§3239 Requirement to Buy Certain Satellite Component From American Sources

Summary

Starting January 1, 2021, an intelligence agency that is not part of the Department of Defense may not award a contract for a national security satellite if the satellite uses a star tracker that was not made in the United States. That ban covers both the star tracker’s hardware and its software. Defined terms: "covered element of the intelligence community" = an intelligence agency not in the Department of Defense; "national security satellite" = a satellite weighing over 400 pounds used mainly for U.S. national security or intelligence; "United States" = the states, the District of Columbia, and U.S. territories and possessions. The head of the agency can waive the rule by sending a written certification to the congressional intelligence committees showing one of three things: no U.S.-made star tracker meets the mission and design, a U.S.-made star tracker is unreasonably costly based on a market survey, or an urgent national security need requires the waiver.