S 4814 · 117th Congress · Science, Technology, Communications

ORBITS Act of 2022

Introduced 2022-09-12· Sponsored by Sen. Hickenlooper, John W. [D-CO]· Senate

Bill Progress

Introduced
Committee
Senate Vote
4
House
5
Enacted
Latest: Held at the desk.(2022-12-22)

Plain Language Summary

[AI summary unavailable — showing source text] Orbital Sustainability Act of 2022 or the ORBITS Act of 2022 This bill directs specified agencies to take actions to remediate orbital debris (human-made space objects that are no longer in use and can harm orbiting satellites and on-orbit activities). First, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) must publish and periodically update a list of orbital debris that pose the greatest immediate risk of harm to orbiting satellites and on-orbit activities, establish a demonstration program to remediate the orbital debris on the list, and carry out other research and development activities to advance technologies for remediating orbital debris. NASA (and other relevant agencies) may also contract for remediation services to support the commercial availability of such services. Second, the National Space Council must update the Orbital Debris Mitigation Standard Practices within 90 days of the enactment of the bill and update them periodically thereafter. The updates must address matters including satellite constellations and other planned space systems, collision risks, and disposal of space systems after missions. The updates must inform (1) regulations of other agencie…

Summarized by Claude AI · Non-partisan · For informational purposes only

Cosponsors (3)

1 Democrat2 Republicans