S. 1898 — ORBITS Act of 2025

This section states congressional findings regarding the increasing risks to low-Earth orbit and nearby orbits from orbital debris, the U.S. reliance on secure space access for exploration, research, and commercial activities, and the benefits of government support for nongovernmental debris mitigation efforts. It expresses the sense of Congress that the U.S. government should (1) develop programs, regulations, and initiatives—including active debris remediation—to minimize orbital debris from U.S. sources; (2) lead international efforts to encourage other spacefaring nations to mitigate and remediate their debris; and (3) promote space operators' adoption of best practices, such as data sharing and reliability design, to limit future debris generation.

This section establishes definitions for terms used in the Act, including (1) active debris remediation (i.e., deliberate process, using active external or internal means, to facilitate de-orbit, repurposing, or disposal of orbital debris, excluding passive means); (2) Administrator (i.e., NASA Administrator); (3) eligible entity (i.e., U.S.-based non-Federal commercial entity, institution of higher education as defined in 20 U.S.C. 1001(a), nonprofit organization, other appropriate U.S.-based entity, or partnership thereof); (4) orbital debris (i.e., human-made Earth-orbiting object no longer serving its purpose); and (5) space traffic coordination (i.e., planning, coordination, and on-orbit synchronization of activities to enhance space operations safety and sustainability).

This section directs the Secretary of Commerce, in consultation with the NASA Administrator, Secretary of Defense, Secretary of State, National Space Council, and representatives from the commercial space industry, academia, and nonprofit organizations, to publish within 90 days of enactment a public, unclassified list on a Department of Commerce website of select orbital debris prioritized for remediation to improve the safety and sustainability of orbiting satellites and on-orbit activities. The list, which must draw on governmental and nongovernmental data including space situational awareness information from the Office of Space Commerce, is to include (to the extent practicable) descriptions of each item's approximate age, location, size, mass, tumbling state, passivation actions, national jurisdiction, and data on remediation risk and feasibility; it may also cover debris posing terrestrial risks from uncontrolled reentry or untracked small debris collections and must be updated periodically, with data handled consistent with privacy, civil liberties, and classification protections. The section further directs the NASA Administrator, in consultation with relevant federal agencies and subject to appropriations, to establish within 180 days of enactment a competitive demonstration project to award eligible entities for phased research, development, and demonstration of active orbital debris remediation technologies targeting items on the list. In doing so, NASA must define eligibility, proposal processes and contents, evaluation metrics, phases, and milestones; identify government-furnished data or equipment; develop a participation plan leveraging NASA centers' orbital debris expertise; and assign a project manager from NASA personnel. The project includes an R&D phase to mature technologies addressing commercial gaps (prioritizing those handling diverse debris characteristics) and a demonstration mission phase to evaluate and partner with an entity on a mission using sufficiently mature technologies.

This section authorizes the NASA Administrator and heads of relevant federal departments or agencies to acquire active debris remediation services (i.e., services to remove or deorbit orbital debris)—whenever practicable—through fair and open competition for well-defined, milestone-based contracts in accordance with the Federal Acquisition Regulation, in consideration of an economic analysis and prior briefings and reports. It further requires the Secretary of Commerce, acting through the Office of Space Commerce, to publish an assessment of estimated federal government and private sector demand for such services over the 10-year period beginning in 2026, based on results of a demonstration project.

This section directs the National Space Council, in coordination with the Secretaries of Commerce, Defense, and State, the Federal Aviation Administration, the Federal Communications Commission, NASA, and NOAA, to initiate within 90 days of enactment an update to the Orbital Debris Mitigation Standard Practices. (As background, these practices are U.S. government guidelines adopted by NASA, the Department of Defense, and the commercial space sector to minimize the generation of man-made orbital debris.) The update must consider planned space systems, including satellite constellations, and address (1) collision risk, (2) explosion risk, (3) casualty probability, (4) post-mission disposal of space systems, (5) time to disposal or de-orbit, (6) spacecraft collision avoidance and automated identification capability, and (7) the ability to track orbital debris of decreasing size. The section further requires (1) consultation with the commercial space industry, academia, and nonprofit organizations, including through workshops and public notice and comment; (2) publication of the update in the Federal Register and on relevant federal websites within one year of enactment; (3) use of the update to inform federal regulations on orbital debris by the FAA, NOAA, and FCC to promote uniformity; (4) incorporation of the update into bilateral and multilateral discussions on nongovernmental space activities; and (5) assessment and update of the practices, if necessary, at least every five years.

This section directs the Secretary of Commerce, in coordination with the Secretary of Defense, National Space Council members, and Federal Communications Commission, to facilitate development of standard practices for on-orbit space traffic coordination (i.e., managing satellites and orbital debris to prevent collisions) based on existing government and commercial guidelines. In doing so, the Secretary must consult frequently, through the Office of Space Commerce and with the National Institute of Standards and Technology, with commercial space industry, academia, and nonprofit representatives. Upon completion, the Secretaries of Commerce, State, and Transportation, the NASA Administrator, and the Secretary of Defense must promote adoption of these practices for domestic and international space missions.