Bill · S. 1437· Senate(119-S-1437)
ASCEND Act
- Introduced
- 4/10/2025
- Last activity
- 12/10/2025 — Held at the desk.
- Sponsored by
- John Hickenlooper
- Cosponsors
- - 0 - 1
- Introduced
- Passed Senate
- Awaiting House
What this bill would do
The ASCEND Act requires the NASA Administrator to create the Commercial Satellite Data Acquisition Program. This program is designed to cost-effectively get and share commercial Earth observation data and imagery. The goal is to support the scientific, operational, and educational needs of NASA, other federal agencies, and scientific researchers. The act ensures that commercial data can be published in scientific articles and encourages the use of United States vendors.
Yes· 3 of 19
Does this put more money into scientific research?+4
The bill explicitly supports the acquisition and dissemination of commercial Earth observation data to advance scientific research.
Does this cut the pollution that drives climate change?+3
The bill's focus on Earth observation data can help monitor and understand climate change, indirectly contributing to efforts to reduce carbon emissions.
Does this better protect air, water and wildlife?+3
The bill directly aims to better understand the Earth and the impact of human activities, thereby informing and improving environmental protections.
The opposite
No question was scored the opposite.
Who it would affect, and how
Potential Positive Impacts for People
- Support for Research: The program helps satisfy scientific, operational, and educational requirements for NASA, federal agencies, and researchers (Section 2(b)(a)).
- Academic Freedom: The law prevents the terms of data acquisition from stopping the publication of commercial data or derived information in scientific papers and articles (Section 2(b)(b)).
- Broader Data Access: The Administrator can set license terms to allow the widest possible use of the data by people who are not NASA-funded users (Section 2(b)(c)(1)(B)).
- Support for U.S. Businesses: The act requires that data be procured from United States vendors to the maximum extent practicable (Section 2(b)(c)(2)).
Potential Negative Impacts for People
- No negative impacts for individuals or groups are explicitly mentioned in the provided text.
Groups and Interests Ranking
Every group the model scored this bill for, from -10 to +10. Hover a score for the reason it gave.
- Demographic And Interest Groups
- Good For Children+2Good For Students+2Good For Young Adults+2Good For Business Owners+1Good For Farmers+1Good For Middle Aged+1Good For Rural Residents+1Good For Urban Residents+1
- Environment Energy And Infrastructure
- Improves Environmental Protections+3Reduces Carbon Emissions+3Improves Disaster Relief And F E M A+1Improves Public Land Management+1
- Education And Technology
- Increases Scientific Research Funding+4Increases Space Exploration+2
- Economy And Finance
- Increases Job Creation+2Improves Small Business Support+1
- Governance And Ideology
- Improves Freedom Of Speech+1Improves Government Transparency+1
- Healthcare
- Increases Research Funding+1
- 12/10/2025
- Message on Senate action sent to the House.
- Held at the desk.
- Received in the House.
- 12/9/2025
- Passed/agreed to in Senate: Passed Senate with an amendment by Unanimous Consent.
- Passed Senate with an amendment by Unanimous Consent. (consideration: CR S8581; text: CR S8581)
- 9/29/2025
- Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation. Reported by Senator Cruz with an amendment in the nature of a substitute. With written report No. 119-68.
- Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 173.
- 4/30/2025
- Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation. Ordered to be reported with an amendment in the nature of a substitute favorably.
- 4/10/2025
- Read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.
- 1 Cosponsor added.
- Introduced in Senate
John CornynRepublican · Texas