{"id":2406328,"date":"2025-02-25T08:51:58","date_gmt":"2025-02-25T13:51:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/former-astronaut-other-senators-introduce-legislation-to-make-low-earth-orbit-safer-washington-examiner\/"},"modified":"2025-02-25T08:59:46","modified_gmt":"2025-02-25T13:59:46","slug":"former-astronaut-other-senators-introduce-legislation-to-make-low-earth-orbit-safer-washington-examiner","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/former-astronaut-other-senators-introduce-legislation-to-make-low-earth-orbit-safer-washington-examiner\/","title":{"rendered":"Former astronaut, other senators introduce legislation to make low-Earth orbit safer &#8211; Washington Examiner"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">28<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fformer-astronaut-other-senators-introduce-legislation-to-make-low-earth-orbit-safer-washington-examiner%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2406328&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>U.S. senators, including former astronaut Mark Kelly, have\u200d introduced\u200d teh\u2062 Situational\u200c Awareness of Flying Elements in Orbit \u200bAct (SAFE) aimed at enhancing safety in \u200clow-Earth orbit. The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/bipartisan-legislation-seeks-to-ban-ccp-puppet-company-tiktok-from-us\/\" title=\"Bipartisan ... Seeks to Ban \u2018CCP Puppet Company\u2019 TikTok from US\">bipartisan legislation seeks<\/a> to establish \u200ca public database for tracking satellites and debris, facilitating better management of space traffic \u2064as commercial space activity increases.The <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\">initiative addresses growing concerns<\/a> about potential collisions\u2062 among the estimated \u200c10,000 operational satellites and \u200cover 100 million \u200dpieces \u200dof debris \u200bin this area of space.The bill encourages international \u2064collaboration and aims to strengthen\u2064 U.S. leadership in space exploration, ensuring that \u2064safety \u2062and effective traffic coordination are prioritized. Other supporters of the bill include Senators John Cornyn, Marsha Blackburn, Gary Peters, Eric Schmitt, \u200bRoger Wicker, Ben Ray\u200c Luj\u00e1n,\u200b and John Hickenlooper.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-header-search-button-mob dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search\" aria-labelledby=\"td-header-search-button\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search-inner\">\n<form method=\"get\" class=\"tdb-search-form\" action=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\"><\/form>\n<div class=\"tdb-aj-search\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/#\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"Search\" class=\"tdb-head-search-btn dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<h1 class=\"tdb-title-text\">Former astronaut, other senators introduce legislation to make low-Earth orbit safer<\/h1>\n<div><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-title-line\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div id=\"Brid_2018463\" class=\"tpd-featured-video bridtv\"><\/div>\n<p>U.S. senators, including a former astronaut, want to make outer space safer.<\/p>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p>They&rsquo;ve introduced a bipartisan bill to help track space junk in low Earth orbit and increase international collaboration in space. The legislation, called&nbsp;the&nbsp;<strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.kelly.senate.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/MCC25136.pdf\">Situational Awareness of Flying Elements in Orbit Act<\/a><\/strong>&nbsp;or SAFE, would create a public database for tracking satellites and other objects in an increasingly commercially-operated sector.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;As the commercial space industry continues to grow, we need to safely track and manage objects in orbit to prevent collisions,&rdquo; said former NASA astronaut and current U.S. Sen. Mark Kelly, D-Arizona.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;I&rsquo;ve had to directly deal with the consequences of orbital debris, and I know it&rsquo;s critical we provide the tools to empower scientists and innovators to successfully explore this critical frontier and strengthen American leadership in space,&rdquo; Kelly said in a news release.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>The SAFE bill would develop a public database to track satellites and prevent high-speed incidents in low-Earth orbit &ndash; the section of space within 1,200 miles of Earth where the International Space Station, as well as 10,000 satellites, operate.<\/p>\n<p>The U.S. government, operating through the Office of Space Commerce, would be immune from legal action for use of this tracking data.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>As commercial activity increases in low-Earth orbit, the potential for collision between satellites grows.<\/p>\n<p>Thousands of defunct satellites are joined in this space by an estimated&nbsp;<strong><a href=\"https:\/\/spacenews.com\/growing-risks-in-low-earth-orbit-demand-more-responsible-space-behavior\/\">100 million<\/a><\/strong>&nbsp;small pieces of debris, according to Siamak Hesar,&nbsp;co-founder and CEO of Kayhan Space. Hesar has supported NASA missions as a flight dynamics engineer&nbsp;and space situational awareness specialist.<\/p>\n<p>In the coming years, these numbers of objects in low-Earth orbit are expected to skyrocket and create a dangerous and costly field of high-speed space traffic. Hesar said&nbsp;low-Earth orbit congestion will likely increase substantially.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Commercial space objects in low-Earth orbit can help scientists make new discoveries and spur technological innovation, but this hinges on the ability to conduct safe and effective space traffic coordination,&rdquo; said U.S. Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas. &ldquo;The SAFE Orbit Act would prevent dangerous and costly accidental collisions in low-Earth orbit and improve access to data collection and analysis to help propel the United States into the next phase of space exploration.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Supporters of the SAFE bill have highlighted how it would strengthen U.S. presence in space.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;The world is entering a new space race, and we must equip American innovators with every resource to win,&rdquo; said U.S. Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tennessee.<\/p>\n<p>But the bill also <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/amy-klobuchar-and-john-thune-introduce-legislation-for-creating-generative-ai-framework\/\" title=\"Amy Klobuchar and John Thune introduce ... for creating generative AI framework\">encourages international cooperation<\/a> to share satellite data and help the public database track as many objects as possible.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;As we enter this new frontier, we must be certain that we prioritize safety and coordination with our partners around the globe,&rdquo; Blackburn said.<\/p>\n<p>Besides senators from Arizona, Texas and Tennessee, the bill is being introduced by U.S. Sens. Gary Peters, D-Michigan; Eric Schmitt, R-Missouri; Roger Wicker, R-Mississippi; Ben&nbsp;Ray Luj&aacute;n, D-New Mexico, and John Hickenlooper, D-Colorado.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p> <script data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/cdn-cgi\/scripts\/5c5dd728\/cloudflare-static\/email-decode.min.js\"><\/script><script>!function(){var g=window;g.googletag=g.googletag||{},g.googletag.cmd=g.googletag.cmd||[],g.googletag.cmd.push(function(){g.googletag.pubads().setTargeting(\"has-featured-video\",\"true\")})}();<\/script><script>var _bp=_bp||[];_bp.push({\"div\":\"Brid_2018463\",\"obj\":{\"id\":\"27789\",\"width\":\"1280\",\"height\":\"720\",\"stickyDirection\":\"below\",\"video\":\"2018463\"}});<\/script><script defer src=\"https:\/\/services.brid.tv\/player\/build\/brid.min.js\"><\/script><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Senators, including a former astronaut, propose space safety bill<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2406329,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/mark-kelly-astronaut.webp","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[13252,4762,51033,51034,32076],"class_list":["post-2406328","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-astronaut","tag-legislation","tag-low-earth-orbit","tag-space-safety","tag-washington-examiner"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/mark-kelly-astronaut.webp","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2406328","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2406328"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2406328\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2406332,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2406328\/revisions\/2406332"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2406329"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2406328"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2406328"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2406328"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}