In the Senate of the United States, 

November 10, 2015. 

Resolved, That the bill from the House of Representatives (H.R. 2262) entitled ‘‘An Act to facilitate a pro-growth 

environment for the developing commercial space industry by 

encouraging private sector investment and creating more stable and predictable regulatory conditions, and for other purposes.’’, do pass with the following 

AMENDMENT: 

Strike all after the enacting clause and insert the 

following: 

1 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE; TABLE OF CONTENTS; REF2 ERENCES. 

3 (a) SHORT TITLE.—This Act may be cited as the 

4 ‘‘U.S. Commercial Space Launch Competitiveness Act’’. 

5 (b) TABLE OF CONTENTS.—The table of contents of this 

6 Act is as follows: 

Sec. 1. Short title; table of contents; references. 

TITLE I—SPURRING PRIVATE AEROSPACE COMPETITIVENESS AND 

ENTREPRENEURSHIP 

Sec. 101. Short title. 
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Sec. 102. International launch competitiveness. 

Sec. 103. Indemnification for space flight participants. 

Sec. 104. Launch license flexibility. 

Sec. 105. Licensing report. 

Sec. 106. Federal jurisdiction. 

Sec. 107. Cross waivers. 

Sec. 108. Space authority. 

Sec. 109. Orbital traffic management. 

Sec. 110. Space surveillance and situational awareness data. 

Sec. 111. Consensus standards and extension of certain safety regulation requirements. 

Sec. 112. Government astronauts. 

Sec. 113. Streamline commercial space launch activities. 

Sec. 114. Operation and utilization of the ISS. 

Sec. 115. State commercial launch facilities. 

Sec. 116. Space support vehicles study. 

Sec. 117. Space launch system update. 

TITLE II—COMMERCIAL REMOTE SENSING 

Sec. 201. Annual reports. 

Sec. 202. Statutory update report. 

TITLE III—OFFICE OF SPACE COMMERCE 

Sec. 301. Renaming of office of space commercialization. 

Sec. 302. Functions of the office of space commerce. 

TITLE IV—SPACE RESOURCE EXPLORATION AND UTILIZATION 

Sec. 401. Short title. 

Sec. 402. Title 51 amendment. 

Sec. 403. Disclaimer of extraterritorial sovereignty. 

1 (c) REFERENCES TO TITLE 51, UNITED STATES

2 CODE.—Except as otherwise expressly provided, wherever 

3 in this Act an amendment or repeal is expressed in terms 

4 of an amendment to, or repeal of, a section or other provi5 sion, the reference shall be considered to be made to a section 

6 or other provision of title 51, United States Code. 
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1 TITLE I—SPURRING PRIVATE 

2 AEROSPACE COMPETITIVE3 NESS AND ENTREPRENEUR4 SHIP 

5 SEC. 101. SHORT TITLE. 

6 This title may be cited as the ‘‘Spurring Private Aero7 space Competitiveness and Entrepreneurship Act of 2015’’ 

8 or ‘‘SPACE Act of 2015’’. 

9 SEC. 102. INTERNATIONAL LAUNCH COMPETITIVENESS. 

10 (a) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—It is the sense of Congress 

11 that it is in the public interest to update the methodology 

12 used to calculate the maximum probable loss from claims 

13 under section 50914 of title 51, United States Code, with 

14 a validated risk profile approach in order to consistently 

15 compute valid and reasonable maximum probable loss val16 ues. 

17 (b) IMPLEMENTATION.—Not later than 180 days after 

18 the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Transpor19 tation, in consultation with the commercial space sector 

20 and insurance providers, shall— 

21 (1) evaluate the methodology used to calculate 

22 the maximum probable loss from claims under section 

23 50914 of title 51, United States Code, and, if nec24 essary, develop a plan to update that methodology; 
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1 (2) in evaluating or developing a plan under 

2 paragraph (1)— 

3 (A) ensure that the Federal Government is 

4 not exposed to greater costs than intended and 

5 that launch companies are not required to pur6 chase more insurance coverage than necessary; 

7 and 

8 (B) consider the impact of the cost to both 

9 the industry and the Government of imple10 menting an updated methodology; and 

11 (3) submit the evaluation, and any plan, to the 

12 Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transpor13 tation of the Senate and the Committee on Science, 

14 Space, and Technology of the House of Representa15 tives. 

16 (c) INDEPENDENT ASSESSMENT.—Not later than 270 

17 days after the date the evaluation is submitted under sub18 section (b)(3), the Comptroller General shall submit to the 

19 Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of 

20 the Senate and the Committee on Science, Space, and Tech21 nology of the House of Representatives an assessment of— 

22 (1) the analysis and conclusions provided by the 

23 Secretary of Transportation in the evaluation, and 

24 any plan, under subsection (b); 
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1 (2) the implementation schedule proposed by the 

2 Secretary in the plan described in paragraph (1); 

3 (3) the suitability of the plan described in para4 graph (1) for implementation; and 

5 (4) any further actions needed to implement the 

6 plan described in paragraph (1) or otherwise accom7 plish the purpose of this section. 

8 (d) LAUNCH LIABILITY EXTENSION.—Section 50915(f) 

9 is amended by striking ‘‘December 31, 2016’’ and inserting 

10 ‘‘September 30, 2025’’. 

11 SEC. 103. INDEMNIFICATION FOR SPACE FLIGHT PARTICI12 PANTS. 

13 (a) IN GENERAL.—Chapter 509 is amended— 

14 (1) in section 50914(a)— 

15 (A) in paragraph (4), by adding at the end 

16 the following: 

17 ‘‘(E) space flight participants.’’; and 

18 (B) by adding at the end the following: 

19 ‘‘(5) Subparagraph (E) of paragraph (4) ceases 

20 to be effective September 30, 2025.’’; and 

21 (2) in section 50915(a)— 

22 (A) in paragraph (1), by striking ‘‘a li23 censee or transferee under this chapter, a con24 tractor, subcontractor, or customer of the licensee 

25 or transferee, or a contractor or subcontractor of 
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1 a customer, but not against a space flight partic2 ipant,’’ and inserting ‘‘a person described in 

3 paragraph (3)(A)’’; and 

4 (B) by adding at the end the following: 

5 ‘‘(3)(A) A person described in this subparagraph 

6 is— 

7 ‘‘(i) a licensee or transferee under this chap8 ter; 

9 ‘‘(ii) a contractor, subcontractor, or cus10 tomer of the licensee or transferee; 

11 ‘‘(iii) a contractor or subcontractor of a cus12 tomer; or 

13 ‘‘(iv) a space flight participant. 

14 ‘‘(B) Clause (iv) of subparagraph (A) ceases to 

15 be effective September 30, 2025.’’. 

