42 U.S.C. § 18441 — National and international orbital debris mitigation

(a) Findings. Congress made three findings. A national and international effort is needed for a coordinated approach to preventing, reducing, and removing orbital debris. The guidelines from the Inter-Agency Space Debris Coordination Committee reflect the shared understanding of ten national space agencies, including NASA, plus the European Space Agency, on why space debris must be reduced and how. NASA should take an active role on that Committee, and should push other space-related federal agencies — including the Departments of State, Defense, and Commerce — to make sure their counterparts in foreign governments know about these commitments and how seriously the U.S. takes them. Key parts of an approach to this problem should include a process, through agreements on spacecraft design, operations, and end-of-life plans, to prevent debris from nonfunctional vehicles or parts; building a strong Space Situational Awareness network that can spot possible collisions and provide the tracking data needed to avoid them; and developing, across agencies, an overall strategy for the President to review, with recommendations for international teamwork on this problem. (b) International discussion. NASA must lead international discussions on this. First, the Administrator, working with whatever other federal agencies the Administrator thinks are appropriate, must continue and strengthen talks with other spacefaring countries — through the Inter-Agency Space Debris Coordination Committee and elsewhere — to address orbital debris. Second, to support this, the Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy, working with the National Security Council and using the President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology, must develop an overall strategy for the President to review, with recommendations for international cooperation on this problem.