Text of Senate Amendment 6680

On 2026-07-14, Senator John W. Hickenlooper (D-CO) delivered a floor speech titled "Text Of Senate Amendment 6680" in the Senate.

Text of Senate Amendment 6680

Congressional Record, Volume 172 Issue 114 (Tuesday, July 14, 2026) [Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 114 (Tuesday, July 14, 2026)] [Senate] [Page S3953] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [ www.gpo.gov ] SA 6680. Mr. HICKENLOOPER (for himself, Mr. Cruz, and Mr. Lujan) submitted an amendment intended to be proposed by him to the bill S. 4784, to authorize appropriations for fiscal year 2027 for military activities of the Department of Defense, for military construction, and for defense activities of the Department of Energy, to prescribe military personnel strengths for such fiscal year, and for other purposes; which was ordered to lie on the table; as follows: At the end of subtitle A of title XV, add the following: SEC. 1510A. REPORT ON SAFE ORBITAL TRAJECTORY OPTIONS FROM INLAND AND NONTRADITIONAL LAUNCH SITES. (a) In General.--Not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of this Act of this Act, the Secretary of Defense, in consultation with the Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration and the Administrator of National Aeronautics and Space Administration, shall submit to the congressional defense committees, the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate, and the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology of the House of Representatives a report on safe orbital launch trajectory options from inland and nontraditional launch sites. (b) Elements.--The report required by subsection (a) shall include the following: (1) An assessment of the flight safety requirements necessary to permit overland launch trajectories for both expendable and partially or fully reusable launch systems to the various inclinations and orbital regimes, including Low- Earth Orbit (LEO), Medium-Earth Orbit (MEO), Geostationary Orbit (GEO), and Highly Elliptical Orbit (HEO). (2) Public safety and debris-risk modeling for prospective full-cycle launch and reentry operations, including economic and environmental impacts. (3) An evaluation of the types of full-cycle launch and reentry vehicles suitable for inland and nontraditional sites, explicitly addressing the infrastructure required to support vertical launch capabilities and distinguishing among expendable, partially reusable, and fully reusable launch systems. (4) A cost estimate for the infrastructure and operational needs associated with activating and using individual inland and nontraditional launch sites, considering both existing commercial spaceport infrastructure and potential new sites. (5) A cost-benefit analysis weighing the national security resilience benefits of expanded launch infrastructure with the substantial investments required to support heavy-lift launch vehicles. (6) An analysis of the manner in which such alternative launch options will inform future operational and capability requirements for national security launch providers. (7) A framework for integrating nontraditional and inland ranges into the national launch enterprise through Federal range services, dynamic airspace management, and flexible deployment capabilities. (8) The assumptions and conditions on which the report is based and an assessment of their viability. (c) Form.--The report required by subsection (a) shall be submitted in unclassified form but may contain a classified annex. ______