Get License from NOAA before photgraphing the Earth.

[johnastovall]

NOAA Open Letter to Google Lunar X PRIZE Participants



"As part of your effort to win the Google Lunar X PRIZE, will your entry or any related facilities be capable of actively or passively sensing the Earth’s surface, including
bodies of water, from space by making use of the properties of the electromagnetic waves emitted, reflected, or diffracted by the sensed objects?
If so, and if your team is based wholly or partially in the USA, you may need to apply for a license from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). This is because Land Remote Sensing Policy Act of 1992 and its implementing regulations require any person subject to the jurisdiction or control of the United States who operates or proposes to operate a private remote sensing space system that images the Earth, and/or establishes substantial connections with the United States regarding the operation of such a system to obtain a license from NOAA."

 

[TRSmith]

Hey, thanks for the reminder. Now, where did I put that license application?

 

[Dale Allyn]

My rocket is in the shop, so I still have time to take care of this.

Thanks, John!

 

[Bob]

Time to vote out all incumbents in congress I think.
-bob

 

[Stuart Richardson]

I think this is aimed at people (well, companies) launching their own spy satellites more than at photographers. It is to prevent US based companies from launching surveillance satellites and then selling their services on the open market. There are already services where you can do this sort of thing, so the government wants to have some control over it. Some terrorist can pay a few thousand dollars and get high resolution satellite photos of anything in the US, including military facilities and so on. I believe the law is aimed at regulating that sector of the industry, rather than preventing photographers from taking general photos of the Earth. I do appreciate the irony though.