16 SEC. 104. LAUNCH LICENSE FLEXIBILITY. 

17 Section 50906 is amended— 

18 (1) in subsection (d)— 

19 (A) in the matter preceding paragraph (1), 

20 by striking ‘‘that will be launched or reentered’’ 

21 and inserting ‘‘or reusable launch vehicles that 

22 will be launched into a suborbital trajectory or 

23 reentered under that permit’’; 

24 (B) by amending paragraph (1) to read as 

25 follows: 
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1 ‘‘(1) research and development to test design con2 cepts, equipment, or operating techniques;’’; and 

3 (C) in paragraph (3)— 

4 (i) by striking ‘‘prior to obtaining a li5 cense’’; and 

6 (ii) by inserting ‘‘or vehicle’’ after ‘‘de7 sign of the rocket’’; 

8 (2) in subsection (e)— 

9 (A) in paragraph (1), by striking ‘‘sub10 orbital rocket design’’ and inserting ‘‘suborbital 

11 rocket or suborbital rocket design, or for a par12 ticular reusable launch vehicle or reusable launch 

13 vehicle design,’’; and 

14 (B) in paragraph (2), by inserting ‘‘or 

15 launch vehicle’’ after ‘‘the suborbital rocket’’; 

16 (3) by amending subsection (g) to read as fol17 lows: 

18 ‘‘(g) The Secretary may issue a permit under this sec19 tion notwithstanding any license issued under this chapter. 

20 The issuance of a license under this chapter may not invali21 date a permit issued under this section.’’; and 

22 (4) in subsection (h), by inserting ‘‘or reusable 

23 launch vehicle’’ after ‘‘suborbital rocket’’. 
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1 SEC. 105. LICENSING REPORT. 

2 Not later than 120 days after the date of enactment 

3 of this Act, the Secretary of Transportation shall submit 

4 to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transpor5 tation of the Senate and the Committee on Science, Space, 

6 and Technology of the House of Representatives a report 

7 on approaches for streamlining the licensing and permit8 ting process of launch vehicles, reentry vehicles, or compo9 nents of launch or reentry vehicles, to enable non-launch 

10 flight operations related to space transportation. The report 

11 shall include approaches to improve efficiency, reduce un12 necessary costs, resolve inconsistencies, remove duplication, 

13 and minimize unwarranted constraints. The report shall 

14 also include an assessment of existing private and govern15 ment infrastructure, as appropriate, in future licensing ac16 tivities. 

17 SEC. 106. FEDERAL JURISDICTION. 

18 Section 50914 is amended by adding at the end the 

19 following: 

20 ‘‘(g) FEDERAL JURISDICTION.—Any claim by a third 

21 party or space flight participant for death, bodily injury, 

22 or property damage or loss resulting from an activity car23 ried out under the license shall be the exclusive jurisdiction 

24 of the Federal courts.’’. 

25 SEC. 107. CROSS WAIVERS. 

26 Section 50914(b)(1) is amended to read as follows: 
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1 ‘‘(1)(A) A launch or reentry license issued or 

2 transferred under this chapter shall contain a provi3 sion requiring the licensee or transferee to make a re4 ciprocal waiver of claims with applicable parties in5 volved in launch services or reentry services under 

6 which each party to the waiver agrees to be respon7 sible for personal injury to, death of, or property 

8 damage or loss sustained by it or its own employees 

9 resulting from an activity carried out under the ap10 plicable license. 

11 ‘‘(B) In this paragraph, the term ‘applicable 

12 parties’ means— 

13 ‘‘(i) contractors, subcontractors, and cus14 tomers of the licensee or transferee; 

15 ‘‘(ii) contractors and subcontractors of the 

16 customers; and 

17 ‘‘(iii) space flight participants. 

18 ‘‘(C) Clause (iii) of subparagraph (B) ceases to 

19 be effective September 30, 2025.’’. 

20 SEC. 108. SPACE AUTHORITY. 

21 (a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 120 days after the 

22 date of enactment of this Act, the Director of the Office of 

23 Science and Technology Policy, in consultation with the 

24 Secretary of State, the Secretary of Transportation, the Ad25 ministrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Admin-
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1 istration, the heads of other relevant Federal agencies, and 

2 the commercial space sector, shall— 

3 (1) assess current, and proposed near-term, com4 mercial non-governmental activities conducted in 

5 space; 

6 (2) identify appropriate authorization and su7 pervision authorities for the activities described in 

8 paragraph (1); 

9 (3) recommend an authorization and supervision 

10 approach that would prioritize safety, utilize existing 

11 authorities, minimize burdens to the industry, pro12 mote the U.S. commercial space sector, and meet the 

13 United States obligations under international trea14 ties; and 

15 (4) submit to the Committee on Commerce, 

16 Science, and Transportation of the Senate and the 

17 Committee on Science, Space, and Technology of the 

18 House of Representatives a report on the activities de19 scribed in paragraphs (1), (2), and (3). 

20 (b) EXCEPTION.—Nothing in this section shall apply 

21 to the activities of the ISS national laboratory as described 

22 in section 504 of the National Aeronautics and Space Ad23 ministration Authorization Act of 2010 (42 U.S.C. 18354), 

24 including any research or development projects utilizing the 

25 ISS national laboratory. 
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1 SEC. 109. ORBITAL TRAFFIC MANAGEMENT. 

2 (a) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—It is the sense of the Con3 gress that an improved framework may be necessary for 

4 space traffic management of United States Government as5 sets and United States private sector assets in outer space 

6 and orbital debris mitigation. 

7 (b) STUDY.—Not later than 90 days after the date of 

8 enactment of this Act, the Administrator of the National 

9 Aeronautics and Space Administration, in consultation 

10 with the Secretary of Transportation, the Chair of the Fed11 eral Communications Commission, the Secretary of Com12 merce, and the Secretary of Defense, shall enter into an ar13 rangement with an independent systems engineering and 

14 technical assistance organization to study alternate frame15 works for the management of space traffic and orbital ac16 tivities. 

17 (c) CONTENTS.—The study shall include the following: 

18 (1) An assessment of current regulations, best 

19 practices, and industry standards that apply to space 

20 traffic management and orbital debris mitigation. 

21 (2) An assessment of current statutory authori22 ties granted to the Federal Communications Commis23 sion, the Department of Transportation, and the De24 partment of Commerce that apply to space traffic 

25 management and orbital debris mitigation and how 

26 those agencies utilize and coordinate those authorities. 
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1 (3) A review of all space traffic management and 

2 orbital debris requirements under treaties and other 

3 international agreements to which the United States 

4 is a signatory, and other nonbinding international 

5 arrangements in which the United States partici6 pates, and the manner and extent to which the Fed7 eral Government complies with those requirements 

8 and arrangements. 

