A bipartisan group of Senate lawmakers has introduced legislation that would authorize the Department of Commerce’s Office of Space Commerce to create a space traffic coordination system to provide the public access to unclassified information on space activities in low Earth orbit.
Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, said in a statement published Thursday the Situational Awareness of Flying Elements in Orbit Act, or SAFE Orbit Act, would require the OSC to collect and share relevant data to boost space situational awareness, also known as SSA.
“Building our knowledge of objects orbiting in space and their surrounding environments well help us mitigate the risks associated with space exploration and commercial space development,” Cornyn said.
Under the SAFE Orbit Act, the OSC must make basic services available for public use via an accessible web-based interface at no charge, maintain a public catalog of SSA data and information and develop and implement voluntary industry consensus standards.
The bill is co-sponsored by Sens. Gary Peters, D-Mich.; Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn.; Eric Schmitt, R-Mo.; Mark Kelly, D-Ariz.; Roger Wicker, R-Miss.; and Kyrsten Sinema, I-Ariz.
The OSC recently convened members of its Independent Review Board to review and provide feedback on the Traffic Coordination System for Space program, which aims to provide data and services related to spaceflight safety, space sustainability and international coordination.
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