IC 

115TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. 141 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

MAY 3, 2017 

Referred to the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology, and in addition 

to the Committees on Armed Services, Transportation and Infrastructure, 

Foreign Affairs, and the Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, for 

a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for 

consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned 

AN ACT 

To improve understanding and forecasting of space weather 

events, and for other purposes. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 


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1 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

2 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Space Weather Re3 search and Forecasting Act’’. 

4 SEC. 2. SPACE WEATHER. 

5 (a) IN GENERAL.—Subtitle VI of title 51, United 

6 States Code, is amended by adding after chapter 605 the 

7 following: 

8 ‘‘CHAPTER 607—SPACE WEATHER 

‘‘60701. Space weather. 

‘‘60702. Observations and forecasting. 

‘‘60703. Research and technology. 

‘‘60704. Space weather data. 

9 ‘‘§ 60701. Space weather 

10 ‘‘(a) FINDINGS.—Congress makes the following find11 ings: 

12 ‘‘(1) Space weather events pose a significant 

13 threat to humans working in the space environment 

14 and to modern technological systems. 

15 ‘‘(2) The effects of severe space weather events 

16 on the electric power grid, satellites and satellite 

17 communications and information, airline operations, 

18 astronauts living and working in space, and space19 based position, navigation, and timing systems could 

20 have significant societal, economic, national security, 

21 and health impacts. 


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1 ‘‘(3) Earth and space observations provide cru2 cial data necessary to predict and warn about space 

3 weather events. 

4 ‘‘(4) Clear roles and accountability of Federal 

5 departments and agencies are critical for an efficient 

6 and effective response to threats posed by space 

7 weather. 

8 ‘‘(5) In October 2015, the National Science and 

9 Technology Council published a National Space 

10 Weather Strategy and a National Space Weather 

11 Action Plan seeking to integrate national space 

12 weather efforts and add new capabilities to meet in13 creasing demand for space weather information. 

14 ‘‘(b) FEDERAL AGENCY ROLES.— 

15 ‘‘(1) FINDINGS.—Congress finds that— 

16 ‘‘(A) the National Oceanic and Atmos17 pheric Administration provides operational 

18 space weather forecasting and monitoring for 

19 civil applications, maintains ground and space20 based assets to provide observations needed for 

21 forecasting, prediction, and warnings, and de22 velops requirements for space weather fore23 casting technologies and science; 

24 ‘‘(B) the Department of Defense provides 

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1 toring, and research for the department’s 

2 unique missions and applications; 

3 ‘‘(C) the National Aeronautics and Space 

4 Administration provides increased under5 standing of the fundamental physics of the 

6 Sun-Earth system through space-based observa7 tions and modeling, develops new space-based 

8 technologies and missions, and monitors space 

9 weather for NASA’s space missions; 

10 ‘‘(D) the National Science Foundation pro11 vides increased understanding of the Sun-Earth 

12 system through ground-based measurements, 

13 technologies, and modeling; 

14 ‘‘(E) the Department of the Interior col15 lects, distributes, and archives operational 

16 ground-based magnetometer data in the United 

17 States and its territories, and works with the 

18 international community to improve global geo19 physical monitoring and develops crustal con20 ductivity models to assess and mitigate risk 

21 from space weather induced electric ground cur22 rents; and 

23 ‘‘(F) the Federal Aviation Administration 

24 provides operational requirements for space 

25 weather services in support of aviation and for 


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1 coordination of these requirements with the 

2 International Civil Aviation Organization, inte3 grates space weather data and products into the 

4 Next Generation Air Transportation System, 

5 and conducts real-time monitoring of the 

6 charged particle radiation environment to pro7 tect the health and safety of crew and pas8 sengers during space weather events. 

9 ‘‘(2) OFFICE OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

10 POLICY.—The Director of the Office of Science and 

11 Technology Policy shall— 

12 ‘‘(A) coordinate the development and im13 plementation of Federal Government activities 

14 to improve the Nation’s ability to prepare, 

15 avoid, mitigate, respond to, and recover from 

16 potentially devastating impacts of space weath17 er events; and 

18 ‘‘(B) coordinate the activities of the space 

19 weather interagency working group established 

20 under subsection (c). 

