S.Amdt. 6066

The proposed amendment, known as the Orbital Sustainability Act of 2026 (or the ORBITS Act of 2026), aims to add a new title to the bill focused on managing and reducing orbital debris to ensure the safety and sustainability of space operations.

Key Goals and Changes:

• Debris Prioritization: It requires the Secretary of Commerce to create and periodically update a public list of specific orbital debris that should be targeted for removal to improve space safety.

• Active Debris Remediation: It establishes a demonstration project led by the NASA Administrator to provide competitive awards to eligible entities (such as commercial companies, nonprofits, and universities) for researching and demonstrating technologies that can actively remove orbital debris.

• Funding: It authorizes $150,000,000 for the Administrator to carry out these activities from fiscal years 2026 through 2030.

• Commercial Services: It allows Federal agencies to acquire active debris remediation services through open competition and requires an economic analysis of the demand for these services over a 10-year period.

• Standard Practices: It mandates an update to the Orbital Debris Mitigation Standard Practices to address risks like collisions and explosions, and directs the development of standard practices for space traffic coordination.

• International Leadership: The amendment expresses the sense of Congress that the United States should lead international efforts to encourage other spacefaring nations to mitigate and remove orbital debris.