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J U N E 2 8 , 2 0 10

NATIONAL SPACE POLICY

of the

U NITED STATES of A MER ICA

Table of Contents

Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

Principles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

Goals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4

Intersector Guidelines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

Sector Guidelines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

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Introduction

“More than by any other imaginative concept, the mind of man is aroused 

by the thought of exploring the mysteries of outer space. Through such 

exploration, man hopes to broaden his horizons, add to his knowledge, 

improve his way of living on earth.” 

— President Dwight Eisenhower, June 20, 1958

“Fifty years after the creation of NASA, our goal is no longer just a 

destination to reach. Our goal is the capacity for people to work and learn 

and operate and live safely beyond the Earth for extended periods of time, 

ultimately in ways that are more sustainable and even indefinite. And in 

fulfilling this task, we will not only extend humanity’s reach in space—we 

will strengthen America’s leadership here on Earth.” 

— President Barack Obama, April 15, 2010

The space age began as a race for security and prestige between two superpowers. The opportunities 

were boundless, and the decades that followed have seen a radical transformation in the way we live our 

daily lives, in large part due to our use of space. Space systems have taken us to other celestial bodies 

and extended humankind’s horizons back in time to the very first moments of the universe and out to 

the galaxies at its far reaches. Satellites contribute to increased transparency and stability among nations 

and provide a vital communications path for avoiding potential conflicts. Space systems increase our 

knowledge in many scientific fields, and life on Earth is far better as a result. 

The utilization of space has created new markets; helped save lives by warning us of natural disasters, 

expediting search and rescue operations, and making recovery efforts faster and more effective; made 

agriculture and natural resource management more efficient and sustainable; expanded our frontiers; 

and provided global access to advanced medicine, weather forecasting, geospatial information, financial 

operations, broadband and other communications, and scores of other activities worldwide. Space systems allow people and governments around the world to see with clarity, communicate with certainty, 

navigate with accuracy, and operate with assurance. 

The legacy of success in space and its transformation also presents new challenges. When the space 

age began, the opportunities to use space were limited to only a few nations, and there were limited 

consequences for irresponsible or unintentional behavior. Now, we find ourselves in a world where 

the benefits of space permeate almost every facet of our lives. The growth and evolution of the global 

economy has ushered in an ever-increasing number of nations and organizations using space. The nowubiquitous and interconnected nature of space capabilities and the world’s growing dependence on 

them mean that irresponsible acts in space can have damaging consequences for all of us. For example, 
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decades of space activity have littered Earth’s orbit with debris; and as the world’s space-faring nations 

continue to increase activities in space, the chance for a collision increases correspondingly. 

As the leading space-faring nation, the United States is committed to addressing these challenges. But 

this cannot be the responsibility of the United States alone. All nations have the right to use and explore 

space, but with this right also comes responsibility. The United States, therefore, calls on all nations to 

work together to adopt approaches for responsible activity in space to preserve this right for the benefit 

of future generations. 

From the outset of humanity’s ascent into space, this Nation declared its commitment to enhance the 

welfare of humankind by cooperating with others to maintain the freedom of space. 

The United States hereby renews its pledge of cooperation in the belief that with strengthened international collaboration and reinvigorated U.S. leadership, all nations and peoples—space-faring and 

space-benefiting—will find their horizons broadened, their knowledge enhanced, and their lives greatly 

improved. 
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Principles

In this spirit of cooperation, the United States will adhere to, and proposes that other nations recognize 

and adhere to, the following principles: 

• It is the shared interest of all nations to act responsibly in space to help prevent mishaps, misperceptions, and mistrust. The United States considers the sustainability, stability, and free access 

to, and use of, space vital to its national interests. Space operations should be conducted in 

ways that emphasize openness and transparency to improve public awareness of the activities 

of government, and enable others to share in the benefits provided by the use of space. 

• A robust and competitive commercial space sector is vital to continued progress in space. The 

United States is committed to encouraging and facilitating the growth of a U.S. commercial 

space sector that supports U.S. needs, is globally competitive, and advances U.S. leadership in 

the generation of new markets and innovation-driven entrepreneurship. 

