S 428
· 119th Congress
· Science, Technology, Communications
SAFE Orbit Act
Sponsor
Latest action
Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 170.
Action timeline
Every recorded action on this bill, newest first. Stage badges color-code the legislative path.
Sep 29, 2025
committee
Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation. Reported by Senator Cruz with amendments. With written report No. 119-65.
Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee
Sep 29, 2025
other
Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 170.
Mar 12, 2025
committee
Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation. Ordered to be reported with an amendment favorably.
Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee
Feb 05, 2025
introduced
Introduced in Senate
Feb 05, 2025
introduced
Read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.
Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee
Text versions
Each stage of the bill — official text published by GPO. Click any format to read on congress.gov / govinfo.
CRS summaries
Plain-English summaries written by the Congressional Research Service — neutral, nonpartisan staff who summarize bills as they advance through stages. The authoritative description of what each version of the bill does.
00
Introduced in Senate
Feb 05, 2025
Situational Awareness of Flying Elements in Orbit Act or the SAFE Orbit Act
This bill provides statutory authority for the Traffic Coordination System for Space, which is being developed by the Office of Space Commerce to provide space situational awareness data and services to space operators. (Space situational awareness means an understanding of the space operational environment and the identification, tracking, and prediction of the behavior of space objects and debris.)
As an initial matter, the bill provides for the elevation of the Office of Space Commerce to a standalone bureau within the Department of Commerce. (The office currently sits within the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.)
The bill authorizes the bureau to acquire location tracking data, positional and orbit determination information, conjunction data messages, and other data, analytics, information, and services deemed necessary to avoid collisions in space. The bureau must disseminate this information at no charge (1) through a public database of space situational awareness information and services, including space traffic coordination; and (2) through the provision of basic situational awareness services to satellite operators. The bill also sets forth certain requirements for the collection and dissemination of such information, including that, to the extent practicable, the provision of service to satellite operators may not compete with private situational awareness products.
Finally, the bill provides immunity for the United States government from any suit for a cause of action arising from the provision or receipt of space situational awareness services or information.
via Congressional Research Service · published through congress.gov
Changelog
ⓘ
How a bill moves through Congress. Each stage produces a new official text. The diff between them shows what changed at that step.
ih / is — Introduced in House / Senate. First filed version.rfh / rfs — Referred to a committee for review.rh / rs — Reported back by the committee to the floor (often with amendments — this is where most language changes happen).pcs / pch — Placed on Calendar for floor consideration.eh / es — Engrossed. Passed by the originating chamber. Text is now what was actually voted on.rdh / rds — Received by the other chamber.eah / eas — Engrossed Amendment. The other chamber passed an amended version.ath / ats — Agreed to. Both chambers settled on the same text.enr — Enrolled. Final reconciled text, sent to the President.pl — Public Law. Signed by the President. It's now law.pp — Public Print. Official printing post-enactment.
Most bills die before eh/es. Going from pcs → enr is the full path through both chambers.
ⓘ
How a bill moves through Congress. Each stage produces a new official text. The diff between them shows what changed at that step.
ih/is— Introduced in House / Senate. First filed version.rfh/rfs— Referred to a committee for review.rh/rs— Reported back by the committee to the floor (often with amendments — this is where most language changes happen).pcs/pch— Placed on Calendar for floor consideration.eh/es— Engrossed. Passed by the originating chamber. Text is now what was actually voted on.rdh/rds— Received by the other chamber.eah/eas— Engrossed Amendment. The other chamber passed an amended version.ath/ats— Agreed to. Both chambers settled on the same text.enr— Enrolled. Final reconciled text, sent to the President.pl— Public Law. Signed by the President. It's now law.pp— Public Print. Official printing post-enactment.
Most bills die before eh/es. Going from pcs → enr is the full path through both chambers.
Line-level diff between text versions of this bill — what actually changed at each legislative stage.
+67
−9
43 unchanged
--- Introduced (Senate)
+++ Reported (Senate)
@@ -1,11 +1,14 @@
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
-[S. 428 Introduced in Senate (IS)]
+[S. 428 Reported in Senate (RS)]
<DOC>
+Calendar No. 170
119th CONGRESS
1st Session
S. 428
+
+[Report No. 119-65]
To promote space situational awareness and space traffic coordination
and to modify the functions and leadership of the Office of Space
@@ -21,6 +24,11 @@
Hickenlooper, Mr. Kelly, Mr. Schmitt, and Mr. Lujan) introduced the
following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on
Commerce, Science, and Transportation
+
+September 29, 2025
+
+Reported by Mr. Cruz, with amendments
+[Omit the parts struck through and insert the parts printed in italic]
_______________________________________________________________________
@@ -65,7 +73,7 @@
collisions of space objects.
