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Congress·In Committee·H.R. 8198

OUTPACE in Space Act

Space Operations: Boosting Commercial Launches and Security

The OUTPACE in Space Act is currently in the early stages of the legislative process. It was recently sent to the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology for review. No further actions are scheduled at this time.

Legislative Progress

House
Senate
President
Law
Unlikely to pass

While there is strong interest in competing with China in space, this bill is in the very early stages and has not yet gained broad bipartisan support or a matching version in the Senate.

Key Points

  • This bill aims to help American space companies launch and land rockets more often. It requires the government to make sure there is enough room in the sky for both regular airplanes and new high-speed space vehicles to operate safely at the same time.
  • The FAA would be required to change its safety rules to make it easier for companies to land rockets on land instead of just in the ocean. This change is intended to help the space industry grow by allowing for faster and more frequent missions.
  • To help the government keep up with the fast-moving space industry, the FAA would get special permission to hire aerospace experts quickly. They could skip some of the usual long government hiring steps to fill empty jobs in the space transportation office.
  • The bill bans the Department of Transportation and the Department of Commerce from working with certain foreign countries on space research. This is meant to protect American technology and secrets from being shared with rival nations like China or Russia.

Impact Analysis

Govbase has not yet run an impact analysis on this legislation.

Milestones

2 milestones2 actions
Apr 6, 2026House

Referred to the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology.

Apr 6, 2026

Introduced in House

The bill was officially filed and given a number. It now enters the legislative queue.

Votes

No votes have been recorded for this legislation yet.

News

No related news coverage found for this legislation yet.

Source Information

Document Type

Congressional Bill

Official Title

OUTPACE in Space Act

Bill NumberHR 8198
Congress119th Congress
ChamberHouse of Representatives
Latest ActionReferred to the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology.

Sponsor

Analysis generated by AI. Always verify with official sources.