21 ‘‘(c) SPACE WEATHER INTERAGENCY WORKING

22 GROUP.—In order to continue coordination of executive 

23 branch efforts to understand, prepare, coordinate, and 

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1 nology Council shall establish an interagency working 

2 group on space weather. 

3 ‘‘(d) MEMBERSHIP.—In order to understand and re4 spond to the adverse effects of space weather, the inter5 agency working group established under subsection (c) 

6 shall leverage capabilities across participating Federal 

7 agencies, including— 

8 ‘‘(1) the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Ad9 ministration; 

10 ‘‘(2) the National Aeronautics and Space Ad11 ministration; 

12 ‘‘(3) the National Science Foundation; 

13 ‘‘(4) the Department of Defense; 

14 ‘‘(5) the Department of the Interior; 

15 ‘‘(6) the Department of Homeland Security; 

16 ‘‘(7) the Department of Energy; 

17 ‘‘(8) the Department of Transportation, includ18 ing the Federal Aviation Administration; and 

19 ‘‘(9) the Department of State. 

20 ‘‘(e) INTERAGENCY AGREEMENTS.— 

21 ‘‘(1) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—It is the sense of 

22 Congress that the interagency collaboration between 

23 the National Aeronautics and Space Administration 

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1 tration on terrestrial weather observations pro2 vides— 

3 ‘‘(A) an effective mechanism for improving 

4 weather and climate data collection while avoid5 ing unnecessary duplication of capabilities 

6 across Federal agencies; and 

7 ‘‘(B) an agency collaboration model that 

8 could benefit space weather observations. 

9 ‘‘(2) INTERAGENCY AGREEMENTS.—The Ad10 ministrator of the National Aeronautics and Space 

11 Administration and the Administrator of the Na12 tional Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration shall 

13 enter into one or more interagency agreements pro14 viding for cooperation and collaboration in the devel15 opment of space weather spacecraft, instruments, 

16 and technologies in accordance with this chapter. 

17 ‘‘§ 60702. Observations and forecasting 

18 ‘‘(a) POLICY.—It is the policy of the United States 

19 to establish and sustain a baseline capability for space 

20 weather observations. 

21 ‘‘(b) INTEGRATED STRATEGY.— 

22 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Director of the Office 

23 of Science and Technology Policy, in coordination 

24 with the Administrator of the National Oceanic and 

25 Atmospheric Administration, the Administrator of 


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1 the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, 

2 the Director of the National Science Foundation, 

3 and the Secretary of Defense, and in consultation 

4 with the academic and commercial communities, 

5 shall develop an integrated strategy for solar and 

6 solar wind observations beyond the lifetime of cur7 rent assets, that considers— 

8 ‘‘(A) the provision of solar wind measure9 ments and other measurements essential to 

10 space weather forecasting; and 

11 ‘‘(B) the provision of solar and space 

12 weather measurements important for scientific 

13 purposes. 

14 ‘‘(2) CONSIDERATIONS.—In developing the 

15 strategy under paragraph (1), the Director of the 

16 Office of Science and Technology Policy shall con17 sider small satellite options, hosted payloads, com18 mercial options, international options, and prize au19 thority. 

20 ‘‘(c) CRITICAL OBSERVATIONS.—In order to sustain 

21 current space-based observational capabilities, the Admin22 istrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Adminis23 tration shall— 

24 ‘‘(1) in cooperation with the European Space 

25 Agency, maintain operations of the Solar and 


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1 Heliospheric Observatory/Large Angle and Spec2 trometric Coronagraph (referred to in this section as 

3 ‘SOHO/LASCO’) for as long as the satellite con4 tinues to deliver quality observations; and 

5 ‘‘(2) prioritize the reception of LASCO data. 

