Title 51 › Subtitle Subtitle VI— Earth Observations › Chapter 601— LAND REMOTE SENSING POLICY › Subchapter V— GENERAL PROVISIONS › § 60142
Keep and run a public archive of land remote sensing data (for example, satellite images of Earth's land) for history, science, and long-term environmental monitoring. The Secretary of the Interior must store, maintain, and upgrade a basic global data set, follow good archival practices, protect the archive’s quality and continuity, and give people timely access when they ask for data. When choosing what to include or update, the Secretary must start with the data already in the archive on October 28, 1992 and consider future technical and scientific needs (especially for global environmental change). The Secretary must get advice from users and producers, allow duplicate coverage that differs by season, spectral bands, or resolution, and may include unenhanced Landsat or licensed data and foreign-collected data. Archive content must follow section 60146. After any exclusive sales rights end or are given up, the data become public domain and are provided at the cost of fulfilling requests.
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National and Commercial Space Programs — Source: USLM XML via OLRC
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51 U.S.C. § 60142
Title 51 — National and Commercial Space Programs
Last Updated
Apr 5, 2026
Release point: 119-73not60