Rep. Neguse Introduces Bipartisan ORBITS Act, Bill to Clear Space Junk & Protect Space Operations

July 18, 2024

Washington, D.C. — Today, House Assistant Minority Leader Joe Neguse introduced the Orbital Sustainability (ORBITS) Act, a bipartisan bill that would establish a first-of-its-kind demonstration program to help reduce the nearly 1 million pieces of space junk in orbit. Space junk, or orbital debris, currently threatens human space exploration, scientific research missions, and emerging commercial space services. The bill is cosponsored by Representatives Carol Miller (R-WV), Salud Carbajal (D-CA), and Jack Bergman (R-MI) in the House of Representatives; and is led by Colorado Senator John Hickenlooper in the United States Senate.

Recently, Assistant Leader Neguse hosted the NASA Astronauts of the upcoming Artemis II Mission for a meeting with House Democrats on Capitol Hill. The lawmakers were able to converse with the NASA Astronauts about the resources needed for successful space exploration, which includes reducing the risk of debris already in orbit. There are approximately 8,000 metric tons of debris currently in orbit, including at least 900,000 individual pieces of debris that are potentially lethal to satellites.

“I’m proud to partner with a bipartisan group of my colleagues to protect the safety of our astronauts and ensure the success of NASA missions by supporting the removal of dangerous orbital debris. The ORBITS Act will help to ensure the longevity of American space exploration for years to come,” said Assistant Leader Neguse.

“It is imperative that the United States maintains dominance in space exploration to ensure our national security remains intact. However, the growing number of debris objects in space are threatening military missions and business expenditures. The Orbital Sustainability (ORBITS) Act will provide resources to reduce the amount of debris and establish Active Debris Remediation missions to move the wreckage. As the United States continues to invest in space exploration, we can improve the missions by removing the debris in the orbit,” said Congresswoman Miller.

The ORBITS Act will jumpstart a program focused on research, development, and the demonstration of technologies capable of safely carrying out successful Active Debris Remediation (ADR) missions. More specifically, the legislation will:

Direct NASA, in coordination with the Departments of Commerce, Defense, and the National Space Council, to publish a list of debris objects that pose the greatest risk to the safety of orbiting spacecraft and on-orbit activities;
Direct NASA to establish a demonstration program to partner with industry in developing technology for remediating debris objects through repurposing or removal from orbit;
Encourage the U.S. government to buy ADR services from industry partners once they succeed in the demonstration and are commercially available;
Direct the National Space Council to update the Orbital Debris Mitigation Standard Practices (ODMSP) used by U.S. government space missions; and
Direct the Department of Commerce, in coordination with the National Space Council and the FCC, to develop and promote standard practices for avoiding near misses and collisions between spacecraft in orbit.

Assistant Leader Neguse represents Colorado's 2nd Congressional District which has become a hub for the space industry. He has worked tirelessly with the state’s congressional delegation to call for investments in the development of Colorado’s technological workforce and aeronautics and space programs, including by successfully advocating for the state to retain the U.S. Space Command headquarters.

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