Senate Unanimously Passes Bill to Clean Up Space Junk and Address Orbital Debris

The Senate has passed the Orbital Sustainability Act, also known as the ORBITS Act, which directs NASA to establish an orbital debris remediation program. The bill requires NASA to create a demonstration project for the research, development, and demonstration of technologies to remove selected orbital debris. It also mandates a partnership to conduct a demonstration mission for debris removal. The Department of Commerce will develop a list of debris to be targeted, and the National Space Council will update the federal government's Orbital Debris Mitigation Standard Practices. The bill now moves to the House for consideration. Additionally, the Senate passed the Launch Communications Act, which aims to streamline access to spectrum for commercial launches and reentries.