House Science, Space and Technology Committee passes NASA Reauthorization Act
Kean and Bonamici's ASCEND Act Included in Package
WASHINGTON, D.C. – The House Science, Space, and Technology Committee Wednesday passed the NASA Reauthorization Act of 2024, legislation to reauthorize the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) among other purposes.
The Accessing Satellite Capabilities to Enable New Discoveries Act (ASCEND Act), introduced by Congressman Tom Kean, Jr. (NJ-07) and Congresswoman Suzanne Bonamici (OR-01), is included in this reauthorization legislation. This bill would permanently authorize the Commercial SmallSat Data Acquisition program within NASA.
The ASCEND Act would direct the NASA Administrator to build upon the success of the Commercial Small Satellite Data Acquisition Program (CSDA) by permanently authorizing it within NASA, thus ensuring the program’s continued growth and longevity. It would allow the Administrator to procure commercial Earth remote sensing data from commercial providers to help fulfill the agency’s needs. Additionally, the bill requires the Administrator to submit a report to Congress about the commercial agreements signed by the Administrator.
“I am pleased to support the NASA Reauthorization Act of 2024 and excited to see that my bill, the ASCEND Act, is included in this legislation,” said Congressman Kean. “The NASA Commercial SmallSat Data Acquisition (CSDA) program is an investment in maintaining our nation’s position as a global leader in space technology. By expanding NASA’s CSDA program, we ensure that the Earth Science community has access to innovative data sets from the commercial space sector to support their scientific research. I thank Rep. Bonamici for joining me in introducing this bill and my House Science, Space and Technology Committee colleagues for supporting this effort.”
“We have an abundance of data from a growing number of commercial satellites that can help us better understand our planet,” said Congresswoman Bonamici. “Maintaining NASA’s Commercial SmallSat Data Acquisition program will preserve access to quality Earth observation data needed for researchers to advance the field of earth sciences and prepare for a changing climate and natural disasters. I’m pleased to have introduced the bipartisan ASCEND Act with my colleague Congressman Kean to make the successful CSDA program permanent, and am grateful it was included in this bipartisan NASA Reauthorization Act of 2024.”
The ASCEND Act would:
- Establish CSDA as a permanent program within NASA’s Earth Science Division.
- Direct NASA to expand procurement licenses to provide federal agencies access to high quality Earth remote sensing datasets and imagery.
- Promote the acquisition of new datasets for scientific and non-scientific applications.
- Require an annual report to Congress on the uses and impact of commercial data products and licensing agreements.
Congressman Kean serves on the House Science, Space and Technology Committee.
