S. 434 — Space Commerce Advisory Committee Act

This section defines terms for purposes of the Act, including (1) Secretary, as the Secretary of Commerce acting through the Office of Space Commerce; (2) space object, generally as a human-made object located in outer space (including on the Moon or other celestial bodies), such as a satellite or spacecraft launched from Earth or manufactured or assembled in outer space for independent operations there (excluding certain articles intended only for internal use or as materials); (3) State, to encompass each state, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, territories, and possessions; and (4) United States entity, as a U.S. national (as defined in 8 U.S.C. 1101(a)) or a nongovernmental entity organized under U.S. or state law.

This section establishes a Commercial Space Activity Advisory Committee not later than 180 days after enactment of this Act. The committee consists of 15 members appointed by the Secretary with expertise in commercial space policy, engineering, technical, science, legal, and finance fields—generally excluding federal employees except special government employees on other advisory committees—and each serves a single four-year term followed by a two-year ineligibility period. Duties include (1) advising on nongovernmental space activities; (2) recommending ways to promote a robust commercial space sector; (3) identifying challenges related to international obligations, export controls, harmful interference, and radio frequency spectrum access; (4) reviewing best practices to avoid harmful contamination of celestial bodies and Earth's environment from extraterrestrial matter; and (5) providing information and recommendations on U.S. and other commercial space activities. The committee terminates 10 years after establishment.