Summary of HR 1702
"Commercial Space Act of 1997"

(REVISED AS OF 11/04/97 -- Passed House, amended)

(For most recent version of Senate Bill, click "Full Text of Bill" at the bottom of this page)

TABLE OF CONTENTS:

Title I: Promotion of Commercial Space Opportunities
- Requires the Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) to report to the Committee on Science of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate:

  1. a specified study that identifies and examines the opportunities for commercial providers to play a role in International Space Station activities, including operation, use, servicing, and augmentation; and
  2. an independently-conducted market study that examines and evaluates potential industry interest in providing commercial goods and services for the operation, servicing, and augmentation of the International Space Station, and in the commercial use of the International Space Station (including updates to the cost savings and revenue estimates made in the preceding study, based on the external market assessment).
- Requires the Administrator to report to the Congress, no later than the submission of the President's annual budget request for FY 1999, stating the number of proposals (whether solicited or not) NASA received during 1997 regarding commercial operation, servicing, utilization, or augmentation of the International Space Station, and specifying how many agreements NASA has entered into in response to these proposals. States that each of the studies and reports required shall include consideration of the potential role of State governments as brokers in promoting commercial participation in the International Space Station program.

(Sec. 102) Amends Federal law to include reentry vehicles and reentry operations within the scope of commercial space launch activities. Revises the launch not an export requirement to consider payloads launched pursuant to foreign trade zone procedures as provided for under the Foreign Trade Zones Act as exports with regard to customs entry. Mandates an annual report.

(Sec. 103) Amends the National Aeronautics and Space Administration Authorization Act, Fiscal Year 1993 to:

  1. discontinue funding of the commercial launch voucher demonstration program through the Office of Commercial Programs within NASA (continues funding such program directly through NASA); and
  2. extend the program indefinitely.

(Sec. 104) Encourages the President to promote U.S. Global Positioning System standards.

(Sec. 105) Directs NASA to purchase, to the maximum extent possible, space science data from a commercial provider.

(Sec. 106) Provides for the administration of the Commercial Space Center program in a coordinated manner from NASA headquarters.

Title II: Remote Sensing
- Makes amendments to the Land Remote Sensing Policy Act of 1992 respecting the commercialization of land remote sensing space systems.

- Revises licensing requirements to:

  1. make available to the government of any country (including the U.S.) certain data collected by the system in a timely manner subject to U.S. national security and foreign policy interests; and
  2. notify the Secretary of Commerce of any significant or substantial agreement with new foreign customers.
- Modifies license application and issuance requirements to allow U.S. Government agencies to enter into agreements for utilization of a private land remote sensing space system if such remote sensing space system will be licensed by the Secretary of Commerce before commencing its commercial operation.

- Prohibits duplication of U.S. commercial space science data collection or distribution activities by the Federal Government unless such activities would result in significant cost savings to the Federal Government, or are necessary for reasons of national security or international obligations.

- Repeals the technology demonstration program.

(Sec. 202) Directs the Administrator to:

  1. acquire space-based and airborne Earth remote sensing data provided by a commercial provider for purposes of meeting Government goals for Mission to Planet Earth, and to satisfy the scientific requirements of NASA and of other Federal agencies and scientific researchers; and
  2. conduct a study to determine the extent to which baseline scientific requirements of Mission to Planet Earth can be met by commercial providers, and how NASA will meet such requirements which cannot be met by commercial providers.
- Requires that the study be carried out as part of the Commercial Remote Sensing Program at the Stennis Space Center.

Title III: Federal Acquisition of Space Transportation Services
- Requires the Federal Government to procure space transportation services from U.S. commercial providers whenever such services are required in the course of its activities, subject to exception, including if, on a case-by-case basis, the use of such services is inconsistent with foreign policy purposes, or launch of the payload by a foreign entity serves foreign policy purposes, and a specific exception has been provided by a law, enacted after the enactment of this Act, that contains no matter other than that exception.

- Allows the Administrator, in consultation with the Secretary of State and the Secretary of Transportation, to propose to the Congress that a specific exception described in the preceding be enacted for a launch or class of launches.

(Sec. 303) Makes conforming amendments to the Launch Services Purchase Act of 1990. Maintains the prohibition for the launching of commercial payloads as primary payloads on the space shuttle.

(Sec. 304) Provides for space shuttle privatization.

(END)

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