Somerset Times

Washington, DC - Today, the House Science, Space and Technology Committee passed H.R. 6219, introduced by Congressman Tom Kean, Jr. (NJ-07), to permanently authorize the Commercial SmallSat Data Acquisition program within NASA.

The ASCEND Act, as highlighted by Congressman Kean, aims to bolster the NASA Commercial SmallSat Data Acquisition (CSDA) program. Kean emphasized, "The NASA Commercial SmallSat Data Acquisition (CSDA) program is an investment in maintaining our nation’s position as a global leader in space technology." He further added, "By expanding NASA’s CSDA program, we ensure that the Earth Science community has access to innovative data sets from the commercial space sector to support their scientific research."

The bill not only seeks to establish CSDA as a permanent program within NASA’s Earth Science Division but also directs NASA to expand procurement licenses to provide federal agencies access to high-quality Earth remote sensing datasets and imagery. Moreover, it aims to promote the acquisition of new datasets for scientific and non-scientific applications and mandates an annual report to Congress on the uses and impact of commercial data products and licensing agreements.

In response to the passing of the bill, Congressman Kean expressed gratitude towards his colleagues, stating, “I thank Rep. Bonamici for joining me in introducing this bill and my House Science, Space and Technology Committee colleagues for supporting this effort.”

The ASCEND Act represents a significant step towards enhancing NASA's capabilities in leveraging commercial space technology for scientific research and applications. Congressman Kean's dedication to advancing space technology and supporting scientific endeavors is evident through this legislative milestone.