Title 51National and Commercial Space ProgramsRelease 119-73not60

§60142 Archiving of Data

Title 51 › Subtitle Subtitle VI— Earth Observations › Chapter 601— LAND REMOTE SENSING POLICY › Subchapter V— GENERAL PROVISIONS › § 60142

Last updated Apr 5, 2026|Official source

Summary

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.

Full Legal Text

Title 51, §60142

National and Commercial Space Programs — Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)It is in the public interest for the United States Government to—
(1)maintain an archive of land remote sensing data for historical, scientific, and technical purposes, including long-term global environmental monitoring;
(2)control the content and scope of the archive; and
(3)ensure the quality, integrity, and continuity of the archive.
(b)The Secretary of the Interior, in consultation with the Landsat Program Management, shall provide for long-term storage, maintenance, and upgrading of a basic, global, land remote sensing data set (hereafter in this section referred to as the “basic data set”) and shall follow reasonable archival practices to ensure proper storage and preservation of the basic data set and timely access for parties requesting data.
(c)In determining the initial content of, or in upgrading, the basic data set, the Secretary of the Interior shall—
(1)use as a baseline the data archived on October 28, 1992;
(2)take into account future technical and scientific developments and needs, paying particular attention to the anticipated data requirements of global environmental change research;
(3)consult with and seek the advice of users and producers of remote sensing data and data products;
(4)consider the need for data which may be duplicative in terms of geographical coverage but which differ in terms of season, spectral bands, resolution, or other relevant factors;
(5)include, as the Secretary of the Interior considers appropriate, unenhanced data generated either by the Landsat system, pursuant to subchapter II, or by licensees under subchapter III;
(6)include, as the Secretary of the Interior considers appropriate, data collected by foreign ground stations or by foreign remote sensing space systems; and
(7)ensure that the content of the archive is developed in accordance with section 60146 of this title.
(d)After the expiration of any exclusive right to sell, or after relinquishment of such right, the data provided to the National Satellite Land Remote Sensing Data Archive shall be in the public domain and shall be made available to requesting parties by the Secretary of the Interior at the cost of fulfilling user requests.

Legislative History

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Historical and Revision Notes

Revised SectionSource (U.S. Code)Source (Statutes at Large) 6014215 U.S.C. 5652.Pub. L. 102–555, title V, § 502, Oct. 28, 1992, 106 Stat. 4176. In subsection (b), the words “hereafter in this section” are substituted for “hereinafter” for clarity. In subsection (c), in the matter before paragraph (1), the words “of the Interior” are substituted for “of Interior” to correct an error in the law. In subsection (c)(1), the date “October 28, 1992” is substituted for “the date of enactment of this Act” to reflect the date of enactment of the Land Remote Sensing Policy Act of 1992 (Public Law 102–555, 106 Stat. 4163).

Reference

Citations & Metadata

Citation

51 U.S.C. § 60142

Title 51National and Commercial Space Programs

Last Updated

Apr 5, 2026

Release point: 119-73not60