with program goals.
- 3Directs NASA to prefer U.S. vendors when practicable and to submit an initial and annual report to Congress listing vendors, license terms, how vendors support research priorities, and agreements that permit data use by government employees, contractors, or non‑federal users.
The ASCEND Act requires NASA to create a permanent program — the Commercial Satellite Data Acquisition Program — inside its Earth Science Division to identify, evaluate, buy, and share commercial Earth observation (satellite and airborne) data and imagery. The goal is to complement NASA’s own science, operational, and educational needs and, where appropriate, support other federal agencies and researchers. The law builds on NASA’s earlier Commercial SmallSat pilot, emphasizes cost‑effective purchases, promotes transparency and publication of scientific results, and requires annual reporting to Congress. If enacted, the bill would expand NASA’s ability to rely on and integrate commercial remote sensing products into government science and operations, encourage use of U.S. commercial vendors, and make information about contracts, license terms, and vendor contributions publicly reportable to congressional committees. This could accelerate use of commercial data in research and applications, strengthen the U.S. commercial remote sensing market, and raise questions about licensing, data quality, and data-sharing policies.
Key Points
- 1Establishes a Commercial Satellite Data Acquisition Program within NASA’s Earth Science Division to cost‑effectively acquire and disseminate commercial Earth observation data and imagery to support NASA needs and, where appropriate, other federal agencies and researchers.
- 2Protects academic/scientific publication and reuse: contract terms cannot prevent publishing commercial data or results derived from that data in scientific articles and similar publications.
- 3Authorizes NASA to procure commercial remote sensing data and to set or modify end‑use license terms to allow the broadest practical use by non‑NASA users, consistent with program goals.
- 4Directs NASA to prefer procurement from United States vendors “to the maximum extent practicable,” and defines a U.S. vendor as an entity incorporated in the United States.
- 5Requires a report to two congressional committees (Commerce/Science in the Senate and Science/Space/Technology in the House) 180 days after enactment and annually thereafter listing vendors used, end‑use license terms, how vendors support scientific priorities (including decadal survey alignment), and whether agreements permit government employees, contractors, or non‑federal users to use the data.