6 ‘‘(d) ADDITIONAL CAPABILITY FOR SOLAR IMAG7 ING.— 

8 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Administrator of the 

9 National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration 

10 shall secure reliable secondary capability for near 

11 real-time coronal mass ejection imagery. 

12 ‘‘(2) OPTIONS.—The Administrator of the Na13 tional Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, in 

14 coordination with the Secretary of Defense and the 

15 Administrator of the National Aeronautics and 

16 Space Administration, shall develop options to build 

17 and deploy one or more instruments for near real18 time coronal mass ejection imagery. 

19 ‘‘(3) CONSIDERATIONS.—In developing options 

20 under paragraph (2), the Administrator of the Na21 tional Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration shall 

22 consider commercial solutions, prize authority, aca23 demic and international partnerships, microsatellites, 

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1 ploy the instrument or instruments as a secondary 

2 payload on an upcoming planned launch. 

3 ‘‘(4) COSTS.—In implementing paragraph (1), 

4 the Administrator of the National Oceanic and At5 mospheric Administration shall prioritize a cost-ef6 fective solution. 

7 ‘‘(5) OPERATIONAL PLANNING.—The Adminis8 trator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Ad9 ministration shall develop an operational contingency 

10 plan to provide continuous space weather forecasting 

11 in the event of a SOHO/LASCO failure. 

12 ‘‘(6) BRIEFING.—Not later than 120 days after 

13 the date of enactment of the Space Weather Re14 search and Forecasting Act, the Administrator of 

15 the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administra16 tion shall provide a briefing to the Committee on 

17 Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Sen18 ate and the Committee on Science, Space, and Tech19 nology of the House of Representatives on the op20 tions for building and deploying the instrument or 

21 instruments described in paragraph (2) and the 

22 operational contingency plan developed under para23 graph (5). 

24 ‘‘(e) FOLLOW-ON SPACE-BASED OBSERVATIONS.— 

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1 pheric Administration, in coordination with the Secretary 

2 of Defense, shall develop requirements and a plan for fol3 low-on space-based observations for operational purposes, 

4 in accordance with the integrated strategy developed 

5 under subsection (b). 

6 ‘‘(f) REPORT.—Not later than 180 days after the 

7 date of enactment of the Space Weather Research and 

8 Forecasting Act, the Director of the Office of Science and 

9 Technology Policy shall submit to the Committee on Com10 merce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate and the 

11 Committee on Science, Space, and Technology of the 

12 House of Representatives a report on the integrated strat13 egy under subsection (b), including the plans for follow14 on space-based observations under subsection (e). 

15 ‘‘(g) GROUND-BASED OBSERVATIONS.—The Na16 tional Science Foundation, the Air Force, and where prac17 ticable in support of the Air Force, the Navy shall each— 

18 ‘‘(1) maintain and improve, as necessary and 

19 advisable, ground-based observations of the Sun in 

20 order to help meet the priorities identified in section 

21 60703(a); and 

22 ‘‘(2) provide space weather data by means of its 

23 set of ground-based facilities, including radars, 

24 lidars, magnetometers, radio receivers, aurora and 


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1 airglow imagers, spectrometers, interferometers, and 

2 solar observatories. 

3 ‘‘(h) GROUND-BASED OBSERVATIONS DATA.—The 

4 National Science Foundation shall— 

5 ‘‘(1) provide key data streams from the plat6 forms described in subsection (g) for research and to 

7 support space weather model development; 

8 ‘‘(2) develop experimental models for scientific 

9 purposes; and 

10 ‘‘(3) support the transition of the experimental 

11 models to operations where appropriate. 

12 ‘‘§ 60703. Research and technology 

13 ‘‘(a) USER NEEDS.— 

14 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Administrator of the 

15 National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, 

16 the Secretary of the Air Force, and where prac17 ticable in support of the Air Force, the Secretary of 

18 the Navy, in conjunction with the heads of other rel19 evant Federal agencies, shall conduct a comprehen20 sive survey to identify and prioritize the needs of 

21 space weather forecast users, including space weath22 er data and space weather forecast data needed to 

23 improve services and inform research priorities and 

24 technology needs. 