• All nations have the right to explore and use space for peaceful purposes, and for the benefit 

of all humanity, in accordance with international law. Consistent with this principle, “peaceful 

purposes” allows for space to be used for national and homeland security activities. 

• As established in international law, there shall be no national claims of sovereignty over outer 

space or any celestial bodies. The United States considers the space systems of all nations to 

have the rights of passage through, and conduct of operations in, space without interference.

Purposeful interference with space systems, including supporting infrastructure, will be considered an infringement of a nation’s rights. 

• The United States will employ a variety of measures to help assure the use of space for all 

responsible parties, and, consistent with the inherent right of self-defense, deter others from 

interference and attack, defend our space systems and contribute to the defense of allied space 

systems, and, if deterrence fails, defeat efforts to attack them. 
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Goals

Consistent with these principles, the United States will pursue the following goals in its national space 

programs: 

• Energize competitive domestic industries to participate in global markets and advance the 

development of: satellite manufacturing; satellite-based services; space launch; terrestrial 

applications; and increased entrepreneurship. 

• Expand international cooperation on mutually beneficial space activities to: broaden and 

extend the benefits of space; further the peaceful use of space; and enhance collection and 

partnership in sharing of space-derived information. 

• Strengthenstability inspace through: domestic and international measures to promote safe 

and responsible operations in space; improved information collection and sharing for space 

object collision avoidance; protection of critical space systems and supporting infrastructures, 

with special attention to the critical interdependence of space and information systems; and 

strengthening measures to mitigate orbital debris. 

• Increase assurance and resilience of mission-essential functions enabled by commercial, 

civil, scientific, and national security spacecraft and supporting infrastructure against disruption, 

degradation, and destruction, whether from environmental, mechanical, electronic, or hostile 

causes. 

• Pursue human and robotic initiatives to develop innovative technologies, foster new industries, strengthen international partnerships, inspire our Nation and the world, increase humanity’s understanding of the Earth, enhance scientific discovery, and explore our solar system and 

the universe beyond. 

• Improve space-based Earth and solar observation capabilities needed to conduct science, 

forecast terrestrial and near-Earth space weather, monitor climate and global change, manage 

natural resources, and support disaster response and recovery.

All actions undertaken by departments and agencies in implementing this directive shall be within the 

overall resource and policy guidance provided by the President; consistent with U.S. law and regulations, 

treaties and other agreements to which the United States is a party, other applicable international law, 

U.S. national and homeland security requirements, U.S. foreign policy, and national interests; and in 

accordance with the Presidential Memorandum on Transparency and Open Government. 
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Intersector Guidelines

In pursuit of this directive’s goals, all departments and agencies shall execute the following guidance: 

Foundational Activities and Capabilities 

• Strengthen U.S. Leadership In Space-Related Science, Technology, and Industrial Bases.

Departments and agencies shall: conduct basic and applied research that increases capabilities 

and decreases costs, where this research is best supported by the government; encourage an 

innovative and entrepreneurial commercial space sector; and help ensure the availability of 

space-related industrial capabilities in support of critical government functions. 

• EnhanceCapabilities forAssuredAccessToSpace. United States access to space depends in 

the first instance on launch capabilities. United States Government payloads shall be launched 

on vehicles manufactured in the United States unless exempted by the National Security Advisor 

and the Assistant to the President for Science and Technology and Director of the Office of 

Science and Technology Policy, consistent with established interagency standards and coordination guidelines. Where applicable to their responsibilities departments and agencies shall: 

− Work jointly to acquire space launch services and hosted payload arrangements that are 

reliable, responsive to United States Government needs, and cost-effective; 

− Enhance operational efficiency, increase capacity, and reduce launch costs by investing in 

the modernization of space launch infrastructure; and 

− Develop launch systems and technologies necessary to assure and sustain future reliable 

and efficient access to space, in cooperation with U.S. industry, when sufficient U.S. commercial capabilities and services do not exist. 

