III 

116TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. RES. 386 

Supporting international cooperation and continued United States leadership 

to maintain access to space and achieve advances in space technology. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

OCTOBER 30, 2019 

Mr. UDALL (for himself and Mr. KAINE) submitted the following resolution; 

which was referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation 

RESOLUTION 

Supporting international cooperation and continued United 

States leadership to maintain access to space and achieve 

advances in space technology. 

Whereas there are approximately 2,062 active satellites in 

Earth orbit, 24,000 objects tracked by the Air Force that 

are debris or inactive satellites, and many more objects 

that are currently too small to track; 

Whereas the United States has a leading role in the management of space traffic; 

Whereas space is an increasingly important environment for 

economic growth due to the development of small satellite 

technologies and the reduced cost of space launch resulting from innovations by private entities; 


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•SRES 386 IS 

Whereas, on a daily basis, multiple countries, businesses, and 

billions of individuals rely on the information and communications capabilities provided by satellites in space; 

Whereas maintaining access to space is vital for the national 

security and economic interests of the United States; 

Whereas increased space traffic at different orbits presents a 

new challenge for governments, private entities, researchers, and the Armed Forces; 

Whereas the goal of the United States is to support development of space by private entities, including the development of space tourism; 

Whereas, in 2019, the United States commemorated the 50th 

anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing; 

Whereas the United States completed 6 crewed lunar landing 

missions, multiple orbital missions, and numerous other 

robotic missions to the Moon and each of the planets in 

the solar system and beyond; 

Whereas the United States aims to return to the Moon by 

2024 and subsequently send the first crewed mission to 

Mars; 

Whereas destructive anti-satellite tests threaten international 

access to space; 

Whereas a collision or other preventable disaster in space 

would reduce access to space and threaten future military, civil, and commercial missions in space for all countries; 

Whereas the United States and 108 other countries are parties to the Treaty on Principles Governing the Activities 

of States in the Exploration and Use of Outer Space, Including the Moon and Other Celestial Bodies, done at 


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•SRES 386 IS 

Washington, London, and Moscow January 27, 1967 (18 

UST 2410) (in this preamble referred to as the ‘‘Outer 

Space Treaty’’); 

Whereas access to space and the management of space traffic 

are international problems that require creative technical 

and legal solutions; 

Whereas Article I of the Outer Space Treaty states that— 

(1) the exploration and use of outer space, including 

the Moon and other celestial bodies, shall be carried out 

for the benefit and in the interests of all countries, irrespective of their degree of economic or scientific development, and shall be the province of all mankind; 

(2) outer space, including the Moon and other celestial bodies, shall be free for exploration and use by all 

states without discrimination of any kind, on a basis of 

equality and in accordance with international law, and 

there shall be free access to all areas of celestial bodies; 

and 

(3) there shall be freedom of scientific investigation 

in outer space, including the Moon and other celestial 

bodies, and states shall facilitate and encourage international cooperation in such investigation; 

Whereas realization of Article I of the Outer Space Treaty 

requires sustainable access to space; 

Whereas actions that could threaten access to space, such as 

an inadvertent or intentional creation of persistent debris, threaten the potential to explore and use space for 

all countries; 

Whereas if agreements on the sustainable use of space are 

not made, the potential for a future trillion-dollar economy in space will be threatened; 


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•SRES 386 IS 

Whereas the United States has been a leader in developing 

the rules, regulations, and best practices for successful 

operation in space; 

Whereas the United Nations Committee on the Peaceful Uses 

of Outer Space— 

(1) furthers the exploration and use of space for the 

benefit of all humanity; 

(2) works on a consensus basis with 92 member 

states; and 

(3) in 2011, was charged with developing guidelines 

for space sustainability; 

Whereas the United States has been instrumental in the development of those guidelines; and 

Whereas the United Nations Committee on the Peaceful Uses 

of Outer Space has agreed on 21 such guidelines for implementation: Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That the Senate— 

2 (1) supports improvements in space situational 

3 awareness and advances in technology and inter4 national cooperation; 

5 (2) recognizes that the use of space by govern6 ments and private entities requires a system for 

7 deconfliction of space traffic and prevention of colli8 sions to ensure the use of space for current and fu9 ture users; 

10 (3) supports the efforts of the international 

11 community and the United States to implement the 

12 21 guidelines for space sustainability agreed on by 


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•SRES 386 IS 

1 the United Nations Committee on the Peaceful Uses 

2 of Outer Space; 

3 (4) encourages the Secretary of State to con4 tinue to support those efforts; 

5 (5) supports continued interagency efforts— 

6 (A) to streamline regulations relating to 

7 access to space; and 

8 (B) to support the continued sustainable 

9 use of space by government and private entities 

10 in Earth orbit and deep space; and 

11 (6) requests that the Secretary of State notify 

12 Congress of any legislative requirements for imple13 mentation of the 21 guidelines for space sustain14 ability agreed on by the United Nations Committee 

15 on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space. 

Æ 


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