SAFE Orbit Act | ChamberLight

REPORTED· 119TH CONGRESS

Senate BillS 428Spacecraft and satellitesDepartment of Commerce

SAFE Orbit Act

INTRO FEB 5· LAST ACTION SEP 29

READING

10MIN

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READER REACTIONS0 TOTAL

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Reported, not passed

LEGISLATIVE PROGRESS

STEP 3 / 8

Introduced

In Committee

Reported

Passed Senate

Passed House

Conference

To President

Became Law

WHAT THE BILL DOES

AI-written

This bill matters because space is becoming increasingly crowded with satellites and debris, raising the risk of catastrophic collisions. A single collision can generate thousands of new pieces of debris, endangering critical infrastructure in orbit that supports everyday services like GPS, weather forecasting, and internet communication. Currently, there isn't one clear government body solely responsible for managing civil space traffic.

If this bill becomes law, it would establish a dedicated and formalized entity, the Bureau of Space Commerce, with the explicit mission and tools to monitor space, provide essential safety data, and coordinate traffic. This could lead to a safer, more predictable, and sustainable space environment, protecting the vital satellites we rely on. If it doesn't pass, the responsibility for space traffic management might remain fragmented, potentially increasing the likelihood of costly and disruptive collisions as orbital traffic continues to grow.

KEY PROVISIONS

5AI-extracted

PROVISION 01

The Secretary of Commerce is directed to acquire and disseminate unclassified data, analytics, and services related to space activities to ensure safe operations.

This centralizes the effort to gather and distribute crucial information needed to prevent collisions in space, improving overall safety.

PROVISION 02

The United States government and its agents are granted immunity from lawsuits arising from providing or receiving space situational awareness services or information.

This protects the government and its partners when sharing critical, rapidly evolving space safety data, encouraging more open data exchange.

PROVISION 03

The Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Space Commerce must provide a free, public, unclassified database of space object information and offer basic space situational awareness services to satellite operators at no charge.

This creates a universal, accessible source of truth for space object tracking and collision avoidance, benefiting all operators.

PROVISION 04

The provision of basic space situational awareness services by the government must not compete with services offered by the private sector, with reviews every three years to ensure this.

This aims to protect and encourage the growth of commercial space companies that offer advanced space traffic management solutions.

PROVISION 05

The Office of Space Commerce is formally reorganized and renamed the Bureau of Space Commerce, led by a newly established Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Space Commerce.

This elevates and clarifies the leadership and operational structure for civil space traffic management within the Department of Commerce.

SPONSORSHIP

1 + 7

COSPONSOR BREAKDOWNBIPARTISAN · 85%

DEM 4 REP 3 IND 0

ACTION TIMELINE

5 EVENTS

SEP 29

Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation. Reported by Senator Cruz with amendments. With written report No. 119-65.

COMMITTEE

SEP 29

Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 170.

CALENDARS

MAR 12

Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation. Ordered to be reported with an amendment favorably.

COMMITTEE

FEB 5

Introduced in Senate

INTROREFERRAL

BILL INFO

TypeSenate Bill

NumberS 428

Congress119th

StatusReported

IntroducedFeb 5, 2025

Last actionSep 29, 2025

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REPORTED· 119TH CONGRESS · COMMERCE, SCIENCE, AND TRANSPORTATION COMMITTEE · INTRODUCED FEB 5, 2025

Senate BillS 428Spacecraft and satellitesDepartment of Commerce

SAFE Orbit Act

INTRODUCED FEB 5, 2025· LAST ACTION SEP 29, 2025

PASSAGE CHANCES

—%

READING

10 min

COSPONSORS

COMPLEXITY

Moderate

Call my reps

LEGISLATIVE PROGRESS

STEP 3 OF 8

Introduced

In Committee

Reported

Passed Senate

Passed House

Conference

To President

Became Law

Introduced
In Committee
Reported
Passed Senate
Passed House
Conference
To President
Became Law

WHAT THE BILL DOES

AI-written

KEY PROVISIONS

AI-extracted

high

The Secretary of Commerce is directed to acquire and disseminate unclassified data, analytics, and services related to space activities to ensure safe operations.