• Maintain and Enhance Space-based Positioning, Navigation, and Timing Systems. The 

United States must maintain its leadership in the service, provision, and use of global navigation 

satellite systems (GNSS). To this end, the United States shall: 

− Provide continuous worldwide access, for peaceful civil uses, to the Global Positioning 

System (GPS) and its government-provided augmentations, free of direct user charges; 

− Engage with foreign GNSS providers to encourage compatibility and interoperability, 

promote transparency in civil service provision, and enable market access for U.S. industry; 

− Operate and maintain the GPS constellation to satisfy civil and national security needs, 

consistent with published performance standards and interface specifications. Foreign 

positioning, navigation, and timing (PNT) services may be used to augment and strengthen 

the resiliency of GPS; and 

− Invest in domestic capabilities and support international activities to detect, mitigate, and 

increase resiliency to harmful interference to GPS, and identify and implement, as necessary 

and appropriate, redundant and back-up systems or approaches for critical infrastructure, 

key resources, and mission-essential functions. 
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• Develop and Retain Space Professionals. The primary goals of space professional development and retention are: achieving mission success in space operations and acquisition; 

stimulating innovation to improve commercial, civil, and national security space capabilities; 

and advancing science, exploration, and discovery. Toward these ends, departments and 

agencies, in cooperation with industry and academia, shall establish standards, seek to create 

opportunities for the current space workforce, and implement measures to develop, maintain, 

and retain skilled space professionals, including engineering and scientific personnel and experienced space system developers and operators, in government and commercial workforces.

Departments and agencies also shall promote and expand public-private partnerships to 

foster educational achievement in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) 

programs, supported by targeted investments in such initiatives. 

• Improve Space System Development and Procurement. Departments and agencies shall: 

− Improve timely acquisition and deployment of space systems through enhancements in 

estimating costs, technological risk and maturity, and industrial base capabilities; 

− Reduce programmatic risk through improved management of requirements and by taking advantage of cost-effective opportunities to test high-risk components, payloads, and 

technologies in space or relevant environments; 

− Embrace innovation to cultivate and sustain an entrepreneurial U.S. research and development environment; and 

− Engage with industrial partners to improve processes and effectively manage the supply chains.

• StrengthenInteragencyPartnerships. Departments and agencies shall improve their partnerships through cooperation, collaboration, information sharing, and/or alignment of common 

pursuits. Departments and agencies shall make their capabilities and expertise available to each 

other to strengthen our ability to achieve national goals, identify desired outcomes, leverage 

U.S. capabilities, and develop implementation and response strategies. 

International Cooperation

Strengthen U.S. Space Leadership. Departments and agencies, in coordination with the Secretary 

of State, shall: 

• Demonstrate U.S. leadership in space-related fora and activities to: reassure allies of U.S. commitments to collective self-defense; identify areas of mutual interest and benefit; and promote 

U.S. commercial space regulations and encourage interoperability with these regulations; 

• Lead in the enhancement of security, stability, and responsible behavior in space; 

• Facilitate new market opportunities for U.S. commercial space capabilities and services, including commercially viable terrestrial applications that rely on government-provided space systems; 

• Promote the adoption of policies internationally that facilitate full, open, and timely access to 

government environmental data; 
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• Promote appropriate cost- and risk-sharing among participating nations in international 

partnerships; and 

• Augment U.S. capabilities by leveraging existing and planned space capabilities of allies and 

space partners. 

Identify Areas for Potential International Cooperation. Departments and agencies shall identify 

potential areas for international cooperation that may include, but are not limited to: space science; 

space exploration, including human space flight activities; space nuclear power to support space science and exploration; space transportation; space surveillance for debris monitoring and awareness; 

missile warning; Earth science and observation; environmental monitoring; satellite communications; 

GNSS; geospatial information products and services; disaster mitigation and relief; search and rescue; 

use of space for maritime domain awareness; and long-term preservation of the space environment 

for human activity and use. 

The Secretary of State, after consultation with the heads of appropriate departments and agencies, shall 

carry out diplomatic and public diplomacy efforts to strengthen understanding of, and support for, 

U.S. national space policies and programs and to encourage the foreign use of U.S. space capabilities, 

systems, and services. 

