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S 428119th CongressIntroduced

SAFE Orbit Act

Introduced: Feb 5, 2025
Technology & Innovation
View on Congress.gov
Standard Summary
Comprehensive overview in 1-2 paragraphs

The SAFE Orbit Act aims to improve space safety by establishing a comprehensive system for tracking objects in orbit and preventing collisions. The bill elevates the Office of Space Commerce to a Bureau within the Department of Commerce, led by a Senate-confirmed Assistant Secretary. This new Bureau will be responsible for acquiring and sharing unclassified data about space objects, providing free basic tracking services to satellite operators, and coordinating space traffic. The legislation emphasizes leveraging commercial capabilities while protecting proprietary information, and provides legal immunity for entities providing space situational awareness services. The transition from office to bureau status must occur within 5 years of enactment.

Key Points

  • 1Creates a public database of space object locations and behavior, providing free access to basic tracking information and collision warnings for satellite operators
  • 2Elevates the Office of Space Commerce to bureau status within 5 years, headed by a Senate-confirmed Assistant Secretary reporting directly to the Secretary of Commerce
  • 3Grants broad legal immunity to the U.S. government and related entities from lawsuits arising from the provision of space situational awareness services
  • 4Requires prioritization of commercial U.S. data sources and prohibits competition with private sector space tracking services to the maximum extent practicable
  • 5Mandates regular staffing plans and Congressional reporting during the transition period, with protections against staff reductions unrelated to performance

Impact Areas

Commercial space industry: Will receive free basic tracking services while also serving as data providers, with protections for proprietary informationSatellite operators: Gain access to collision warnings and tracking data at no cost, improving operational safetyFederal government structure: Reorganizes space commerce functions within the Department of Commerce with enhanced authority and resourcesInternational space cooperation: Encourages foreign governments to participate in data-sharing arrangements for space safetyCybersecurity and data protection: Requires implementation of NIST Cybersecurity Framework standards for protecting sensitive commercial information
Generated by claude-sonnet-4-5-20250929 on Oct 2, 2025