ASCEND Act
Summary
What This Bill Does
The ASCEND Act turns NASA's Commercial SmallSat Data Acquisition pilot into a standing commercial satellite data acquisition program. Congress cites NASA's Earth Science mission, existing authority to acquire commercial Earth remote sensing data, and NASA's conclusion that the pilot program was successful. The bill directs the NASA Administrator to establish a program within the Earth Science Division of the Science Mission Directorate to acquire and disseminate cost-effective commercial Earth remote sensing data and imagery that can satisfy NASA's scientific, operational, and educational needs, and where appropriate the needs of other federal agencies and scientific researchers. It also requires commercial data licenses to allow scientific publication of data, imagery, and derived or enhanced information, and authorizes NASA to set end-use license terms for the widest possible use.
Who Benefits and How
U.S. commercial Earth remote sensing companies benefit from a permanent NASA procurement channel for satellite data and imagery. NASA's Earth Science Division benefits from access to commercial datasets that can augment or complement government and international Earth observations. Federally funded researchers benefit from dissemination and license terms that support scientific publication. Other federal agencies using Earth observations benefit when NASA data purchases can satisfy operational or research needs. Traditional U.S. satellite analytics vendors may benefit from broader use of commercial data in federal science workflows.
Who Bears the Burden and How
The NASA Administrator must establish and manage the acquisition program, set license terms, determine cost effectiveness, and disseminate data and imagery. NASA procurement staff must negotiate commercial data contracts that preserve publication rights. Foreign satellite data vendors may face reduced opportunity if the program steers demand toward U.S. commercial providers. Commercial vendors must accept license terms that allow scientific publication and broad derived-use rights if they want NASA program purchases.
Key Provisions
- Establishes a commercial Earth remote sensing data acquisition program within NASA's Earth Science Division.
- Authorizes NASA to procure commercial Earth remote sensing data and imagery to advance scientific research and applications.
- Requires acquisition terms not to block scientific publication of commercial data, imagery, or derived information.
- Allows NASA to establish or modify end-use license terms to support the widest possible use.
- Builds on NASA's Commercial SmallSat Data Acquisition Pilot Program findings.
Evidence Chain:
This summary is generated from the full bill text using AI analysis. Expand "Detailed Analysis" below for identified beneficiaries/burden bearers with clause-level evidence links.
At a Glance
What This Bill Does
Establishes a NASA commercial satellite data acquisition program inside the Earth Science Division to procure, license, acquire, and disseminate cost-effective commercial Earth remote sensing data and imagery for NASA science, operations, education, other federal agencies, and federally funded researchers, while preserving publication rights for scientific data and derived information.
Key Policy Areas
Space, Earth Science, Commercial Remote Sensing, Federal Procurement
Primary Purpose
Establishes a NASA commercial satellite data acquisition program inside the Earth Science Division to procure, license, acquire, and disseminate cost-effective commercial Earth remote sensing data and imagery for NASA science, operations, education, other federal agencies, and federally funded researchers, while preserving publication rights for scientific data and derived information.
Policy Domains
House resolution provisions
Identified Gains
- U.S. commercial Earth remote sensing companies
- NASA Earth Science Division
- Federally funded researchers
- Other federal agencies using Earth observations
- U.S. satellite analytics vendors
Identified Costs
- NASA Administrator
- NASA procurement staff
- Foreign satellite data vendors
- Commercial vendors with restrictive licenses
Sponsors
Legislative Progress
ReportedReceived in the Senate. Read twice. Placed on Senate Legislative …
Received; read twice and placed on the calendar
Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without …
Passed/agreed to in House: On motion to suspend the rules …
DEBATE - The House proceeded with forty minutes of debate …
Considered under suspension of the rules. (consideration: CR H2242-2244)
Mr. Babin moved to suspend the rules and pass the …
Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without …
Committed to the Committee of the Whole House on the …
Placed on the Union Calendar, Calendar No. 428.
Stakeholder Effects
cui bono?How this legislation distributes effects. Mention counts reflect frequency, not effect magnitude.
Commercial vendors with restrictive licenses, Foreign satellite data vendors, NASA Administrator
Positive-direction: NASA Earth Science Division, U.S. commercial Earth remote sensing companies
Negative-direction: Commercial vendors with restrictive licenses, Foreign satellite data vendors, NASA Administrator
Bill Structure & Actor Mappings
Who is "The Secretary" in each section?
- "nasa"
- → National Aeronautics and Space Administration
- "administrator"
- → NASA Administrator
We use a combination of our own taxonomy and classification in addition to large language models to assess meaning and potential beneficiaries. High confidence means strong textual evidence. Always verify with the original bill text.
Learn more about our methodology