S. 1898 would authorize the appropriation of $150 million over the 2026-2030 period for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) to establish a competitive grant and partnership program to research, develop, and demonstrate orbital debris remediation technologies. Orbital debris refers to human-made objects in Earth's orbit that no longer serve an intended purpose. The bill also would require NASA to report to the Congress on the program and offer recommendations for remedial actions.
S. 1898 also would require the Secretary of Commerce to publish a prioritized list of orbital debris candidates for removal or disposal and to facilitate the development of standard practices for planning and coordinating activities to enhance the safety of operations in space. Finally, the bill would direct the National Space Council, in consultation with NASA and other relevant agencies, to update the Orbital Debris Mitigation Standard Practices.
The estimated budgetary effects of the legislation are shown in Table 1. Most of the costs of the legislation fall within budget function 250 (general science, space, and technology).
Table 1.
Estimated Budgetary Effects of S. 1898
By Fiscal Year, Millions of Dollars
2026
2027
2028
2029
2030
2031
2026-2031
Increases in Spending Subject to Appropriation
Estimated Authorization
0
150
*
*
*
*
150
Estimated Outlays
0
40
52
35
15
8
150
The bill would authorize the appropriation of $150 million over the 2026-2030 period without specifying an amount for any particular year. For this estimate, CBO has assumed the entire amount would be provided in 2027. Estimated outlays would be different if that amount was provided in multiple years over the 2026-2030 period.
* = between zero and $500,000
The bill would authorize the appropriation of $150 million over the 2026-2030 period without specifying an amount for any particular year. For this estimate, CBO has assumed the entire amount would be provided in 2027. On that basis and using historical spending patterns for similar programs, CBO estimates that implementing the debris remediation program would cost $150 million over the 2026-2031 period. Estimated outlays would be different if that amount was provided in multiple years over the 2026-2030 period.
In addition, CBO estimates that the incremental cost of the coordinative, consultative, and reporting tasks assigned to the Department of Commerce, the National Space Council, and other agencies would be insignificant because they are already carrying out a majority of those activities under current law.
The CBO staff contact for this estimate is Tanya Bakshi. The estimate was reviewed by H. Samuel Papenfuss, Deputy Director of Budget Analysis.