9 (4) An assessment of existing Federal Govern10 ment assets used to conduct space traffic management 

11 and space situational awareness. 

12 (5) An assessment of the risk to space traffic 

13 management associated with smallsats and any nec14 essary Government coordination for their launch and 

15 utilization to avoid congestion of the orbital environ16 ment and improve space situational awareness. 

17 (6) An assessment of existing private sector in18 formation sharing activities associated with space sit19 uational awareness and space traffic management. 

20 (7) Recommendations related to the appropriate 

21 framework for the protection of the health, safety, and 

22 welfare of the public and economic vitality of the 

23 space industry. 

24 (d) REPORT.—Not later than 1 year after the date of 

25 enactment of this Act, the Administrator shall submit to 
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1 the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation 

2 of the Senate and the Committee on Science, Space, and 

3 Technology of the House of Representatives the study re4 quired in subsection (b). 

5 (e) DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE AUTHORITIES.— 

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

7 Congress that the Department of Defense plays a vital 

8 and unique role in protecting national security assets 

9 in space. 

10 (2) RULE OF CONSTRUCTION.—Nothing in this 

11 section may be construed to affect the authority of the 

12 Secretary of Defense as it relates to safeguarding the 

13 national security. 

14 SEC. 110. SPACE SURVEILLANCE AND SITUATIONAL AWARE15 NESS DATA. 

16 Not later than 120 days after the date of enactment 

17 of this Act, the Secretary of Transportation in concurrence 

18 with the Secretary of Defense shall— 

19 (1) in consultation with the heads of other rel20 evant Federal agencies, study the feasibility of proc21 essing and releasing safety-related space situational 

22 awareness data and information to any entity con23 sistent with national security interests and public 

24 safety obligations of the United States; and 
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1 (2) submit a report on the feasibility study to 

2 the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transpor3 tation of the Senate and the Committee on Science, 

4 Space, and Technology of the House of Representa5 tives. 

6 SEC. 111. CONSENSUS STANDARDS AND EXTENSION OF 

7 CERTAIN SAFETY REGULATION REQUIRE8 MENTS. 

9 Section 50905(c) is amended— 

10 (1) in paragraph (1), by inserting ‘‘IN GEN11 ERAL.—’’ before ‘‘The Secretary’’; 

12 (2) in paragraph (2), by inserting ‘‘REGULA13 TIONS.—’’ before ‘‘Regulations’’; 

14 (3) by striking paragraph (3); 

15 (4) by redesignating paragraph (4) as para16 graph (10); 

17 (5) by inserting after paragraph (2) the fol18 lowing: 

19 ‘‘(3) FACILITATION OF STANDARDS.—The Sec20 retary shall continue to work with the commercial 

21 space sector, including the Commercial Space Trans22 portation Advisory Committee, or its successor orga23 nization, to facilitate the development of voluntary 

24 industry consensus standards based on recommended 

25 best practices to improve the safety of crew, govern-
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1 ment astronauts, and space flight participants as the 

2 commercial space sector continues to mature. 

3 ‘‘(4) COMMUNICATION AND TRANSPARENCY.— 

4 Nothing in this subsection shall be construed to limit 

5 the authority of the Secretary to discuss potential reg6 ulatory approaches, potential performance standards, 

7 or any other topic related to this subsection with the 

8 commercial space industry, including observations, 

9 findings, and recommendations from the Commercial 

10 Space Transportation Advisory Committee, or its suc11 cessor organization, prior to the issuance of a notice 

12 of proposed rulemaking. Such discussions shall not be 

13 construed to permit the Secretary to promulgate in14 dustry regulations except as otherwise provided in 

15 this section. 

16 ‘‘(5) INTERIM VOLUNTARY INDUSTRY CONSENSUS

17 STANDARDS REPORTS.— 

18 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—Not later than Decem19 ber 31, 2016, and every 30 months thereafter 

20 until December 31, 2021, the Secretary, in con21 sultation and coordination with the commercial 

22 space sector, including the Commercial Space 

23 Transportation Advisory Committee, or its suc24 cessor organization, shall submit to the Com25 mittee on Commerce, Science, and Transpor-
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1 tation of the Senate and the Committee on 

2 Science, Space, and Technology of the House of 

3 Representatives a report on the progress of the 

4 commercial space transportation industry in de5 veloping voluntary industry consensus standards 

6 that promote best practices to improve industry 

7 safety. 

8 ‘‘(B) CONTENTS.—The report shall include, 

9 at a minimum— 

10 ‘‘(i) any voluntary industry consensus 

11 standards that have been accepted by the in12 dustry at large; 

13 ‘‘(ii) the identification of areas that 

14 have the potential to become voluntary in15 dustry consensus standards that are cur16 rently under consideration by the industry 

17 at large; 

18 ‘‘(iii) an assessment from the Secretary 

19 on the general progress of the industry in 

20 adopting voluntary industry consensus 

21 standards; 

22 ‘‘(iv) any lessons learned about vol23 untary industry consensus standards, best 

24 practices, and commercial space launch op25 erations; 
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1 ‘‘(v) any lessons learned associated 

2 with the development, potential application, 

3 and acceptance of voluntary industry con4 sensus standards, best practices, and com5 mercial space launch operations; and 

6 ‘‘(vi) recommendations, findings, or ob7 servations from the Commercial Space 

8 Transportation Advisory Committee, or its 

9 successor organization, on the progress of 

10 the industry in developing voluntary indus11 try consensus standards that promote best 

12 practices to improve industry safety. 

13 ‘‘(6) REPORT.—Not later than 270 days after the 

14 date of enactment of the SPACE Act of 2015, the Sec15 retary, in consultation and coordination with the 

16 commercial space sector, including the Commercial 

17 Space Transportation Advisory Committee, or its suc18 cessor organization, shall submit to the Committee on 

19 Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate 

20 and the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology 

21 of the House of Representatives a report specifying 

22 key industry metrics that might indicate readiness of 

23 the commercial space sector and the Department of 

24 Transportation to transition to a safety framework 

25 that may include regulations under paragraph (9) 
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1 that considers space flight participant, government 

2 astronaut, and crew safety. 

3 ‘‘(7) REPORTS.—Not later than March 31 of 

4 each of 2018 and 2022, the Secretary, in consultation 

5 and coordination with the commercial space sector, 

6 including the Commercial Space Transportation Ad7 visory Committee, or its successor organization, shall 

8 submit to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and 

9 Transportation of the Senate and the Committee on 

10 Science, Space, and Technology of the House of Rep11 resentatives a report that identifies the activities, de12 scribed in this subsection and subsection (d) most ap13 propriate for a new safety framework that may in14 clude regulatory action, if any, and a proposed tran15 sition plan for such safety framework. 

