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S. 447 118th Congress Senate

ORBITS Act of 2023

Official title: A bill to establish a demonstration program for the active remediation of orbital debris and to require the development of uniform orbital debris standard prac… Show full official titleShow less

Official title: A bill to establish a demonstration program for the active remediation of orbital debris and to require the development of uniform orbital debris standard practices in order to support a safe and sustainable orbital environment, and for other purposes.

Introduced: February 15, 2023 Introduced by: John W. Hickenlooper Democratic · Colorado See on congress.gov
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This bill died when the 118th Congress ended
It never became law before the 118th Congress (2023–2024) adjourned, and bills don't carry over to the next Congress. It would have to be reintroduced. You can still save it for reference, but it won't receive updates.
 Everywhere this bill has been 12 steps
Introduced
In committee
Reported out
Passed House
Passed Senate
To President
Became law
Nov 6, 2023
Held at the desk.
Nov 6, 2023
Received in the House.
Nov 6, 2023
Message on Senate action sent to the House.
Oct 31, 2023
Passed Senate with an amendment by Unanimous Consent. (text: CR S5264-5266)
Oct 31, 2023
Passed/agreed to in Senate: Passed Senate with an amendment by Unanimous Consent.(text: CR S5264-5266)
Oct 31, 2023
The committee amendment as amended agreed to by Unanimous Consent.
Oct 31, 2023
Measure laid before Senate by unanimous consent. (consideration: CR S5262-5266)
Sep 12, 2023
Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 206.
Sep 12, 2023
Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation. Reported by Senator Cantwell with an amendment in the nature of a substitute. Without written report.
Jul 27, 2023
Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation. Ordered to be reported with an amendment in the nature of a substitute favorably.
Feb 15, 2023
Read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.
Feb 15, 2023
Introduced in Senate
 Amendments to this bill 1

Amendments propose changes to this bill. Members vote on amendments separately before the final bill vote. An agreed amendment becomes part of the bill; a failed amendment does not.

1 agreed to

AmendmentSponsorPurposeStatusLatest action
SAMDT 1,358 Hickenlooper, John W. In the nature of a substitute. Agreed to Oct 31, 2023
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 Latest action November 6, 2023

Held at the desk.

 Plain-English summary Congressional Research Service

Orbital Sustainability Act of 2023 or the ORBITS Act of 2023

This bill directs specified agencies to take actions to remediate orbital debris (human-made space objects that are no longer in use and can harm orbiting satellites and on-orbit activities).

The Department of Commerce must publish and periodically update a list of orbital debris that may be remediated to reduce the risk of harm to orbiting satellites and on-orbit activities. In addition, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) must (1) establish a demonstration program to foster the development of technologies to remediate the orbital debris on the list, and (2) carry out other research and development activities to advance technologies for remediating orbital debris.

NASA (and other relevant agencies) may also contract for remediation services to support the commercial availability of such services.

Additionally, the National Space Council must update the Orbital Debris Mitigation Standard Practices within 90 days of the enactment of the bill and update them periodically thereafter. The updates must address matters including satellite constellations and other planned space systems, collision risks, and disposal of space systems after missions. The updates must inform (1) regulations of other agencies concerning orbital debris, and (2) bilateral and multilateral discussions with other countries concerning certain space activities.

Finally, Commerce must facilitate the development of standard practices to coordinate on-orbit space traffic. Upon completion of the practices, Commerce and other federal departments must promote their adoption and use for space missions.

 

 Bill text 3 versions

Source documents hosted by congress.gov.

 Committees of jurisdiction 1
 Lobbying activity 5

Registered lobbyists who named this bill in their disclosure filings. Source: federal Lobbying Disclosure Act filings.

Bodies those filers lobbied

A filing lists the bills it worked on and the parts of government it contacted in separate sections, so these are the bodies those filers named anywhere in the filing, not a per-bill breakdown.

 Cosponsors 4
All 4 Democratic 1 Republican 2
D
Cantwell, Maria
Washington · Feb 15, 2023
 R
Lummis, Cynthia M.
Wyoming · Feb 15, 2023
Sinema, Kyrsten
· Feb 15, 2023
 R
Wicker, Roger F.
Mississippi · Feb 15, 2023
Cite this page click to expand
APA
U.S. Congress. (2026). S. 447: ORBITS Act of 2023. 118th Congress. Open America. https://openamerica.io/bill/118-S-447/
MLA
"S. 447: ORBITS Act of 2023." 118th Congress, 2026, Open America, https://openamerica.io/bill/118-S-447/.
Bluebook (legal)
S. 447, 118th Cong. (2026), https://openamerica.io/bill/118-S-447/.
Markdown link
[S. 447: ORBITS Act of 2023](https://openamerica.io/bill/118-S-447/)
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