Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for Review and Approval; Comment Request; Licensing of Private Remote-Sensing Space Systems, 3800-3801 [2025-00741]

Agencies

• DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
• National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

[Federal Register Volume 90, Number 9 (Wednesday, January 15, 2025)]
[Notices]
[Pages 3800-3801]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2025-00741]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration


Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to the 
Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for Review and Approval; Comment 
Request; Licensing of Private Remote-Sensing Space Systems

AGENCY: National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce.

ACTION: Notice of information collection, request for comment.

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SUMMARY: The Department of Commerce, in accordance with the Paperwork 
Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA), invites the general public and other 
Federal agencies to comment on proposed and continuing information 
collections, which helps us assess the impact of our information 
collection requirements and minimize the public's reporting burden. The 
purpose of this notice is to allow for 60 days of public comment 
preceding submission of the collection to OMB.

DATES: To ensure consideration, comments regarding this proposed 
information collection must be received on or before March 17, 2025.

ADDRESSES: Interested persons are invited to submit written comments to 
Adrienne Thomas, NOAA PRA Officer, at [email protected]. Please 
reference OMB Control Number 0648-0174 in the subject line of your 
comments. Do not submit Confidential Business Information or otherwise 
sensitive or protected information.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Requests for additional information or 
specific questions related to collection activities should be directed 
to Dr. Sarah Brothers, Director, Commercial Remote Sensing Regulatory 
Affairs, 1401 Constitution Avenue NW, Room 31027, Washington, DC 20230; 
(771) 216-4112; [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Abstract

    This is a request for revision and extension to an approved 
information collection.
    The Department of Commerce (DOC), through the National Oceanic and 
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Office of Space Commerce (OSC) 
Commercial Remote Sensing Regulatory Affairs (CRSRA), has the authority 
to regulate private space-based remote sensing under the Land Remote 
Sensing Policy Act of 1992, 51 U.S.C. 60101 et seq. (the Act) and 
regulations at 15 CFR part 960. The regulations facilitate the 
development of the U.S. private remote sensing industry and thus 
promote the collection and widespread availability of remote sensing 
data while preserving essential U.S. national security interests and 
observing international obligations.
    The proposed revisions in this notice are primarily tied to the 
development of a new, online platform to manage license actions called 
the Commerce Licensing and Compliance System for Space (CLCSS). CLCSS 
is intended to streamline the process for communications with CRSRA 
regarding applications, notices, modification requests, and annual 
compliance certifications. CRSRA is committed to improving the user 
experience and providing a simplified license application and 
management process for all licensees. The forms discussed below and 
their integration with CLCSS will streamline, clarify, and expedite 
paperwork submissions required to support regulation of the private 
space-based remote sensing industry.
    Applications are made in response to the requirements in the Act, 
as amended. At present, CRSRA sends the applicant an Application Guide, 
which repeats the application questions and criteria listed in Appendix 
A to 15 CFR part 960 with an additional explanatory text. In the 
future, the CLCSS system will incorporate these questions and response 
criteria in a fillable, online form format. The application information 
received is used to determine if the applicant meets the legal criteria 
for issuance of a license to operate a private remote sensing space 
system, i.e., the proposed system will be operated in accordance with 
the Act, U.S. national security concerns and international obligations. 
Application information includes information about the applicant (such 
as corporate information), the launch dates of any components going to 
space, and technical specifications of all components of the remote 
sensing system. CRSRA has observed that relying on both the Appendix 
and the Application Guide creates confusion and has led to the 
submission of incomplete applications. CRSRA anticipates the fillable 
format, which combines both the Application Guide and criteria in 
Appendix A, will help any new applicant accurately provide the 
necessary information. If a licensee wishes to modify its license, 
either to reflect changes in its business practices or technical 
changes to its system, or to request different license conditions, it 
may submit such a request to CRSRA and explain why the change is 
sought. CRSRA needs this information to be able to keep licenses 
accurate and to respond to the regulated community's needs. CRSRA is 
incorporating a new form called the License Modification Form with a 
standard set of questions licensees can provide for the modification 
request to be processed. Licensees will identify the relevant license 
provisions, the requested changes to those provisions, and the date 
upon which the requested change will take effect. CRSRA anticipates 
this will expedite how quickly the requests are processed and remove a 
moderate amount of paperwork by clarifying what to include with a 
modification request.
    Licensees are required to notify CRSRA when a spacecraft launches 
or deploys; upon disposal of an on-orbit component of the licensed 
system; upon detection of an anomaly; and upon the licensee's financial 
insolvency or dissolution. The existing information collection already 
allows for the collection of this information through the Licensee 
Notification Form (LNF).

