Who it affects
- NASA
- Commercial satellite data vendors
- Scientists using satellite data
- Other federal agencies using satellite data
Passed the SenateScienceSpace
ASCEND Act
S. 1437 · Senate bill · Introduced April 10, 2025
The ASCEND Act would put NASA’s program for acquiring commercial satellite data into law and set terms affecting NASA, data users, and vendors.
What stands out
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These are patterns in public records, not proof that money changed a vote. The same rules apply to every member. How we decide
At a glance
Where it stands
Passed the Senate
How South Carolina voted
No recorded votes yet.
See each vote ↓Lobbying and money
No lobbying reported yet
Lobbyists report every three months, about 20 days after each quarter ends. We have January 2025 through September 2026 reports. Newer reports will be added once filed and published.
What it would do
- The bill would put NASA’s Commercial SmallSat Data Acquisition program into law.
- Through this program, NASA acquires satellite data and images from companies for Earth science research.
- NASA may create or change agreements to allow broad use of this material, including by people outside NASA.
- Acquisition terms could not block scientific publication of the data, images, or information drawn from them.
- NASA must acquire the data and images from U.S. vendors whenever practical.
Written with AI from the official summary by Congress's research office.
How South Carolina voted
No recorded roll-call vote on this bill yet.
Groups that lobbied on it and gave to SC's members
PAC, lobbyist campaign and qualifying employee money this election, shown separately and never added together. Lobbying reports name the bills a group worked on, not which side it took.
No lobbying reported yet. Lobbyists report every three months, about 20 days after each quarter ends. We have January 2025 through September 2026 reports. Newer reports will be added once filed and published.
Official record
Official title, sponsor and status
- Official title
- A bill to require the Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration to establish a program to identify, evaluate, acquire, and disseminate commercial Earth remote sensing data and imagery in order to satisfy the scientific, operational, and educational requirements of the Administration, and for other purposes.
- Sponsor
- Sen. Hickenlooper, John W. (D-CO)
- Introduced
- April 10, 2025
- Cosponsors
- 1
- Committees
- Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee
- Latest action
- Dec. 10, 2025 · Held at the desk.
Official summary from the Congressional Research Service
Accessing Satellite Capabilities to Enable New Discoveries Act or the ASCEND Act This bill provides statutory authority for the Commercial SmallSat Data Acquisition (CSDA) program run by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). Through the CSDA program, NASA acquires remote sensing data and imagery from commercial satellites to support its Earth science research. ( Remote sensing generally refers to the collection of data by instruments in Earth’s orbit, such as satellites, that can be processed into imagery of Earth’s surface.) Under the bill, NASA may establish or modify end-use agreements to allow for broad use of data and imagery acquired under the program, including by individuals outside of NASA (e.g., other federal agencies). The terms of any data or imagery acquisition may not prevent the publication of such data or imagery for scientific purposes or the publication of information derived from it. To the extent practicable, NASA must acquire such data and imagery from U.S. vendors.
Summary on Congress.gov ↗Everyone who lobbied on this bill (0 groups)
No lobbying report we have loaded names this bill. That doesn't mean no lobbying took place.
Lobbyists report every three months, about 20 days after each quarter ends. We have January 2025 through September 2026 reports. Newer reports will be added once filed and published. Reports for October through December 2026 are due January 20, 2027.