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HR 2600 119th Congress House Science, Technology, Communications Congressional oversight Earth sciences Photography and imaging Space flight and exploration Spacecraft and satellites

ASCEND Act

Introduced: April 29, 2025 Introduced by: Hurd, Jeff Republican · Colorado See on congress.gov
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 Everywhere this bill has been 13 steps
Introduced
In committee
Reported out
Passed House
Passed Senate
To President
Became law
Feb 24, 2026
Received in the Senate. Read twice. Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 344.
Feb 23, 2026
Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection.
Feb 23, 2026
On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended Agreed to by voice vote. (text: CR H2242-2243)
Feb 23, 2026
Passed/agreed to in House: On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended Agreed to by voice vote. (text: CR H2242-2243)
Feb 23, 2026
DEBATE - The House proceeded with forty minutes of debate on H.R. 2600.
Feb 23, 2026
Considered under suspension of the rules. (consideration: CR H2242-2244)
Feb 23, 2026
Mr. Babin moved to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended.
Feb 20, 2026
Reported by the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology. H. Rept. 119-502.
Feb 20, 2026
Placed on the Union Calendar, Calendar No. 428.
Apr 29, 2025
Ordered to be Reported by Voice Vote.
Apr 29, 2025
Committee Consideration and Mark-up Session Held
Apr 2, 2025
Introduced in House
Apr 2, 2025
Referred to the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology.
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 Plain-English summary Congressional Research Service

Accessing Satellite Capabilities to Enable New Discoveries Act or the ASCEND Act

This bill provides statutory authority for the Commercial SmallSat Data Acquisition (CSDA) program run by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). Through the CSDA program, NASA acquires remote sensing data and imagery from commercial satellites to support its Earth science research. (Remote sensing generally refers to the collection of data by instruments in Earth’s orbit, such as satellites, that can be processed into imagery of Earth’s surface.)

Under the bill, NASA may establish or modify end-use agreements to allow for broad use of data and imagery acquired under the program, including by individuals outside of NASA (e.g., other federal agencies). The terms of any data or imagery acquisition may not prevent the publication of such data or imagery for scientific purposes or the publication of information derived from it. To the extent practicable, NASA must acquire such data and imagery from U.S. vendors.  

What's happening now February 24, 2026

Received in the Senate. Read twice. Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 344.

 Hearings & markups 1
 Related & companion bills 2
  • HR 7273 Related bill NASA Reauthorization Act of 2026
  • S 933 Related bill NASA Transition Authorization Act of 2025
 Bill text 5 versions

Source documents hosted by congress.gov.

 Committees of jurisdiction 1
 Lobbying activity 13

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

See all 13 filings →
 Cosponsors 6
All 6 Democratic 4 Republican 2
R
Kean, Thomas H.
New Jersey · Jul 23, 2025
 D
Riley, Josh
New York · Jul 23, 2025
 R
Crank, Jeff
Colorado · Apr 29, 2025
 D
Gillen, Laura
New York · Apr 29, 2025
 D
Subramanyam, Suhas
Virginia · Apr 28, 2025
 D
Bonamici, Suzanne
Oregon · Apr 2, 2025
Cite this page click to expand
APA
U.S. Congress. (2026). H.R. 2600: ASCEND Act. 119th Congress. Open America. https://openamerica.io/bill/119-HR-2600/
MLA
"H.R. 2600: ASCEND Act." 119th Congress, 2026, Open America, https://openamerica.io/bill/119-HR-2600/.
Bluebook (legal)
H.R. 2600, 119th Cong. (2026), https://openamerica.io/bill/119-HR-2600/.
Markdown link
[H.R. 2600: ASCEND Act](https://openamerica.io/bill/119-HR-2600/)
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