DevelopTransparency and Confidence-Building Measures.  The United States will pursue bilateral 

and multilateral transparency and confidence-building measures to encourage responsible actions in, 

and the peaceful use of, space.  The United States will consider proposals and concepts for arms control 

measures if they are equitable, effectively verifiable, and enhance the national security of the United 

States and its allies.  

Preserving the Space Environment and the Responsible Use of Space

Preserve the Space Environment. For the purposes of minimizing debris and preserving the space 

environment for the responsible, peaceful, and safe use of all users, the United States shall: 

• Lead the continued development and adoption of international and industry standards and 

policies to minimize debris, such as the United Nations Space Debris Mitigation Guidelines; 

• Develop, maintain, and use space situational awareness (SSA) information from commercial, civil, 

and national security sources to detect, identify, and attribute actions in space that are contrary 

to responsible use and the long-term sustainability of the space environment; 

• Continue to follow the United States Government Orbital Debris Mitigation Standard Practices, 

consistent with mission requirements and cost effectiveness, in the procurement and operation 

of spacecraft, launch services, and the conduct of tests and experiments in space; 

• Pursue research and development of technologies and techniques, through the Administrator 

of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and the Secretary of Defense, to 

mitigate and remove on-orbit debris, reduce hazards, and increase understanding of the current 

and future debris environment; and 
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• Require the head of the sponsoring department or agency to approve exceptions to the United 

States Government Orbital Debris Mitigation Standard Practices and notify the Secretary of State.

FostertheDevelopmentofSpaceCollisionWarningMeasures. The Secretary of Defense, in consultation with the Director of National Intelligence, the Administrator of NASA, and other departments and 

agencies, may collaborate with industry and foreign nations to: maintain and improve space object 

databases; pursue common international data standards and data integrity measures; and provide 

services and disseminate orbital tracking information to commercial and international entities, including 

predictions of space object conjunction. 

Effective Export Policies 

Consistent with the U.S. export control review, departments and agencies should seek to enhance the 

competitiveness of the U.S. space industrial base while also addressing national security needs. 

The United States will work to stem the flow of advanced space technology to unauthorized parties.

Departments and agencies are responsible for protecting against adverse technology transfer in the 

conduct of their programs. 

The United States Government will consider the issuance of licenses for space-related exports on a 

case-by-case basis, pursuant to, and in accordance with, the International Traffic in Arms Regulations, 

the Export Administration Regulations, and other applicable laws, treaties, and regulations. Consistent 

with the foregoing space-related items that are determined to be generally available in the global 

marketplace shall be considered favorably with a view that such exports are usually in the national 

interests of the United States. 

Sensitive or advanced spacecraft-related exports may require a government-to-government agreement 

or other acceptable arrangement. 

Space Nuclear Power 

The United States shall develop and use space nuclear power systems where such systems safely enable 

or significantly enhance space exploration or operational capabilities. 

Approval by the President or his designee shall be required to launch and use United States Government 

spacecraft utilizing nuclear power systems either with a potential for criticality or above a minimum 

threshold of radioactivity, in accordance with the existing interagency review process. To inform this 

decision, the Secretary of Energy shall conduct a nuclear safety analysis for evaluation by an ad hoc 

Interagency Nuclear Safety Review Panel that will evaluate the risks associated with launch and in-space 

operations.

The Secretary of Energy shall: 

• Assist the Secretary of Transportation in the licensing of space transportation activities involving 

spacecraft with nuclear power systems; 

• Provide nuclear safety monitoring to ensure that operations in space are consistent with any 

safety evaluations performed; and 
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• Maintain the capability and infrastructure to develop and furnish nuclear power systems for 

use in United States Government space systems. 

