H.R. 2600 explained · 119th Congress · Pending in Congress
ASCEND Act
Cosponsors: 6 (4 D, 2 R) · per Congress.gov, 2026-10-09
Introduced: 2025-04-02
Latest action (2026-02-24): Received in the Senate. Read twice. Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 344.
What H.R. 2600 does, in plain terms
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.
Official summary by the Congressional Research Service, via Congress.gov.
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