SENSE OF CONGRESS CONCERNING UNITED STATES COMMERCIAL SPACE LAUNCH CAPACITY.

SEC. 1612. SENSE OF CONGRESS CONCERNING UNITED STATES COMMERCIAL SPACE LAUNCH CAPACITY. (a) Sense of Congress Concerning United States Commercial Space Launch Capacity.—It is the sense of Congress that Congress and the President should work together to stimulate and encourage the expansion of a commercial space launch capacity in the United States, including by taking actions to eliminate legal or regulatory barriers to long-term competitiveness of the United States commercial space launch industry. (b) Sense of Congress Concerning Policy of Permitting Export of Commercial Satellites to People’s Republic of China for Launch.—It is the sense of Congress that Congress and the President should— (1) reexamine the current United States policy of permitting the export of commercial satellites of United States origin to the People’s Republic of China for launch; (2) review the advantages and disadvantages of phasing out that policy, including in that review advantages and disadvantages identified by Congress, the executive branch, the United States satellite industry, the United States space launch industry, the United States telecommunications industry, and other interested persons; and (3) if the phase out of that policy is adopted, permit the export of a commercial satellite of United States origin for launch in the People’s Republic of China only if— (A) the launch is licensed as of the commencement of the phase out of that policy; and (B) additional actions under section 1514 of the Strom Thurmond National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 1999 (Public Law 105–261; 112 Stat. 2175; 22 U.S.C. 2778 note) are taken to minimize the transfer of technology to the People’s Republic of China during the course of the launch.