Radiofrequency Spectrum and Interference Protection

The United States Government shall: 

• Seek to protect U.S. global access to, and operation in, the radiofrequency spectrum and related 

orbital assignments required to support the use of space by the United States Government, its 

allies, and U.S. commercial users; 

• Explicitly address requirements for radiofrequency spectrum and orbital assignments prior to 

approving acquisition of space capabilities; 

• Seek to ensure the necessary national and international regulatory frameworks will remain in 

place over the lifetime of the system; 

• Identify impacts to government space systems prior to reallocating spectrum for commercial, 

federal, or shared use; 

• Enhance capabilities and techniques, in cooperation with civil, commercial, and foreign partners, 

to identify, locate, and attribute sources of radio frequency interference, and take necessary 

measures to sustain the radiofrequency environment in which critical U.S. space systems operate; and 

• Seek appropriate regulatory approval under U.S. domestic regulations for United States 

Government earth stations operating with commercially owned satellites, consistent with the 

regulatory approval granted to analogous commercial earth stations.

Assurance and Resilience of Mission-Essential Functions

The United States shall:

• Assure space-enabled mission-essential functions by developing the techniques, measures, 

relationships, and capabilities necessary to maintain continuity of services; 

− Such efforts may include enhancing the protection and resilience of selected spacecraft 

and supporting infrastructure; 

• Develop and exercise capabilities and plans for operating in and through a degraded, disrupted, 

or denied space environment for the purposes of maintaining mission-essential functions; and 

• Address mission assurance requirements and space system resilience in the acquisition of future 

space capabilities and supporting infrastructure.
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Sector Guidelines

United States space activities are conducted in three distinct but interdependent sectors: commercial, 

civil, and national security. 

Commercial Space Guidelines

The term “commercial,” for the purposes of this policy, refers to space goods, services, or activities provided by private sector enterprises that bear a reasonable portion of the investment risk and responsibility for the activity, operate in accordance with typical market-based incentives for controlling cost 

and optimizing return on investment, and have the legal capacity to offer these goods or services to 

existing or potential nongovernmental customers. To promote a robust domestic commercial space 

industry, departments and agencies shall: 

• Purchase and use commercial space capabilities and services to the maximum practical extent 

when such capabilities and services are available in the marketplace and meet United States 

Government requirements; 

• Modify commercial space capabilities and services to meet government requirements when 

existing commercial capabilities and services do not fully meet these requirements and the 

potential modification represents a more cost-effective and timely acquisition approach for 

the government; 

• Actively explore the use of inventive, nontraditional arrangements for acquiring commercial 

space goods and services to meet United States Government requirements, including measures 

such as public-private partnerships, hosting government capabilities on commercial spacecraft, 

and purchasing scientific or operational data products from commercial satellite operators in 

support of government missions; 

• Develop governmental space systems only when it is in the national interest and there is no 

suitable, cost-effective U.S. commercial or, as appropriate, foreign commercial service or system 

that is or will be available; 

• Refrain from conducting United States Government space activities that preclude, discourage, 

or compete with U.S. commercial space activities, unless required by national security or public 

safety; 

• Pursue potential opportunities for transferring routine, operational space functions to the 

commercial space sector where beneficial and cost-effective, except where the government 

has legal, security, or safety needs that would preclude commercialization; 

• Cultivate increased technological innovation and entrepreneurship in the commercial space 

sector through the use of incentives such as prizes and competitions; 

• Ensure that United States Government space technology and infrastructure are made available 

for commercial use on a reimbursable, noninterference, and equitable basis to the maximum 

practical extent; 
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• Minimize, as much as possible, the regulatory burden for commercial space activities and ensure 

that the regulatory environment for licensing space activities is timely and responsive; 

• Foster fair and open global trade and commerce through the promotion of suitable standards 

and regulations that have been developed with input from U.S. industry; 

• Encourage the purchase and use of U.S. commercial space services and capabilities in international cooperative arrangements; and 

• Actively promote the export of U.S. commercially developed and available space goods and 

services, including those developed by small- and medium-sized enterprises, for use in foreign 

markets, consistent with U.S. technology transfer and nonproliferation objectives. 

The United States Trade Representative (USTR) has the primary responsibility in the Federal Government 

for international trade agreements to which the United States is a party. USTR, in consultation with other 

relevant departments and agencies, will lead any efforts relating to the negotiation and implementation 

of trade disciplines governing trade in goods and services related to space. 