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1 ‘‘(2) CONTENTS.—In conducting the com2 prehensive survey under paragraph (1), the Adminis3 trator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Ad4 ministration, the Secretary of the Air Force, and 

5 where practicable in support of the Air Force, the 

6 Secretary of the Navy, at a minimum, shall— 

7 ‘‘(A) consider the goals for forecast lead 

8 time, accuracy, coverage, timeliness, data rate, 

9 and data quality for space weather observa10 tions; 

11 ‘‘(B) identify opportunities to address the 

12 needs identified under paragraph (1) through 

13 collaborations with academia, the private sector, 

14 and the international community; 

15 ‘‘(C) identify opportunities for new tech16 nologies and instrumentation to address the 

17 needs identified under paragraph (1); and 

18 ‘‘(D) publish a report on the findings 

19 under subparagraphs (A) through (C). 

20 ‘‘(3) PUBLICATION.—Not later than 1 year 

21 after the date of enactment of the Space Weather 

22 Research and Forecasting Act, the Administrator of 

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1 ticable in support of the Air Force, the Secretary of 

2 the Navy, shall— 

3 ‘‘(A) make the results of the comprehen4 sive survey publicly available; and 

5 ‘‘(B) notify the Committee on Commerce, 

6 Science, and Transportation of the Senate and 

7 the Committee on Science, Space, and Tech8 nology of the House of Representatives of the 

9 publication under subparagraph (A). 

10 ‘‘(b) RESEARCH ACTIVITIES.— 

11 ‘‘(1) BASIC RESEARCH.—The Director of the 

12 National Science Foundation, Administrator of the 

13 National Aeronautics and Space Administration, and 

14 Secretary of Defense shall continue to carry out 

15 basic research activities on heliophysics, geospace 

16 science, and space weather and support competitive, 

17 merit-based, peer-reviewed proposals for research, 

18 modeling, and monitoring of space weather and its 

19 impacts, including science goals outlined in Solar 

20 and Space Physics Decadal surveys conducted by the 

21 National Academy of Sciences. 

22 ‘‘(2) MULTIDISCIPLINARY RESEARCH.— 

23 ‘‘(A) FINDINGS.—Congress finds that the 

24 multidisciplinary nature of solar and space 

25 physics creates funding challenges that require 


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1 coordination across scientific disciplines and 

2 Federal agencies. 

3 ‘‘(B) MULTIDISCIPLINARY RESEARCH.— 

4 The Director of the National Science Founda5 tion, the Administrator of the National Oceanic 

6 and Atmospheric Administration, and the Ad7 ministrator of the National Aeronautics and 

8 Space Administration shall pursue multidisci9 plinary research in subjects that further our 

10 understanding of solar physics, space physics, 

11 and space weather. 

12 ‘‘(C) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—It is the 

13 sense of Congress that the Administrator of the 

14 National Aeronautics and Space Administration 

15 and Director of the National Science Founda16 tion should support competitively awarded 

17 Heliophysics Science Centers. 

18 ‘‘(c) SCIENCE MISSIONS.—The Administrator of the 

19 National Aeronautics and Space Administration shall seek 

20 to implement missions that meet the science objectives 

21 identified in Solar and Space Physics Decadal surveys con22 ducted by the National Academy of Sciences. 

23 ‘‘(d) RESEARCH TO OPERATIONS.— 

24 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Administrator of the 

25 National Aeronautics and Space Administration, the 


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1 Director of the National Science Foundation, the 

2 Administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmos3 pheric Administration, the Secretary of the Air 

4 Force, and where practicable in support of the Air 

5 Force, the Secretary of the Navy, shall— 

6 ‘‘(A) develop a formal mechanism to tran7 sition National Aeronautics and Space Adminis8 tration, National Science Foundation, Air 

9 Force, and Navy research findings, models, and 

10 capabilities, as appropriate, to National Oceanic 

11 and Atmospheric Administration and Depart12 ment of Defense space weather operational fore13 casting centers; and 

14 ‘‘(B) enhance coordination between re15 search modeling centers and forecasting cen16 ters. 