This centralizes the effort to gather and distribute crucial information needed to prevent collisions in space, improving overall safety.

high

The United States government and its agents are granted immunity from lawsuits arising from providing or receiving space situational awareness services or information.

This protects the government and its partners when sharing critical, rapidly evolving space safety data, encouraging more open data exchange.

high

This creates a universal, accessible source of truth for space object tracking and collision avoidance, benefiting all operators.

med

The provision of basic space situational awareness services by the government must not compete with services offered by the private sector, with reviews every three years to ensure this.

This aims to protect and encourage the growth of commercial space companies that offer advanced space traffic management solutions.

med

The Office of Space Commerce is formally reorganized and renamed the Bureau of Space Commerce, led by a newly established Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Space Commerce.

This elevates and clarifies the leadership and operational structure for civil space traffic management within the Department of Commerce.

DEADLINES & DATES

AI-extracted

An AI model extracted this from the bill’s official record and can make mistakes. Check the official text ↗ (opens in new tab)

Not less frequently than every 3 years

Review of basic space situational awareness services to ensure they do not compete with private sector offerings.

GLOSSARY

AI-written

Space Situational Awareness (SSA): Knowing where objects are in space, where they're going, and what they're doing, including identifying and tracking space debris.
Space Traffic Coordination: Planning, assessing, and organizing activities in space to make sure operations are safe, stable, and sustainable, preventing collisions.
Orbital Debris: Any human-made object in orbit around Earth that no longer serves a purpose, has finished its mission, can't move safely, or is a piece of a broken object or rocket.
Space Object: Any item launched into space or created there, whether by robots or humans, including its individual parts.
Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Space Commerce: The head of the new Bureau of Space Commerce, responsible for leading the government's efforts in space situational awareness and space traffic coordination.
Conjunction Data Messages: Warnings or alerts that indicate when two space objects are predicted to come dangerously close to each other, along with information to assess the risk.

ACTION TIMELINE

5 EVENTS

SEP 29, 25

Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation. Reported by Senator Cruz with amendments. With written report No. 119-65.

COMMITTEE

SEP 29, 25

Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 170.

CALENDARS

MAR 12, 25

Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation. Ordered to be reported with an amendment favorably.

COMMITTEE

FEB 5, 25

Introduced in Senate

INTROREFERRAL

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Committee Referrals

Commerce, Science, and Transportation CommitteeReferred

Sep 29, 2025

senate

Related Hearings

Business meeting to consider S.28, to require the disclosure of a camera or recording capability in certain internet-connected devices, S.97, to require SelectUSA to coordinate with State-level economic development organizations to increase foreign direct investment in semiconductor-related manufacturing and production, S.244, to direct the Secretary of Commerce, acting through the Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Communications and Information, to conduct a study of the national security risks posed by consumer routers, modems, and devices that combine a modem and router, S.289, to ban the sale of products with a high concentration of sodium nitrate to individuals, S.323, to direct the Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Communications and Information to develop a National Strategy to Synchronize Federal Broadband Programs, S.389, to establish consumer standards for lithium-ion batteries, S.414, to require covered digital advertising platforms to report their public service advertisements, S.428, to promote space situational awareness and space traffic coordination and to modify the functions and leadership of the Office of Space Commerce, S.433, to require the Secretary of Commerce to establish the National Manufacturing Advisory Council within the Department of Commerce, S.582, to provide for the authorized use of Federal vehicle transportation by certain astronauts, S.613, to require the Under Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere to maintain the National Mesonet Program, S.759, to provide for standardization, publication, and accessibility of data relating to public outdoor recreational use of Federal waterways, S.841, to require online dating service providers to provide fraud ban notifications to online dating service members, S.843, to require the Secretary of Commerce to establish the Sea Turtle Rescue Assistance Grant Program, and the nominations of Mark Meador, of Virginia, to be a Federal Trade Commissioner, and Michael Kratsios, of South Carolina, to be Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy.

Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee (senate)Mar 12, 2025

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SAFE Orbit Act

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