---
kind: "section"
citation: "42 U.S.C. § 18441"
title: "42"
title_heading: "The Public Health and Welfare"
number: "18441"
heading: "National and international orbital debris mitigation"
release: "119-102"
url: "https://uscodex.org/usc/42/18441"
units:
  - "Chapter 159 — Space Exploration, Technology, and Science"
  - "Subchapter XI — Other Matters"
---

# §18441. National and international orbital debris mitigation

- (a) **Findings—** Congress makes the following findings:
  - (1) A national and international effort is needed to develop a coordinated approach towards the prevention, negation, and [removal](/usc/42/9601.md?p=23) of orbital debris.
  - (2) The guidelines issued by the Inter-Agency Space Debris Coordination Committee provide a consensus understanding of 10 national space agencies (including [NASA](/usc/42/18302.md?p=6)) plus the European Space Agency on the necessity of mitigating the creation of space debris and measures for doing so. [NASA](/usc/42/18302.md?p=6)’s participation on the Committee should be robust, and [NASA](/usc/42/18302.md?p=6) should urge other space-relevant Federal agencies (including the Departments of State, Defense, and [Commerce](/usc/42/6311.md?p=7)) to work to ensure that their counterpart agencies in foreign governments are aware of these national commitments and the importance in which the [United States](/usc/42/403.md?p=k) holds them.
  - (3) Key components of such an approach should include—
    - (A) a process for debris prevention through [agreements](/usc/42/1320b–8.md?p=a-3-A) regarding spacecraft design, operations, and end-of-life disposition plans to minimize orbiting vehicles or elements which are nonfunctional;
    - (B) the development of a robust Space Situational Awareness network that can identify potential collisions and provide sufficient trajectory and orbital data to enable avoidance maneuvers;
    - (C) the interagency development of an overall strategy for review by the President, with recommendations for proposed international collaborative efforts to address this challenge.
- (b) **International discussion—**
  - (1) **In general—** The [Administrator](/usc/42/18302.md?p=1) shall, in consultation with such other departments and agencies of the Federal Government as the [Administrator](/usc/42/18302.md?p=1) considers appropriate, continue and strengthen discussions with the [representatives](/usc/42/3058f.md?p=5) of other space-faring countries, within the Inter-Agency Space Debris Coordination Committee and elsewhere, to deal with this orbital debris mitigation.
  - (2) **Interagency effort—** For purposes of carrying out this subsection, the [Director](/usc/42/5061.md?p=1) of [OSTP](/usc/42/18302.md?p=9), in coordination with the [Director](/usc/42/5061.md?p=1) of the National Security [Council](/usc/42/300f.md?p=9) and using the President’s [Council](/usc/42/300f.md?p=9) of Advisors on Science and Technology coordinating mechanism, shall develop an overall strategy for review by the President, with recommendations for proposed international collaborative efforts to address this challenge.

## Source credit

(Pub. L. 111–267, title XII, § 1202, Oct. 11, 2010, 124 Stat. 2841.)