17 ‘‘(2) OPERATIONAL NEEDS.—The Adminis18 trator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Ad19 ministration and the Secretary of Defense, in coordi20 nation with the Administrator of the National Aero21 nautics and Space Administration and the Director 

22 of the National Science Foundation, shall develop a 

23 formal mechanism to communicate the operational 

24 needs of space weather forecasters to the research 

25 community. 


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1 ‘‘(e) TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPMENT.— 

2 ‘‘(1) FINDINGS.—Congress finds that observa3 tions and measurements closer to the Sun and ad4 vanced instrumentation would provide for more ad5 vanced warning of space weather disturbances (as 

6 defined in section 3 of the Space Weather Research 

7 and Forecasting Act). 

8 ‘‘(2) TECHNOLOGY AND INSTRUMENTATION DE9 VELOPMENT.—The Administrator of the National 

10 Aeronautics and Space Administration and the Di11 rector of the National Science Foundation shall sup12 port the development of technologies and instrumen13 tation to improve space weather forecasting lead14 time and accuracy to meet the needs identified by 

15 the Administrator of the National Oceanic and At16 mospheric Administration. 

17 ‘‘§ 60704. Space weather data 

18 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—The Administrator of the Na19 tional Aeronautics and Space Administration and the Di20 rector of the National Science Foundation shall— 

21 ‘‘(1) make space weather related data obtained 

22 for scientific research purposes available to space 

23 weather forecasters and operations centers; and 

24 ‘‘(2) support model development and model ap25 plications to space weather forecasting. 


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1 ‘‘(b) RESEARCH.—The Administrator of the National 

2 Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration shall make space 

3 weather related data obtained from operational forecasting 

4 available for scientific research.’’. 

5 (b) TECHNICAL AND CONFORMING AMENDMENTS.— 

6 (1) REPEAL OF SECTION 809.—Section 809 of 

7 the National Aeronautics and Space Administration 

8 Authorization Act of 2010 (42 U.S.C. 18388) and 

9 the item relating to that section in the table of con10 tents under section 1(b) of that Act (124 Stat. 

11 2806) are repealed. 

12 (2) TABLE OF CHAPTERS.—The table of chap13 ters of title 51, United States Code, is amended by 

14 adding after the item relating to chapter 605 the fol15 lowing: 

‘‘607. Space weather ................................................................................ 60701’’. 

16 SEC. 3. SPACE WEATHER METRICS. 

17 (a) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 

18 (1) SPACE WEATHER DISTURBANCE.—The term 

19 ‘‘space weather disturbance’’ includes geo-electric 

20 fields, ionizing radiation, ionospheric disturbances, 

21 solar radio bursts, and upper atmospheric expansion. 

22 (2) SPACE WEATHER BENCHMARK.—The term 

23 ‘‘space weather benchmark’’ means the physical 

24 characteristics and conditions describing the nature, 


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1 frequency, and intensity of space weather disturb2 ances. 

3 (b) BENCHMARKS.— 

4 (1) PRELIMINARY.—Not later than 90 days 

5 after the date of enactment of this Act, the Space 

6 Weather Interagency Working Group, established 

7 under section 60701 of title 51, United States Code, 

8 in consultation with academic and commercial ex9 perts, shall— 

10 (A) assess existing data, the historical 

11 record, models, and peer-reviewed studies on 

12 space weather; and 

13 (B) develop preliminary benchmarks, based 

14 on current scientific understanding and the his15 torical record, for measuring solar disturbances. 

16 (2) FINAL.—Not later than 18 months after 

17 the date the preliminary benchmarks are developed 

18 under paragraph (1), the Space Weather Inter19 agency Working Group shall publish final bench20 marks. 

21 (3) REVIEW.—The Administrator of the Na22 tional Aeronautics and Space Administration shall 

23 contract with the National Academy of Sciences to 

24 review the benchmarks established under paragraph 

25 (2). 


