The ASCEND Act establishes a permanent NASA program to purchase and share commercial satellite data to enhance Earth science research and fill observation gaps.
Jeff Hurd
Representative
CO-3
The ASCEND Act establishes a permanent program within NASA to acquire commercial Earth remote sensing data and imagery to enhance the agency's Earth science capabilities. This initiative aims to cost-effectively supplement NASA's existing satellite observations by purchasing data from U.S. commercial vendors. The bill mandates specific reporting requirements to Congress detailing data acquisition agreements and usage terms.
ASCEND Act Makes NASA's Commercial Satellite Data Program Permanent, Prioritizing U.S. Vendors for Earth Science
The Accessing Satellite Capabilities to Enable New Discoveries Act (ASCEND Act) might sound like something out of a sci-fi movie, but it’s actually a pretty smart piece of government housekeeping. Essentially, this bill formalizes a partnership NASA has been testing out with private space companies: buying their high-quality satellite imagery instead of always having to launch NASA’s own multi-billion dollar satellites to get the same data.
This new law creates a permanent, formal program within NASA’s Earth Science Division dedicated to purchasing commercial Earth remote sensing data and imagery. The goal is simple: get cost-effective data that fills in the gaps or complements the observations NASA already collects. Think of it as NASA using a subscription service rather than building the whole streaming platform from scratch every time it needs a new show. The bill specifically states that NASA should prioritize purchasing this data from U.S.-based vendors whenever possible (Sec. 2).
Earth Science on a Budget
For the average person, this bill is about getting better science cheaper and faster. NASA uses this Earth science data to track everything from climate change and severe weather patterns to crop health and water resources. By leveraging the private sector—companies that are already launching constellations of small, powerful satellites—NASA can access a wider variety of observations and improve the accuracy of its forecasts and research. This is a direct benefit to anyone whose job or home is affected by weather or resource availability, whether you’re a farmer planning a harvest or a city planner managing flood risk.
The Open Access Mandate
One of the most important elements for the scientific community is how this data will be shared. The ASCEND Act requires that the agreements NASA makes with these commercial vendors cannot prevent the data from being published for scientific reasons. Furthermore, NASA must adjust the end-use licenses so the data can be used by the widest possible group of people—not just the researchers directly funded by NASA (Sec. 2).
This means that university professors, independent researchers, and even state and local government agencies could gain access to cutting-edge commercial satellite imagery that was previously too expensive or proprietary for them to use. For a graduate student studying glacial melt, or a county emergency manager mapping wildfire spread, this suddenly opens up a massive trove of actionable, high-resolution data.
Keeping the Books Open
The bill also includes some solid transparency requirements. Within 180 days of the law taking effect, and then annually afterward, NASA has to report to Congress. These reports must detail every commercial data agreement, the specific license terms, and most importantly, how the data is actually helping scientific research (Sec. 2). This reporting requirement is essential because it holds NASA accountable for proving that the program is actually cost-effective and scientifically necessary, rather than just being a handout to a few preferred vendors. It’s the kind of paperwork that ensures government money is being spent wisely to advance public science.