51 U.S.C. § 60134: Preference for private sector land remote sensing system

If a successor land remote sensing system to Landsat 7 can be funded and managed by the private sector while still achieving the goals stated in subsection (b) without jeopardizing the domestic, national security, and foreign policy interests of the United States, preference should be given to the development of such a system by the private sector without competition from the United States Government. to encourage the development, launch, and operation of a land remote sensing system that adequately serves the civilian, national security, commercial, and foreign policy interests of the United States; to encourage the development, launch, and operation of a land remote sensing system that maintains data continuity with the Landsat system; and to incorporate system enhancements, including any such enhancements developed under the technology demonstration program under section 60133 of this title , which may potentially yield a system that is less expensive to build and operate, and more responsive to data users, than is the Landsat system otherwise projected to be in operation in the future.