16 ‘‘(8) INDEPENDENT REVIEW.—Not later than De17 cember 31, 2022, an independent systems engineering 

18 and technical assistance organization or standards 

19 development organization contracted by the Secretary 

20 shall submit to the Committee on Commerce, Science, 

21 and Transportation of the Senate and the Committee 

22 on Science, Space, and Technology of the House of 

23 Representatives an assessment of the readiness of the 

24 commercial space industry and the Federal Govern25 ment to transition to a safety framework that may 
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1 include regulations. As part of the review, the con2 tracted organization shall evaluate— 

3 ‘‘(A) the progress of the commercial space 

4 industry in adopting voluntary industry con5 sensus standards as reported by the Secretary in 

6 the interim assessments included in the reports 

7 under paragraph (5); 

8 ‘‘(B) the progress of the commercial space 

9 industry toward meeting the key industry 

10 metrics identified by the report under paragraph 

11 (6), including the knowledge and operational ex12 perience obtained by the commercial space indus13 try while providing services for compensation or 

14 hire; and 

15 ‘‘(C) whether the areas identified in the re16 ports under paragraph (5) are appropriate for 

17 regulatory action, or further development of vol18 untary industry consensus standards, consid19 ering the progress evaluated in subparagraphs 

20 (A) and (B) of this paragraph. 

21 ‘‘(9) LEARNING PERIOD.—Beginning on October 

22 1, 2023, the Secretary may propose regulations under 

23 this subsection without regard to subparagraphs (C) 

24 and (D) of paragraph (2). The development of any 

25 such regulations shall take into consideration the 
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1 evolving standards of the commercial space flight in2 dustry as identified in the reports published under 

3 paragraphs (5), (6), and (7).’’; and 

4 (6) in paragraph (10), as redesignated, by in5 serting ‘‘RULE OF CONSTRUCTION.—’’ before ‘‘Noth6 ing’’. 

7 SEC. 112. GOVERNMENT ASTRONAUTS. 

8 (a) FINDINGS AND PURPOSE.—Section 50901(15) is 

9 amended by inserting ‘‘, government astronauts,’’ after 

10 ‘‘crew’’ each place it appears. 

11 (b) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—The National Aeronautics 

12 and Space Administration has a need to fly government 

13 astronauts (as defined in section 50902 of title 51, United 

14 States Code, as amended) within commercial launch vehi15 cles and reentry vehicles under chapter 509 of that title. 

16 This need was identified by the Secretary of Transportation 

17 and the Administrator of the National Aeronautics and 

18 Space Administration due to the intended use of commer19 cial launch vehicles and reentry vehicles developed under 

20 the Commercial Crew Development Program, authorized in 

21 section 402 of the National Aeronautics and Space Admin22 istration Authorization Act of 2010 (124 Stat. 2820; Public 

23 Law 111–267). It is the sense of Congress that the authority 

24 delegated to the Administration by the amendment made 
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1 by subsection (d) of this section should be used for that pur2 pose. 

3 (c) DEFINITION OF GOVERNMENT ASTRONAUT.—Sec4 tion 50902 is amended— 

5 (1) by redesignating paragraphs (4) through (22) 

6 as paragraphs (7) through (25), respectively; and 

7 (2) by inserting after paragraph (3) the fol8 lowing: 

9 ‘‘(4) ‘government astronaut’ means an indi10 vidual who— 

11 ‘‘(A) is designated by the National Aero12 nautics and Space Administration under section 

13 20113(n); 

14 ‘‘(B) is carried within a launch vehicle or 

15 reentry vehicle in the course of his or her em16 ployment, which may include performance of ac17 tivities directly relating to the launch, reentry, 

18 or other operation of the launch vehicle or re19 entry vehicle; and 

20 ‘‘(C) is either— 

21 ‘‘(i) an employee of the United States 

22 Government, including the uniformed serv23 ices, engaged in the performance of a Fed24 eral function under authority of law or an 

25 Executive act; or 
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1 ‘‘(ii) an international partner astro2 naut. 

3 ‘‘(5) ‘international partner astronaut’ means an 

4 individual designated under Article 11 of the Inter5 national Space Station Intergovernmental Agreement, 

6 by a partner to that agreement other than the United 

7 States, as qualified to serve as an International 

8 Space Station crew member. 

9 ‘‘(6) ‘International Space Station Intergovern10 mental Agreement’ means the Agreement Concerning 

11 Cooperation on the International Space Station, 

12 signed at Washington January 29, 1998 (TIAS 

13 12927).’’. 

14 (d) POWERS OF THE NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND

15 SPACE ADMINISTRATION IN PERFORMANCE OF FUNC16 TIONS.—Section 20113 is amended by adding at the end 

17 the following: 

18 ‘‘(n) IDENTIFICATION OF GOVERNMENT ASTRO19 NAUTS.—For purposes of a license issued or transferred by 

20 the Secretary of Transportation under chapter 509 to 

21 launch a launch vehicle or to reenter a reentry vehicle car22 rying a government astronaut (as defined in section 50902), 

23 the Administration shall designate a government astronaut 

24 in accordance with requirements prescribed by the Adminis25 tration.’’. 
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1 (e) DEFINITION OF LAUNCH.—Paragraph (7) of sec2 tion 50902, as redesignated, is amended by striking ‘‘and 

3 any payload, crew, or space flight participant’’ and insert4 ing ‘‘and any payload or human being’’. 

5 (f) DEFINITION OF LAUNCH SERVICES.—Paragraph 

6 (9) of section 50902, as redesignated, is amended by strik7 ing ‘‘payload, crew (including crew training), or space 

8 flight participant’’ and inserting ‘‘payload, crew (including 

9 crew training), government astronaut, or space flight par10 ticipant’’. 

11 (g) DEFINITION OF REENTER AND REENTRY.—Para12 graph (16) of section 50902, as redesignated, is amended 

13 by striking ‘‘and its payload, crew, or space flight partici14 pants, if any,’’ and inserting ‘‘and its payload or human 

15 beings, if any,’’. 

16 (h) DEFINITION OF REENTRY SERVICES.—Paragraph 

17 (17) of section 50902, as redesignated, is amended by strik18 ing ‘‘payload, crew (including crew training), or space 

19 flight participant, if any,’’ and inserting ‘‘payload, crew 

20 (including crew training), government astronaut, or space 

21 flight participant, if any,’’. 

22 (i) DEFINITION OF SPACE FLIGHT PARTICIPANT.— 

23 Paragraph (20) of section 50902, as redesignated, is amend24 ed to read as follows: 
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1 ‘‘(20) ‘space flight participant’ means an indi2 vidual, who is not crew or a government astronaut, 

3 carried within a launch vehicle or reentry vehicle.’’. 