[[Page 3801]]

The approved LNF can already ease the burden on licensees when 
reporting this already-required information. This information is 
critical to fulfilling one of the United States' key international 
obligations, which is to authorize and continually supervise U.S. 
nationals' activities in space. CRSRA, therefore, must be notified when 
spacecraft are deployed and disposed of so that CRSRA can supervise the 
space activities of U.S. nationals. Similarly, anomalies may indicate 
loss of control of a spacecraft, so CRSRA must monitor any anomalies to 
meaningfully supervise the activities of U.S. nationals in space. 
Finally, the financial insolvency or dissolution of a licensee may 
indicate that a change in control of the spacecraft will follow, 
because an insolvent licensee may go through a bankruptcy process that 
might put the licensed system's ownership in question. It is critical 
that CRSRA be able to intervene as early as possible in this process so 
that a sensitive system does not pass into the ownership of an entity 
who might jeopardize national security or international obligations. 
The LNF ensures that only required information is submitted, thereby 
reducing unnecessary paperwork and/or follow-up correspondence. The LNF 
will be integrated into CLCSS to clarify content, make the LNF more 
accessible, and further reduce the paperwork burden.
    Pursuant to the regulations, CRSRA requires licensees to submit an 
annual compliance certification. In the certification, licensees verify 
that all facts in the license remain true. Facts that must be verified 
in this certification include the technical specifications of the 
system and other foundational facts that CRSRA relies upon in reviewing 
license applications. This information is critical to ensuring that 
only those entities who are legally fit to obtain a license do so. In 
order to integrate this process with CLCSS, CRSRA will turn the 
standard verification requirement into a form. There will be no 
substantive change in what information needs to be provided by 
licensees.
    CRSRA will renew the optional Initial Contact Form (ICF) that 
includes contact information and general remote sensing system 
information with a few changes for clarity that include rephrasing a 
few questions and removing one or two. The ICF may be submitted 
electronically through the NOAA website prior to the submission of a 
full application and will also be integrated into CLCSS. The ICF 
information received is used to determine if the applicant is required 
to submit a full application for the issuance of a license to operate a 
private remote sensing space system, i.e., the proposed system falls 
under the authority defined in the Act and the regulations. If NOAA 
determines after reviewing the ICF that an application is not required, 
the potential applicant will save 40-50 hours of paperwork by not 
submitting the application.
    Finally, CRSRA is renewing the optional Data Availability 
Notification (DAN) which includes contact information and general data 
availability information. The DAN may be submitted electronically 
through the NOAA website during the application process, while an 
applicant holds a license, or by any interested party. The DAN will be 
integrated with CLCSS as well. The DAN information received is used to 
help determine the availability of unenhanced data from a foreign or 
domestic remote sensing system, which may then be compared to 
unenhanced data produced by an applicant's system for the purpose of 
adjusting the conditions and/or restrictions in a license. The DAN form 
ensures that only required information is submitted, thereby reducing 
unnecessary paperwork and/or follow-up correspondence.

II. Method of Collection

    Information is collected electronically through the NOAA website 
and through the coming online platform Commerce Licensing and 
Compliance System for Space (CLCSS).

III. Data

    OMB Control Number: 0648-0174.
    Form Number(s): None.
    Type of Review: Regular (revision and extension of a current 
information collection).
    Affected Public: Business or other for-profit organizations.
    Estimated Number of Respondents: 100.
    Estimated Time per Response: 25 hours for the submission of a 
license application (one time for the entire license); 1 hour for the 
submission of a license amendment; 30 minutes each for a notification 
of disposal of on-orbit component, notification of detection of 
anomaly, and notification of financial insolvency or dissolution using 
the Licensee Notification Form; 30 minutes each for notification of 
launch or deployment of spacecraft; 3 hours for the annual compliance 
certification; and 20 minutes for the Initial Contact Form; and 10 
minutes for the Data Availability Notification.
    Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours: 100 hours.
    Estimated Total Annual Cost to Public: $0.
    Respondent's Obligation: Mandatory. The ICF and DAN are voluntary.
    Legal Authority: Land Remote Sensing Policy Act of 1992, 51 U.S.C. 
60101 et seq; and 15 CFR part 960--Licensing of Private Remote Sensing 
Space Systems.

IV. Request for Comments

    We are soliciting public comments to permit the Department/Bureau 
to: (a) Evaluate whether the proposed information collection is 
necessary for the proper functions of the Department, including whether 
the information will have practical utility; (b) Evaluate the accuracy 
of our estimate of the time and cost burden for this proposed 
collection, including the validity of the methodology and assumptions 
used; (c) Evaluate ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of 
the information to be collected; and (d) Minimize the reporting burden 
on those who are to respond, including the use of automated collection 
techniques or other forms of information technology.
    Comments that you submit in response to this notice are a matter of 
public record. We will include or summarize each comment in our request 
to OMB to approve this ICR. Before including your address, phone 
number, email address, or other personal identifying information in 
your comment, you should be aware that your entire comment--including 
your personal identifying information--may be made publicly available 
at any time. While you may ask us in your comment to withhold your 
personal identifying information from public review, we cannot 
guarantee that we will be able to do so.

Sheleen Dumas,
Departmental PRA Clearance Officer, Office of the Under Secretary for 
Economic Affairs, Commerce Department.
[FR Doc. 2025-00741 Filed 1-14-25; 8:45 am]
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