Civil Space Guidelines

Space Science, Exploration, and Discovery 

The Administrator of NASA shall: 

• Set far-reaching exploration milestones. By 2025, begin crewed missions beyond the moon, 

including sending humans to an asteroid. By the mid-2030s, send humans to orbit Mars and 

return them safely to Earth; 

• Continue the operation of the International Space Station (ISS), in cooperation with its international partners, likely to 2020 or beyond, and expand efforts to: utilize the ISS for scientific, 

technological, commercial, diplomatic, and educational purposes; support activities requiring 

the unique attributes of humans in space; serve as a continuous human presence in Earth orbit; 

and support future objectives in human space exploration; 

• Seek partnerships with the private sector to enable safe, reliable, and cost-effective commercial 

spaceflight capabilities and services for the transport of crew and cargo to and from the ISS; 

• Implement a new space technology development and test program, working with industry, 

academia, and international partners to build, fly, and test several key technologies that can 

increase the capabilities, decrease the costs, and expand the opportunities for future space 

activities; 

• Conduct research and development in support of next-generation launch systems, including 

new U.S. rocket engine technologies; 

• Maintain a sustained robotic presence in the solar system to: conduct scientific investigations of 

other planetary bodies; demonstrate new technologies; and scout locations for future human 

missions; 

• Continue a strong program of space science for observations, research, and analysis of our Sun, 

solar system, and universe to enhance knowledge of the cosmos, further our understanding 
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of fundamental natural and physical sciences, understand the conditions that may support 

the development of life, and search for planetary bodies and Earth-like planets in orbit around 

other stars; and 

• Pursue capabilities, in cooperation with other departments, agencies, and commercial partners, to detect, track, catalog, and characterize near-Earth objects to reduce the risk of harm 

to humans from an unexpected impact on our planet and to identify potentially resource-rich 

planetary objects. 

Environmental Earth Observation and Weather 

To continue and improve a broad array of programs of space-based observation, research, and analysis 

of the Earth’s land, oceans, and atmosphere: 

• The NASA Administrator, in coordination with other appropriate departments and agencies, 

shall conduct a program to enhance U.S. global climate change research and sustained monitoring capabilities, advance research into and scientific knowledge of the Earth by accelerating 

the development of new Earth observing satellites, and develop and test capabilities for use by 

other civil departments and agencies for operational purposes. 

• The Secretary of Commerce, through the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration 

(NOAA) Administrator, and in coordination with the NASA Administrator and other appropriate 

departments and agencies, shall, in support of operational requirements: 

− Transition mature research and development Earth observation satellites to long-term 

operations; 

− Use international partnerships to help sustain and enhance weather, climate, ocean, and 

coastal observation from space; and 

− Be responsible for the requirements, funding, acquisition, and operation of civil operational 

environmental satellites in support of weather forecasting, climate monitoring, ocean and 

coastal observations, and space weather forecasting. NOAA will primarily utilize NASA as the 

acquisition agent for operational environmental satellites for these activities and programs.

• The Secretary of Commerce, through the NOAA Administrator, the Secretary of Defense, through 

the Secretary of the Air Force, and the NASA Administrator shall work together and with their 

international partners to ensure uninterrupted, operational polar-orbiting environmental 

satellite observations. The Secretary of Defense shall be responsible for the morning orbit, and 

the Secretary of Commerce shall be responsible for the afternoon orbit. The departments shall 

continue to partner in developing and fielding a shared ground system, with the coordinated 

programs operated by NOAA. Further, the departments shall ensure the continued full sharing 

of data from all systems. 

Land Remote Sensing 

The Secretary of the Interior, through the Director of the United States Geological Survey (USGS), shall: 

• Conduct research on natural and human-induced changes to Earth’s land, land cover, and inland 

surface waters, and manage a global land surface data national archive and its distribution; 
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• Determine the operational requirements for collection, processing, archiving, and distribution 

of land surface data to the United States Government and other users; and 

• Be responsible, in coordination with the Secretary of Defense, the Secretary of Homeland 

Security, and the Director of National Intelligence, for providing remote sensing information 

related to the environment and disasters that is acquired from national security space systems 

to other civil government agencies. 