4 (j) DEFINITION OF THIRD PARTY.—Paragraph 

5 (24)(E) of section 50902, as redesignated, is amended by 

6 inserting ‘‘, government astronauts,’’ after ‘‘crew’’. 

7 (k) RESTRICTIONS ON LAUNCHES, OPERATIONS, AND

8 REENTRIES; SINGLE LICENSE OR PERMIT.—Section 

9 50904(d) is amended by striking ‘‘activities involving crew 

10 or space flight participants’’ and inserting ‘‘activities in11 volving crew, government astronauts, or space flight par12 ticipants’’. 

13 (l) LICENSE APPLICATIONS AND REQUIREMENTS; AP14 PLICATIONS.—Section 50905 is amended— 

15 (1) in subsection (a)(2), by striking ‘‘crews and 

16 space flight participants’’ and inserting ‘‘crew, gov17 ernment astronauts, and space flight participants’’; 

18 (2) in subsection (b)(2)(D), by striking ‘‘crew or 

19 space flight participants’’ and inserting ‘‘crew, gov20 ernment astronauts, or space flight participants’’; 

21 and 

22 (3) in subsection (c)— 

23 (A) in paragraph (1), by striking ‘‘crew 

24 and space flight participants’’ and inserting 
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1 ‘‘crew, government astronauts, and space flight 

2 participants’’; and 

3 (B) in paragraph (2), by striking ‘‘to crew 

4 or space flight participants’’ each place it ap5 pears and inserting ‘‘to crew, government astro6 nauts, or space flight participants’’. 

7 (m) MONITORING ACTIVITIES.—Section 50907(a) is 

8 amended by striking ‘‘at a site used for crew or space flight 

9 participant training’’ and inserting ‘‘at a site not owned 

10 or operated by the Federal Government or a foreign govern11 ment used for crew, government astronaut, or space flight 

12 participant training’’. 

13 (n) ADDITIONAL SUSPENSIONS.—Section 50908(d)(1) 

14 is amended by striking ‘‘to crew or space flight partici15 pants’’ each place it appears and inserting ‘‘to any human 

16 being’’. 

17 (o) RELATIONSHIP TO OTHER EXECUTIVE AGENCIES, 

18 LAWS, AND INTERNATIONAL OBLIGATIONS; NONAPPLICA19 TION.—Section 50919(g) is amended to read as follows: 

20 ‘‘(g) NONAPPLICATION.— 

21 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—This chapter does not apply 

22 to— 

23 ‘‘(A) a launch, reentry, operation of a 

24 launch vehicle or reentry vehicle, operation of a 

25 launch site or reentry site, or other space activ-
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1 ity the Government carries out for the Govern2 ment; or 

3 ‘‘(B) planning or policies related to the 

4 launch, reentry, operation, or activity under sub5 paragraph (A). 

6 ‘‘(2) RULE OF CONSTRUCTION.—The following 

7 activities are not space activities the Government car8 ries out for the Government under paragraph (1): 

9 ‘‘(A) A government astronaut being carried 

10 within a launch vehicle or reentry vehicle under 

11 this chapter. 

12 ‘‘(B) A government astronaut performing 

13 activities directly relating to the launch, reentry, 

14 or other operation of the launch vehicle or re15 entry vehicle under this chapter.’’. 

16 SEC. 113. STREAMLINE COMMERCIAL SPACE LAUNCH AC17 TIVITIES. 

18 (a) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—It is the sense of Congress 

19 that eliminating duplicative requirements and approvals 

20 for commercial launch and reentry operations will promote 

21 and encourage the development of the commercial space sec22 tor. 

23 (b) REAFFIRMATION OF POLICY.—Congress reaffirms 

24 that the Secretary of Transportation, in overseeing and co-
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1 ordinating commercial launch and reentry operations, 

2 should— 

3 (1) promote commercial space launches and reen4 tries by the private sector; 

5 (2) facilitate Government, State, and private sec6 tor involvement in enhancing U.S. launch sites and 

7 facilities; 

8 (3) protect public health and safety, safety of 

9 property, national security interests, and foreign pol10 icy interests of the United States; and 

11 (4) consult with the head of another executive 

12 agency, including the Secretary of Defense or the Ad13 ministrator of the National Aeronautics and Space 

14 Administration, as necessary to provide consistent 

15 application of licensing requirements under chapter 

16 509 of title 51, United States Code. 

17 (c) REQUIREMENTS.— 

18 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of Transpor19 tation under section 50918 of title 51, United States 

20 Code, and subject to section 50905(b)(2)(C) of that 

21 title, shall consult with the Secretary of Defense, the 

22 Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space 

23 Administration, and the heads of other executive 

24 agencies, as appropriate— 
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1 (A) to identify all requirements that are im2 posed to protect the public health and safety, 

3 safety of property, national security interests, 

4 and foreign policy interests of the United States 

5 relevant to any commercial launch of a launch 

6 vehicle or commercial reentry of a reentry vehi7 cle; and 

8 (B) to evaluate the requirements identified 

9 in subparagraph (A) and, in coordination with 

10 the licensee or transferee and the heads of the rel11 evant executive agencies— 

12 (i) determine whether the satisfaction 

13 of a requirement of one agency could result 

14 in the satisfaction of a requirement of an15 other agency; and 

16 (ii) resolve any inconsistencies and re17 move any outmoded or duplicative require18 ments or approvals of the Federal Govern19 ment relevant to any commercial launch of 

20 a launch vehicle or commercial reentry of a 

21 reentry vehicle. 

22 (2) REPORTS.—Not later than 180 days after the 

23 date of enactment of this Act, and annually thereafter 

24 until the Secretary of Transportation determines no 

25 outmoded or duplicative requirements or approvals of 
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1 the Federal Government exist, the Secretary of Trans2 portation, in consultation with the Secretary of De3 fense, the Administrator of the National Aeronautics 

4 and Space Administration, the commercial space sec5 tor, and the heads of other executive agencies, as ap6 propriate, shall submit to the Committee on Com7 merce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate, the 

8 Committee on Science, Space, and Technology of the 

9 House of Representatives, and the congressional de10 fense committees a report that includes the following: 

11 (A) A description of the process for the ap12 plication for and approval of a permit or license 

13 under chapter 509 of title 51, United States 

14 Code, for the commercial launch of a launch ve15 hicle or commercial reentry of a reentry vehicle, 

16 including the identification of— 

17 (i) any unique requirements for oper18 ating on a United States Government 

19 launch site, reentry site, or launch property; 

20 and 

21 (ii) any inconsistent, outmoded, or du22 plicative requirements or approvals. 

