[Code of Federal Regulations]
[Title 15, Volume 3]
[Revised as of January 1, 2004]
From the U.S. Government Printing Office via GPO Access
[CITE: 15CFR960.1]

[Page 294]
 
                  TITLE 15--COMMERCE AND FOREIGN TRADE
 
CHAPTER IX--NATIONAL OCEANIC AND ATMOSPHERIC ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT 
                               OF COMMERCE
 
PART 960_LICENSING OF PRIVATE REMOTE SENSING SYSTEMS--Table of Contents
 
                            Subpart A_General
 
Sec. 960.1  Purpose.


    (a) The regulations in this part set forth the procedural and 
informational requirements for obtaining a license to operate a private 
remote sensing space system under Title II of the Land Remote Sensing 
Policy Act of 1992 (15 U.S.C. 5601 et seq.) (Public Law 102-555, 106 
Stat. 4163) and the President's Policy announced on March 10, 1994, 
entitled, ``U.S. Policy on Foreign Access to Remote Sensing Space 
Capabilities'' (PDD 23) (Available from NOAA, National Environmental 
Satellite Data and Information Service, 1335 East-West Highway, Room 
7311, Silver Spring, MD 20910). In addition, this part describes NOAA's 
regulation of such systems, pursuant to the Act and PDD 23. The 
regulations in this part are intended to:
    (1) Facilitate development of the commercial space remote sensing 
industry in the United States and promote the broad use of remote 
sensing data;
    (2) Preserve the national security of the United States;
    (3) Observe the foreign policies and international obligations of 
the United States;
    (4) Ensure that unenhanced data collected by licensed private remote 
sensing space systems concerning the territory of any country are made 
available to the government of that country upon its request, as soon as 
such data are available and on reasonable commercial terms and 
conditions as appropriate;
    (5) Ensure that remotely sensed data are widely available for 
research, particularly environmental and global change research; and
    (6) Maintain a permanent comprehensive U.S. government archive of 
global land remote sensing data for long-term monitoring and study of 
the changing global environment and other archival purposes.
    (b) In accordance with the Act and the PDD 23, decisions regarding 
the issuance of licenses and operational conditions (See subpart B of 
this part) will be made by the Secretary of Commerce, or his/her 
designee. Determinations of conditions to meet national security, 
foreign policy and international obligations are made by the Secretaries 
of Defense and State respectively. Determinations will be made in 
accordance with the process described in the Interagency MOU Fact Sheet 
contained in Appendix 2 of this part.