{
  "id": "RL31218",
  "type": "CRS Report",
  "typeId": "REPORTS",
  "number": "RL31218",
  "active": false,
  "source": "EveryCRSReport.com",
  "versions": [
    {
      "source": "EveryCRSReport.com",
      "id": 101059,
      "date": "2002-01-08",
      "retrieved": "2016-05-24T20:17:50.246941",
      "title": "Commercial Remote Sensing by Satellite: Status and Issues",
      "summary": "Since the late 1970s, spurred by the launch of the NASA Landsat satellites and later by the\nsuccess\nof the French SPOT satellite, Congress has been taking steps to promote a commercial remote\nsensing industry in the United States. The Land Remote Sensing Act of 1992 coupled with\nPresidential Decision Directive 23 in 1994 gave new impetus to the industry by permitting\ncommercial companies to launch high resolution (1 meter or less) remote sensing satellites. While\na commercial satellite remote sensing industry has emerged, however, so far it has not been the\nsuccess envisaged by its early proponents. Nevertheless, the industry is growing and the images of\nthe terrorist attack on the World Trade Center obtained by the Ikonos 2 satellite operated by a U.S.\ncompany, Space Imaging, has recently given particular prominence to the industry. The domestic\nindustry's future, however, appears uncertain. It has not turned a profit and still depends largely on\npurchases of images by the federal government to remain in operation. Nevertheless, congressional\ninterest remains strong. One relevant bill,  H.R. 2426 , dealing with remote sensing\napplications, has been introduced in the 107th Congress to date. \n  Competition from aerial remote sensing; the slow development of a market for remote sensing\nproducts outside local, state, and federal governments; competition from government-subsidized,\nforeign remote sensing satellites; and regulations resulting from national security concerns are among\nother factors that have slowed the development of the U. S. commercial satellite remote sensing\nindustry. Federal support for the industry is concentrated in the Department of Defense's (DOD's)\nNational Imagery and Mapping Agency (NIMA) and the National Aeronautics and Space\nAdministration (NASA). NIMA support, however, has been spotty because of funding limitations\nand DOD actions that are limiting the need for imagery by NIMA from commercial satellites. \n  The industry is also creating national security benefits and challenges. The U.S. intelligence\ncommunity is finding that commercial remote sensing images can supplement those of its own\nsatellites. At the same time, the possibility that potential adversaries and terrorist groups may obtain\naccess to sensitive images has resulted in federal regulations that restrict acquisition and publication\nof such images for national security and foreign policy reasons. This shutter control provision is\ncontroversial and is likely to result in a court challenge if and when it is invoked. In the current\nsituation in Afghanistan, the U.S. government has avoided this possibility by contracting with Space\nImaging, a private firm, for exclusive rights to all images covering the Operation Enduring Freedom\narea of operations.\n  Future growth of the U.S. industry will likely depend on steady and broad-based federal\nsupport, development of new applications that result in an expanding market, and resolution of\nregulatory uncertainties, primarily the shutter control provisions.",
      "type": "CRS Report",
      "typeId": "REPORTS",
      "active": false,
      "formats": [
        {
          "format": "PDF",
          "encoding": null,
          "url": "http://www.crs.gov/Reports/pdf/RL31218",
          "sha1": "8221f2f389276d758dd7a5458b4c759c4e5b97d8",
          "filename": "files/20020108_RL31218_8221f2f389276d758dd7a5458b4c759c4e5b97d8.pdf",
          "images": null
        },
        {
          "format": "HTML",
          "filename": "files/20020108_RL31218_8221f2f389276d758dd7a5458b4c759c4e5b97d8.html"
        }
      ],
      "topics": []
    }
  ],
  "topics": [
    "Intelligence and National Security"
  ]
}