23 (B) A description of current efforts, if any, 

24 to coordinate and work across executive agencies 

25 to define interagency processes and procedures 
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1 for sharing information, avoiding duplication of 

2 effort, and resolving common agency require3 ments. 

4 (C) Recommendations for legislation that 

5 may further— 

6 (i) streamline requirements in order to 

7 improve efficiency, reduce unnecessary costs, 

8 resolve inconsistencies, remove duplication, 

9 and minimize unwarranted constraints; 

10 and 

11 (ii) consolidate or modify requirements 

12 across affected agencies into a single appli13 cation set that satisfies the requirements 

14 identified in paragraph (1)(A). 

15 (3) DEFINITIONS.—For purposes of this sub16 section— 

17 (A) any applicable definitions set forth in 

18 section 50902 of title 51, United States Code, 

19 shall apply; 

20 (B) the terms ‘‘launch’’, ‘‘reenter’’, and ‘‘re21 entry’’ include landing of a launch vehicle or re22 entry vehicle; and 

23 (C) the terms ‘‘United States Government 

24 launch site’’ and ‘‘United States Government re25 entry site’’ include any necessary facility, at 
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1 that location, that is commercially operated on 

2 United States Government property. 

3 SEC. 114. OPERATION AND UTILIZATION OF THE ISS. 

4 (a) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—It is the sense of Congress 

5 that— 

6 (1) maximum utilization of partnerships, sci7 entific research, commercial applications, and explo8 ration test bed capabilities of the ISS is essential to 

9 ensuring the greatest return on investments made by 

10 the United States and its international partners in 

11 the development, assembly, and operations of that 

12 unique facility; and 

13 (2) every effort should be made to ensure that de14 cisions regarding the service life of the ISS are based 

15 on the station’s projected capability to continue pro16 viding effective and productive research and explo17 ration test bed capabilities. 

18 (b) CONTINUATION OF THE INTERNATIONAL SPACE

19 STATION.— 

20 (1) IN GENERAL.—Section 501 of the National 

21 Aeronautics and Space Administration Authorization 

22 Act of 2010 (42 U.S.C. 18351) is amended— 

23 (A) in the heading, by striking ‘‘THROUGH

24 2020’’; and 
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1 (B) in subsection (a), by striking ‘‘through 

2 at least 2020’’ and inserting ‘‘through at least 

3 2024’’. 

4 (2) MAINTENANCE OF THE UNITED STATES SEG5 MENT AND ASSURANCE OF CONTINUED OPERATIONS

6 OF THE INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION.—Section 

7 503 of the National Aeronautics and Space Adminis8 tration Authorization Act of 2010 (42 U.S.C. 18353) 

9 is amended— 

10 (A) in subsection (a), by striking ‘‘through 

11 at least September 30, 2020’’ and inserting 

12 ‘‘through at least September 30, 2024’’; and 

13 (B) in subsection (b)(1), by striking ‘‘In 

14 carrying out subsection (a), the Administrator’’ 

15 and inserting ‘‘The Administrator’’. 

16 (3) RESEARCH CAPACITY ALLOCATION AND INTE17 GRATION OF RESEARCH PAYLOADS.—Section 504(d) of 

18 the National Aeronautics and Space Administration 

19 Authorization Act of 2010 (42 U.S.C. 18354(d)) is 

20 amended by striking ‘‘September 30, 2020’’ each place 

21 it appears and inserting ‘‘at least September 30, 

22 2024’’. 

23 (4) MAINTAINING USE THROUGH AT LEAST

24 2024.—Section 70907 is amended to read as follows: 
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1 ‘‘§ 70907. Maintaining use through at least 2024 

2 ‘‘(a) POLICY.—The Administrator shall take all nec3 essary steps to ensure that the International Space Station 

4 remains a viable and productive facility capable of poten5 tial United States utilization through at least September 

6 30, 2024. 

7 ‘‘(b) NASA ACTIONS.—In furtherance of the policy 

8 under subsection (a), the Administrator shall ensure, to the 

9 extent practicable, that the International Space Station, as 

10 a designated national laboratory— 

11 ‘‘(1) remains viable as an element of overall ex12 ploration and partnership strategies and approaches; 

13 ‘‘(2) is considered for use by all NASA mission 

14 directorates, as appropriate, for technically appro15 priate scientific data gathering or technology risk re16 duction demonstrations; and 

17 ‘‘(3) remains an effective, functional vehicle pro18 viding research and test bed capabilities for the 

19 United States through at least September 30, 2024.’’. 

20 (5) TECHNICAL AND CONFORMING AMEND21 MENTS.— 

22 (A) TABLE OF CONTENTS OF 2010 ACT.—The 

23 item relating to section 501 in the table of con24 tents in section 1(b) of the National Aeronautics 

25 and Space Administration Authorization Act of 
34 

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1 2010 (124 Stat. 2806) is amended by striking 

2 ‘‘through 2020’’. 

3 (B) TABLE OF CONTENTS OF CHAPTER

4 709.—The table of contents for chapter 709 is 

5 amended by amending the item relating to sec6 tion 70907 to read as follows: 

‘‘70907. Maintaining use through at least 2024.’’. 

7 SEC. 115. STATE COMMERCIAL LAUNCH FACILITIES. 

8 (a) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—It is the sense of Congress 

9 that— 

10 (1) State involvement, development, ownership, 

11 and operation of launch facilities can enable growth 

12 of the Nation’s commercial suborbital and orbital 

13 space endeavors and support both commercial and 

14 Government space programs; 

15 (2) State launch facilities and the people and 

16 property in the affected launch areas of those facilities 

17 may be subject to risks resulting from an activity car18 ried out under a license under chapter 509 of title 51, 

19 United States Code; and 

20 (3) to ensure the success of the commercial 

21 launch industry and the safety of the people and 

22 property in the affected launch areas of those facili23 ties, States and State launch facilities should seek to 

24 take proper measures to protect themselves, to the ex25 tent of their potential liability for involvement in 
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1 launch services or reentry services, and compensate 

2 third parties for possible death, bodily injury, or 

3 property damage or loss resulting from an activity 

4 carried out under a license under chapter 509 of title 

5 51, United States Code, to which the State or State 

6 launch facility is involved in the launch services or 

7 reentry services. 

8 (b) REPORT.—Not later than 1 year after the date of 

9 enactment of this Act, the Comptroller General shall submit 

10 to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transpor11 tation of the Senate and the Committee on Science, Space, 

12 and Technology of the House of Representatives a report 

13 on the potential inclusion of all government property, in14 cluding State and municipal property, in the existing in15 demnification regime established under section 50914 of 

16 title 51, United States Code. 

