← Back to Bills
H.R. 6385House118th Congress (2023-2025)In Committee

SAFE Orbit Act of 2023

Sponsored by Thomas H. Kean, Jr.Rep. Thomas H. Kean, Jr. (R-NJ)
Introduced November 13, 2023

AI-Generated Summary

Updated January 20, 2026 at 1:03 PM UTC

The SAFE Orbit Act creates a federal program within the Department of Commerce to collect, analyze, and share unclassified space‑situational‑awareness data and to provide free basic services to satellite operators. It also grants immunity from lawsuits for anyone providing or receiving these services and updates the Office of Space Commerce by making the Assistant Secretary for Space Commerce a presidential appointee with added SSA duties. The bill mainly affects commercial satellite operators, U.S. space companies, and foreign partners that share data.

Key Provisions

  • The Secretary of Commerce must acquire and disseminate unclassified data, analytics, and conjunction messages about space objects, including location and orbit information.
  • A publicly accessible, free, unclassified database of satellite location and behavior will be provided, and satellite operators receive basic space‑situational‑awareness services at no charge.
  • Entities that provide or receive these SSA services are immune from lawsuits related to the provision or receipt of the information.
  • The program must prioritize U.S. commercial capabilities, protect proprietary data, promote data‑reporting standards, and encourage foreign governments to share unclassified data.
  • The Office of Space Commerce is relocated, given new SSA and traffic‑management duties, and its head—now the Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Space Commerce—is appointed by the President with Senate confirmation and a specified pay level.

Legislative Activity

Stay on top of the latest movement without scrolling through every action

1 earlier action
HouseIntro Referral Latest Action

Referred to the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology.

Science, Space, and Technology Committee

November 13, 2023

View full timeline
HouseIntro Referral

Introduced in House

November 13, 2023

HouseIntro Referral

Referred to the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology.

Science, Space, and Technology Committee

November 13, 2023

Bill Text

Latest available legislative text

Reading Mode
Latest
Raw Text PDF XML
Introduced in HouseIssued November 13, 2023

I

118th CONGRESS

1st Session

H. R. 6385

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

November 13, 2023

Mr. Kean of New Jersey introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology

A BILL

To promote space situational awareness and space traffic coordination and to modify the functions and leadership of the Office of Space Commerce, and for other purposes.

1.

Short title

This Act may be cited as the Situational Awareness of Flying Elements in Orbit Act of 2023 or the SAFE Orbit Act of 2023.

2.

Space situational awareness and space traffic coordination

(a)

In general

The Secretary of Commerce shall facilitate safe operations in space and encourage the development of commercial space capabilities by acquiring and disseminating unclassified data, analytics, information, and services on space activities.

(b)

Immunity

The United States, any agencies and instrumentalities thereof, and any individuals, firms, corporations, and other persons acting for the United States, including non-governmental entities, shall be immune from any suit in any court for any cause of action arising from the provision or receipt of space situational awareness services or information, whether or not provided in accordance with this section, or any related action or omission.

(c)

Acquisition of data

The Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Space Commerce (established under section 50702(b) of title 51, United States Code, as amended by section 3) is authorized to acquire—

(1)

data, analytics, information, and services, including with respect to—

(A)

location tracking data;

(B)

positional and orbit determination information; and

(C)

conjunction data messages; and

(2)

such other data, analytics, information, and services as the Secretary of Commerce determines necessary to avoid collisions of space objects.

(d)

Database on satellite location and behavior

The Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Space Commerce shall provide access for the public, at no charge, a fully updated, unclassified database of information concerning space objects and behavior that includes—

(1)

the data and information acquired under subsection (c), except to the extent that such data or information is classified or a trade secret (as defined in section 1839 of title 18, United States Code); and

(2)

the provision of basic space situational awareness services and space traffic coordination based on the data referred to in paragraph (1), including basic analytics, tracking calculations, and conjunction data messages.

(e)

Basic space situational awareness services

The Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Space Commerce—

(1)

shall provide to satellite operators, at no charge, basic space situational awareness services, including the data, analytics, information, and services described in subsection (c);

(2)

in carrying out paragraph (1), may not compete with private sector advanced space situational awareness products, to the maximum extent practicable; and

(3)

not less frequently than every 3 years, shall review the basic space situational awareness services described in paragraph (1) to ensure that such services provided by the Federal Government do not compete with advanced space situational services offered by the private sector.

(f)

Requirements for data acquisition and dissemination

In acquiring data, analytics, information, and services under subsection (c) and disseminating data, analytics, information, and services under subsections (d) and (e), the Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Space Commerce shall—

(1)

leverage commercial capabilities to the maximum extent practicable;

(2)

prioritize the acquisition of data, analytics, information, and services from commercial industry located in or licensed in the United States to supplement data collected by United States Government agencies, including the Department of Defense and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration;

(3)

appropriately protect proprietary data, information, and systems of firms located in the United States, including by using appropriate infrastructure and cybersecurity measures;

(4)

facilitate the development of standardization and consistency in data reporting, in collaboration with satellite owners and operators, commercial space situational awareness data and service providers, the academic community, and nonprofit organizations; and

(5)

encourage foreign governments to participate in unclassified data sharing arrangements for space situational awareness and space traffic coordination.

(g)

Other transaction authority

In carrying out the activities required by this section, the Secretary of Commerce shall enter into such contracts, leases, cooperative agreements, or other transactions as may be necessary.

(h)

Space object defined

In this section, the term space object means any object launched into space, or created in space, robotically or by humans, including an object’s component parts.

3.

Modifications to Office of Space Commerce

(a)

Location of Office

Subsection (a) of section 50702 of title 51, United States Code, is amended by inserting before the end period the following: , which, not later than 5 years after the date of the enactment of the SAFE Orbit Act of 2023, shall transition to a principal physical location within the Office of the Secretary of Commerce.

(b)

Additional functions of Office

Subsection (c) of such section is amended—

(1)

in paragraph (4), by striking ; and and inserting a semicolon;

(2)

in paragraph (5), by striking the period at the end and inserting a semicolon; and

(3)

by adding at the end the following:

(6)

to perform space situational awareness and space traffic management duties pursuant to the SAFE Orbit Act of 2023.

.

(c)

Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Space Commerce

(1)

In general

Subsection (b) of such section is amended to read as follows:

(b)

Assistant Secretary

The Office shall be headed by the Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Space Commerce, who shall—

(1)

be appointed by the President, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate;

(2)

report directly to the Secretary of Commerce; and

(3)

have a rate of pay that is equal to the rate payable for level IV of the Executive Schedule under section 5315 of title 5.

.

(2)

Conforming amendments

(A)

Section 50702(d) of title 51, United States Code, is amended—

(i)

in the subsection heading, by striking Director and inserting Assistant Secretary; and

(ii)

in the matter preceding paragraph (1), by striking Director and inserting Assistant Secretary.

(B)

Section 5315 of title 5, United States Code, is amended by striking Assistant Secretaries of Commerce (11) and inserting Assistant Secretaries of Commerce (12).

(3)

References

On and after the date of the enactment of this Act, any reference in any law or regulation to the Director of the Office of Space Commerce shall be deemed to be a reference to the Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Space Commerce.