(d) Database on Satellite Location and Behavior.--The Assistant
Secretary of Commerce for Space Commerce shall provide access for the
-public, at no charge, a fully updated, unclassified database of
+public, at no charge, to a fully updated, unclassified database of
information concerning space objects and behavior that includes--
(1) the data and information acquired under subsection (c),
except to the extent that such data or information is
@@ -154,7 +162,7 @@
``(4) Secretary.--The term `Secretary' means the Secretary
of Commerce.
``(5) Space object.--The term `space object' means any
-object launched into space or created in space robotically or
+object launched into space or created in space, robotically or
by humans, including the component parts of such an object.
``(6) Space situational awareness.--The term `space
situational awareness' means--
@@ -175,10 +183,10 @@
(b) Transition of Office to Bureau.--Subsection (a) of section
50702 of title 51, United States Code, is amended by inserting before
the period at the end the following: ``, which, not later than 5 years
-after the date of the enactment of this Act, shall be elevated by the
-Secretary of Commerce from an office within the National Oceanic and
-Atmospheric Administration to a bureau reporting directly to the Office
-of the Secretary of Commerce''.
+after the date of the enactment of the SAFE Orbit Act this Act , shall
+be elevated by the Secretary of Commerce from an office within the
+National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to a bureau reporting
+directly to the Office of the Secretary of Commerce''.
(c) Additional Functions of Bureau.--Subsection (c) of such section
is amended--
(1) in paragraph (4), by striking ``; and'' and inserting a
@@ -217,7 +225,35 @@
Director of the Office of Space Commerce shall be deemed to be
a reference to the Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Space
Commerce.
-(e) Transition Report.--
+<DELETED> (e) Transition Report.--</DELETED>
+(e) Office of Space Commerce Staffing.--
+(1) Required staff levels during office to bureau
+transition.--Not later than 30 days after the date of the
+enactment of this Act, and annually thereafter until the date
+that is 1 year after the date on which the transition from
+office to bureau is complete, the Secretary of Commerce
+(referred to in this subsection as the ``Secretary'') and the
+Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Space Commerce (referred to
+in this subsection as the ``Assistant Secretary'') shall--
+(A) complete a staffing plan for the Office of
+Space Commerce, consistent with the functions described
+in section 50702 of title 51, United States Code, as
+amended by this Act, and the transition from an office
+to a bureau; and
+(B) submit such plan to the Committee on Commerce,
+Science, and Transportation of the Senate and the
+Committee on Science, Space, and Technology of the
+House of Representatives.
+(2) Notification of terminations not based on
+performance.--Subject to the availability of appropriations,
+the Secretary or the Assistant Secretary shall not reduce the
+number of full-time equivalent positions in the Office of Space
+Commerce or the Bureau of Space Commerce for any reason other
+than performance without prior notification to the Committee on
+Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate and the
+Committee on Science, Space, and Technology of the House of
+Representatives.
+(f) Transition Report.--
(1) In general.--Not later than 1 year after the date of
the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Commerce shall
submit to the appropriate committees of Congress a report that
@@ -242,4 +278,26 @@
(B) the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology
and the Committee on Appropriations of the House of
Representatives.
-<all>
+Calendar No. 170
+
+119th CONGRESS
+
+1st Session
+
+S. 428
+
+[Report No. 119-65]
+
+_______________________________________________________________________
+
+A BILL
+
+To promote space situational awareness and space traffic coordination
+and to modify the functions and leadership of the Office of Space
+Commerce, and for other purposes.
+
+_______________________________________________________________________
+
+September 29, 2025
+
+Reported with amendments
Lobbying activity
Organizations whose LDA filings reference this bill, ranked by filing count. Position not disclosed — LDA does not require lobbyists to report support / oppose / monitor. Bill-number references can be stale (lobbyists sometimes copy text year-over-year), so verify against the filing description.
6
filings · 2026 Q3
5
filings · 2026 Q3
4
filings · 2025 Q3
4
filings · 2025 Q3
via Senate LDA · self-reported quarterly. Filing count = filings mentioning this bill (no position required), not money spent on it. Click a client to see all bills they've filed on.
Cosponsors (7)
Members who signed on to support this bill.