17 SEC. 116. SPACE SUPPORT VEHICLES STUDY. 

18 (a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 1 year after the date 

19 of enactment of this Act, the Comptroller General shall sub20 mit to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transpor21 tation of the Senate and the Committee on Science, Space, 

22 and Technology of the House of Representatives a report 

23 on the use of space support vehicle services in the commer24 cial space industry. 

25 (b) CONTENTS.—This report shall include— 
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1 (1) the extent to which launch providers rely on 

2 such services as part of their business models; 

3 (2) the statutory, regulatory, and market bar4 riers to the use of such services; and 

5 (3) recommendations for legislative or regulatory 

6 action that may be needed to ensure reduced barriers 

7 to the use of such services if such use is a requirement 

8 of the industry. 

9 SEC. 117. SPACE LAUNCH SYSTEM UPDATE. 

10 (a) IN GENERAL.—Chapter 701 is amended— 

11 (1) in the heading by striking ‘‘SPACE 

12 SHUTTLE’’ and inserting ‘‘SPACE LAUNCH 

13 SYSTEM’’; 

14 (2) in section 70101— 

15 (A) in the heading, by striking ‘‘space 

16 shuttle’’ and inserting ‘‘space launch sys17 tem’’; and 

18 (B) by striking ‘‘space shuttle’’ and insert19 ing ‘‘space launch system’’; 

20 (3) by amending section 70102 to read as fol21 lows: 

22 ‘‘§ 70102. Space launch system use policy 

23 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—The Space Launch System may 

24 be used for the following circumstances: 
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1 ‘‘(1) Payloads and missions that contribute to 

2 extending human presence beyond low-Earth orbit 

3 and substantially benefit from the unique capabilities 

4 of the Space Launch System. 

5 ‘‘(2) Other payloads and missions that substan6 tially benefit from the unique capabilities of the 

7 Space Launch System. 

8 ‘‘(3) On a space available basis, Federal Govern9 ment or educational payloads that are consistent with 

10 NASA’s mission for exploration beyond low-Earth 

11 orbit. 

12 ‘‘(4) Compelling circumstances, as determined by 

13 the Administrator. 

14 ‘‘(b) AGREEMENTS WITH FOREIGN ENTITIES.—The 

15 Administrator may plan, negotiate, or implement agree16 ments with foreign entities for the launch of payloads for 

17 international collaborative efforts relating to science and 

18 technology using the Space Launch System. 

19 ‘‘(c) COMPELLING CIRCUMSTANCES.—Not later than 

20 30 days after the date the Administrator makes a deter21 mination under subsection (a)(4), the Administrator shall 

22 transmit to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and 

23 Transportation of the Senate and the Committee on Science 

24 of the House of Representatives written notification of the 

25 Administrator’s intent to select the Space Launch System 
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1 for a specific mission under that subsection, including jus2 tification for the determination.’’; 

3 (4) in section 70103— 

4 (A) in the heading, by striking ‘‘SPACE

5 SHUTTLE’’ and inserting ‘‘SPACE LAUNCH

6 SYSTEM’’; and 

7 (B) in subsection (b), by striking ‘‘space 

8 shuttle’’ each place it appears and inserting 

9 ‘‘space launch system’’; and 

10 (5) by adding at the end the following: 

11 ‘‘§ 70104. Definition of Space Launch System 

12 ‘‘In this chapter, the term ‘Space Launch System’ 

13 means the Space Launch System authorized under section 

14 302 of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration 

15 Authorization Act of 2010 (42 U.S.C. 18322).’’. 

16 (b) TECHNICAL AND CONFORMING AMENDMENTS.— 

17 (1) TABLE OF CHAPTERS.—The table of chapters 

18 of title 51 is amended by amending the item relating 

19 to chapter 701 to read as follows: 

‘‘701. Use of space launch system or alternatives ....................................... 70101’’. 

20 (2) TABLE OF CONTENTS OF CHAPTER 701.—The 

21 table of contents of chapter 701 is amended— 

22 (A) in the item relating to section 70101, by 

23 striking ‘‘space shuttle’’ and inserting ‘‘space 

24 launch system’’; 
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1 (B) in the item relating to section 70102, by 

2 striking ‘‘Space shuttle’’ and inserting ‘‘Space 

3 launch system’’; 

4 (C) in the item relating to section 70103, by 

5 striking ‘‘space shuttle’’ and inserting ‘‘space 

6 launch system’’; and 

7 (D) by adding at the end the following: 

‘‘70104. Definition of Space Launch System.’’. 

8 (3) REQUIREMENT TO PROCURE COMMERCIAL

9 SPACE TRANSPORTATION SERVICES.—Section 

10 50131(a) of chapter 51 is amended by inserting ‘‘or 

11 in section 70102’’ after ‘‘in this section’’. 

12 TITLE II—COMMERCIAL REMOTE 

13 SENSING 

14 SEC. 201. ANNUAL REPORTS. 

15 (a) IN GENERAL.—Subchapter III of chapter 601 is 

16 amended by adding at the end the following: 

17 ‘‘§ 60126. Annual reports 

18 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall submit a re19 port to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Trans20 portation of the Senate and the Committee on Science, 

21 Space, and Technology of the House of Representatives not 

22 later than 180 days after the date of enactment of the U.S. 

23 Commercial Space Launch Competitiveness Act, and annu24 ally thereafter, on— 
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1 ‘‘(1) the Secretary’s implementation of section 

2 60121, including— 

3 ‘‘(A) a list of all applications received in 

4 the previous calendar year; 

5 ‘‘(B) a list of all applications that resulted 

6 in a license under section 60121; 

7 ‘‘(C) a list of all applications denied and 

8 an explanation of why each application was de9 nied, including any information relevant to the 

10 interagency adjudication process of a licensing 

11 request; 

12 ‘‘(D) a list of all applications that required 

13 additional information; and 

14 ‘‘(E) a list of all applications whose dis15 position exceeded the 120 day deadline estab16 lished in section 60121(c), the total days overdue 

17 for each application that exceeded such deadline, 

18 and an explanation for the delay; 

19 ‘‘(2) all notifications and information provided 

20 to the Secretary under section 60122; and 

21 ‘‘(3) a description of all actions taken by the 

22 Secretary under the administrative authority granted 

23 by paragraphs (4), (5), and (6) of section 60123(a). 
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1 ‘‘(b) CLASSIFIED ANNEXES.—Each report under sub2 section (a) may include classified annexes as necessary to 

3 protect the disclosure of sensitive or classified information. 

4 ‘‘(c) SUNSET.—The reporting requirement under this 

5 section terminates effective September 30, 2020.’’. 