In support of these critical needs, the Secretary of the Interior, through the Director of the USGS, and 

the NASA Administrator shall work together in maintaining a program for operational land remote 

sensing observations. 

The NASA and NOAA Administrators and the Director of the USGS shall:

• Ensure that civil space acquisition processes and capabilities are not unnecessarily duplicated; 

and 

• Continue to develop civil applications and information tools based on data collected by Earth 

observation satellites. These civil capabilities will be developed, to the greatest extent possible, 

using known standards and open protocols, and the applications will be made available to the 

public. 

The Secretary of Commerce, through the Administrator of NOAA, shall provide for the regulation and 

licensing of the operation of commercial sector remote sensing systems. 

National Security Space Guidelines 

The Secretary of Defense and the Director of National Intelligence, in consultation with other appropriate 

heads of departments and agencies, shall: 

• Develop, acquire, and operate space systems and supporting information systems and networks 

to support U.S. national security and enable defense and intelligence operations during times 

of peace, crisis, and conflict; 

• Ensure cost-effective survivability of space capabilities, including supporting information 

systems and networks, commensurate with their planned use, the consequences of lost or 

degraded capability, the threat, and the availability of other means to perform the mission; 

• Reinvigorate U.S. leadership by promoting technology development, improving industrial 

capacity, and maintaining a robust supplier base necessary to support our most critical national 

security interests; 

• Develop and implement plans, procedures, techniques, and capabilities necessary to assure 

critical national security space-enabled missions. Options for mission assurance may include 

rapid restoration of space assets and leveraging allied, foreign, and/or commercial space and 

nonspace capabilities to help perform the mission; 

• Maintain and integrate space surveillance, intelligence, and other information to develop 

accurate and timely SSA. SSA information shall be used to support national and homeland 
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security, civil space agencies, particularly human space flight activities, and commercial and 

foreign space operations; 

• Improve, develop, and demonstrate, in cooperation with relevant departments and agencies 

and commercial and foreign entities, the ability to rapidly detect, warn, characterize, and attribute natural and man-made disturbances to space systems of U.S. interest; and 

• Develop and apply advanced technologies and capabilities that respond to changes to the 

threat environment. 

The Secretary of Defense shall: 

• Be responsible, with support from the Director of National Intelligence, for the development, 

acquisition, operation, maintenance, and modernization of SSA capabilities; 

• Develop capabilities, plans, and options to deter, defend against, and, if necessary, defeat efforts 

to interfere with or attack U.S. or allied space systems; 

• Maintain the capabilities to execute the space support, force enhancement, space control, and 

force application missions; and 

• Provide, as launch agent for both the defense and intelligence sectors, reliable, affordable, and 

timely space access for national security purposes.

The Director of National Intelligence shall: 

• Enhance foundational intelligence collection and single- and all-source intelligence analysis; 

• Develop, obtain, and operate space capabilities to support strategic goals, intelligence priorities, 

and assigned tasks; 

• Provide robust, timely, and effective collection, processing, analysis, and dissemination of 

information on foreign space and supporting information system activities; 

• Develop and enhance innovative analytic tools and techniques to use and share information 

from traditional and nontraditional sources for understanding foreign space-related activities; 

• Identify and characterize current and future threats to U.S. space missions for the purposes of 

enabling effective protection, deterrence, and defense; 

• Integrate all-source intelligence of foreign space capabilities and intentions with space surveillance information to produce enhanced intelligence products that support SSA; 

• Support national defense and homeland security planning and satisfy operational requirements 

as a major intelligence mission; 

• Support monitoring, compliance, and verification for transparency and confidence-building 

measures and, if applicable, arms control agreements; and 

• Coordinate on any radiofrequency surveys from space conducted by United States Government 

departments or agencies and review, as appropriate, any radiofrequency surveys from space 

conducted by licensed private sector operators or by state and local governments.