The ASCEND Act would require the Administrator of NASA to set up a program inside the Earth Science Division to identify, evaluate, acquire, and share commercial Earth remote sensing data and imagery. The program is meant to meet NASA’s scientific, operational, and educational needs and, where appropriate, the needs of other federal agencies and researchers. The bill says NASA may buy data from commercial vendors, set or change end-use license terms to allow wider use beyond NASA-funded users, and should, when practical, buy from United States vendors (defined as entities incorporated in the United States). The bill requires annual reports to congressional committees listing vendors used, license terms, how each vendor supports scientific priorities, and whether agreements allow use by federal employees, contractors, or non-federal users. The bill also notes an existing pilot program and reports that NASA found that pilot successful.
No publicly available information on costs, appropriations, or funding levels is included in the bill text.
The bill builds on a NASA pilot program for commercial small satellite data that the bill text describes as successful. Supporters view the program as a way to expand access to commercial Earth observation data, broaden vendor participation, speed data onboarding, and increase availability of data for research and applications while keeping transparency about licensing.
No publicly available information on opposition, objections, or specific concerns is included in the bill text.