6 (b) TABLE OF CONTENTS.—The table of contents of 

7 chapter 601 is amended by inserting after the item relating 

8 to section 60125 the following: 

‘‘60126. Annual reports.’’. 

9 SEC. 202. STATUTORY UPDATE REPORT. 

10 Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment of 

11 this Act, the Secretary of Commerce, in consultation with 

12 the heads of other appropriate Federal agencies and the Na13 tional Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Advisory 

14 Committee on Commercial Remote Sensing, shall submit to 

15 the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation 

16 of the Senate and the Committee on Science, Space, and 

17 Technology of the House of Representatives a report on stat18 utory updates necessary to license private remote sensing 

19 space systems. In preparing the report, the Secretary shall 

20 take into account the need to protect national security while 

21 maintaining United States private sector leadership in the 

22 field, and reflect the current state of the art of remote sens23 ing systems, instruments, or technologies. 
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1 TITLE III—OFFICE OF SPACE 

2 COMMERCE 

3 SEC. 301. RENAMING OF OFFICE OF SPACE COMMER4 CIALIZATION. 

5 (a) CHAPTER HEADING.— 

6 (1) AMENDMENT.—The heading for chapter 507 

7 is amended by striking ‘‘COMMERCIALIZA8 TION’’ and inserting ‘‘COMMERCE’’. 

9 (2) CONFORMING AMENDMENT.—The item relat10 ing to chapter 507 in the table of chapters for title 

11 51 is amended by striking ‘‘Commercialization’’ and 

12 inserting ‘‘Commerce’’. 

13 (b) DEFINITION OF OFFICE.—Section 50701 is amend14 ed by striking ‘‘Commercialization’’ and inserting ‘‘Com15 merce’’. 

16 (c) RENAMING.—Section 50702(a) is amended by 

17 striking ‘‘Commercialization’’ and inserting ‘‘Commerce’’. 

18 SEC. 302. FUNCTIONS OF THE OFFICE OF SPACE COM19 MERCE. 

20 Section 50702(c) is amended by striking ‘‘Commerce.’’ 

21 and inserting ‘‘Commerce, including— 

22 ‘‘(1) to foster the conditions for the economic 

23 growth and technological advancement of the United 

24 States space commerce industry; 
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1 ‘‘(2) to coordinate space commerce policy issues 

2 and actions within the Department of Commerce; 

3 ‘‘(3) to represent the Department of Commerce in 

4 the development of United States policies and in ne5 gotiations with foreign countries to promote United 

6 States space commerce; 

7 ‘‘(4) to promote the advancement of United 

8 States geospatial technologies related to space com9 merce, in cooperation with relevant interagency work10 ing groups; and 

11 ‘‘(5) to provide support to Federal Government 

12 organizations working on Space-Based Positioning 

13 Navigation, and Timing policy, including the Na14 tional Coordination Office for Space-Based Position, 

15 Navigation, and Timing.’’. 

16 TITLE IV—SPACE RESOURCE EX17 PLORATION AND UTILIZA18 TION 

19 SEC. 401. SHORT TITLE. 

20 This title may be cited as the ‘‘Space Resource Explo21 ration and Utilization Act of 2015’’. 

22 SEC. 402. TITLE 51 AMENDMENT. 

23 (a) IN GENERAL.—Subtitle V is amended by adding 

24 at the end the following: 
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1 ‘‘CHAPTER 513—SPACE RESOURCE COM2 MERCIAL EXPLORATION AND UTILIZA3 TION 

‘‘Sec. 

‘‘51301. Definitions. 

‘‘51302. Commercial exploration and commercial recovery. 

‘‘51303. Asteroid resource and space resource rights. 

4 ‘‘§ 51301. Definitions 

5 ‘‘In this chapter: 

6 ‘‘(1) ASTEROID RESOURCE.—The term ‘asteroid 

7 resource’ means a space resource found on or within 

8 a single asteroid. 

9 ‘‘(2) SPACE RESOURCE.— 

10 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—The term ‘space re11 source’ means an abiotic resource in situ in 

12 outer space. 

13 ‘‘(B) INCLUSIONS.—The term ‘space re14 source’ includes water and minerals. 

15 ‘‘(3) UNITED STATES CITIZEN.—The term 

16 ‘United States citizen’ has the meaning given the 

17 term ‘citizen of the United States’ in section 50902. 

18 ‘‘§ 51302. Commercial exploration and commercial re19 covery 

20 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—The President, acting through ap21 propriate Federal agencies, shall— 
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1 ‘‘(1) facilitate commercial exploration for and 

2 commercial recovery of space resources by United 

3 States citizens; 

4 ‘‘(2) discourage government barriers to the devel5 opment in the United States of economically viable, 

6 safe, and stable industries for commercial exploration 

7 for and commercial recovery of space resources in 

8 manners consistent with the international obligations 

9 of the United States; and 

10 ‘‘(3) promote the right of United States citizens 

11 to engage in commercial exploration for and commer12 cial recovery of space resources free from harmful in13 terference, in accordance with the international obli14 gations of the United States and subject to authoriza15 tion and continuing supervision by the Federal Gov16 ernment. 

17 ‘‘(b) REPORT.—Not later than 180 days after the date 

18 of enactment of this section, the President shall submit to 

19 Congress a report on commercial exploration for and com20 mercial recovery of space resources by United States citizens 

21 that specifies— 

22 ‘‘(1) the authorities necessary to meet the inter23 national obligations of the United States, including 

24 authorization and continuing supervision by the Fed25 eral Government; and 
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1 ‘‘(2) recommendations for the allocation of re2 sponsibilities among Federal agencies for the activi3 ties described in paragraph (1). 

4 ‘‘§ 51303. Asteroid resource and space resource rights 

5 ‘‘A United States citizen engaged in commercial recov6 ery of an asteroid resource or a space resource under this 

7 chapter shall be entitled to any asteroid resource or space 

8 resource obtained, including to possess, own, transport, use, 

9 and sell the asteroid resource or space resource obtained in 

10 accordance with applicable law, including the international 

11 obligations of the United States.’’. 

12 (b) TABLE OF CHAPTERS.—The table of chapters for 

13 title 51 is amended by adding at the end of the items for 

14 subtitle V the following: 

‘‘513. Space resource commercial exploration and utilization .................... 51301’’. 

15 SEC. 403. DISCLAIMER OF EXTRATERRITORIAL SOV16 EREIGNTY. 

17 It is the sense of Congress that by the enactment of 

18 this Act, the United States does not thereby assert sov19 ereignty or sovereign or exclusive rights or jurisdiction over, 

20 or the ownership of, any celestial body. 

Attest: 

Secretary. 

114TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H.R. 2262 

AMENDMENT