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1 (4) REVISIONS.—The Space Weather Inter2 agency Working Group shall update and revise the 

3 final benchmarks under paragraph (2), as necessary, 

4 based on— 

5 (A) the results of the review under para6 graph (3); 

7 (B) any significant new data or advances 

8 in scientific understanding that become avail9 able; or 

10 (C) the evolving needs of entities impacted 

11 by solar disturbances. 

12 SEC. 4. PROTECTION OF CRITICAL INFRASTRUCTURE. 

13 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Administrator of the Na14 tional Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, in con15 sultation with the heads of other relevant Federal agen16 cies, shall provide information about space weather haz17 ards to the Secretary of Homeland Security for purposes 

18 of this section. 

19 (b) CRITICAL INFRASTRUCTURE.—The Secretary of 

20 Homeland Security, in consultation with sector-specific 

21 agencies, the Administrator of the National Oceanic and 

22 Atmospheric Administration, and the heads of other rel23 evant agencies, shall— 

24 (1) include, in meeting national critical infra25 structure reporting requirements, an assessment of 


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1 the vulnerability of critical infrastructure to space 

2 weather events, as described by the space weather 

3 benchmarks under section 3; and 

4 (2) support critical infrastructure providers in 

5 managing the risks and impacts associated with 

6 space weather. 

7 (c) PROHIBITION ON NEW REGULATORY AUTHOR8 ITY.—Nothing in subsection (b) may be construed to grant 

9 the Secretary of Homeland Security any authority to pro10 mulgate regulations that was not in effect on the day be11 fore the date of enactment of this Act. 

12 (d) DEFINITION OF SECTOR-SPECIFIC AGENCY.—In 

13 this section, the term ‘‘sector-specific agency’’ has the 

14 meaning given the term in Presidential Policy Directive– 

15 21 of February 12, 2013 (Critical Infrastructure Security 

16 and Resilience), or any successor. 

17 SEC. 5. PROTECTION OF NATIONAL SECURITY ASSETS. 

18 (a) IN GENERAL.—The National Security Council, in 

19 consultation with the Office of the Director of National 

20 Intelligence, the Secretary of Defense, and the heads of 

21 other relevant Federal agencies, shall— 

22 (1) assess the vulnerability of the national secu23 rity community to space weather events, as described 

24 by the space weather benchmarks under section 3; 

25 and 


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1 (2) develop national security mechanisms to 

2 protection national security assets from space weath3 er threats. 

4 (b) COOPERATION.—The Secretary of Defense, in 

5 consultation with the heads of other relevant Federal 

6 agencies, shall provide information about space weather 

7 hazards to the National Security Council, Director of Na8 tional Intelligence, and heads of Defense Agencies for pur9 poses of this section. 

10 SEC. 6. ENSURING THE SAFETY OF CIVIL AVIATION. 

11 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Administrator of the Federal 

12 Aviation Administration, in consultation with the heads of 

13 other relevant Federal agencies, shall— 

14 (1) assess the safety implications and vulner15 ability of the national airspace system by space 

16 weather events, as described by the space weather 

17 benchmarks under section 3; 

18 (2) assess methods to mitigate the safety impli19 cations and effects of space weather on aviation 

20 communication systems, aircraft navigation systems, 

21 satellite and ground-based navigation systems, and 

22 potential health effects of radiation exposure; and 

23 (3) assess options for incorporating space 

24 weather into operational training for pilots, cabin 


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1 crew, dispatchers, air traffic controllers, meteorolo2 gists, and engineers. 

3 (b) SPACE WEATHER COMMUNICATION.—The Ad4 ministrator of the Federal Aviation Administration, in 

5 consultation with the heads of other relevant Federal 

6 agencies, shall develop methods to increase the interaction 

7 between the aviation community and the space weather re8 search and service provider community. 

Passed the Senate May 2, 2017. 

Attest: JULIE E. ADAMS, 

Secretary. 


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