Hickenlooper’s ORBITS Act and Launch Communications Act passed the Senate unanimously
WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senator John Hickenlooper celebrated the unanimous Senate passage of his bipartisan Orbital Sustainability (ORBITS) Act and bipartisan Launch Communications Act.
“We can’t let space junk and red tape stifle American innovations that are lifting us to new frontiers in space. Our bills will help our country maintain space leadership,” said Hickenlooper.
Hickenlooper’s bipartisan ORBITS Act will establish a first-of-its-kind research, development, and demonstration project to reduce the nearly 1 million pieces of space junk in orbit. Hickenlooper reintroduced the legislation earlier this year after it passed the Senate unanimously at the end of the 117th Congress.
Hickenlooper’s bipartisan Launch Communications Act will modernize the current Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) process for licensing spectrum for commercial space launches to help ensure that the United States remains the global leader in space exploration.
Both bills passed out of the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee, which Hickenlooper is a member of, in July. The two pieces of legislation now go to the House of Representatives before heading to President Biden’s desk to be signed into law.
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