§ 5612. Procurement of Landsat 7

• (a) Contract negotiations

  The Landsat Program Management shall, subject to appropriations and only under the existing contract authority of the United States Government agencies that compose the Landsat Program Management, expeditiously contract with a United States private sector entity for the development and delivery of Landsat 7.

• (b) Development and delivery consideration

  In negotiating a contract under this section for the development and delivery of Landsat 7, the Landsat Program Management shall -

  • (1) seek, as a fundamental objective, to have Landsat 7 operational by the expected end of the design life of Landsat 6;
  • (2) seek to ensure data continuity by the development and delivery of a satellite which is, at a minimum, functionally equivalent to the Landsat 6 satellite; and
  • (3) seek to incorporate in Landsat 7 any performance improvements required to meet United States Government needs that would not jeopardize data continuity.
• (c) Notification of cost and schedule changes

  The Landsat Program Management shall promptly notify the Congress of any significant deviations from the expected cost, delivery date, and launch date of Landsat 7, that are specified by the Landsat Program Management upon award of the contract under this section.

• (d) United States private sector entities

  The Landsat Program Management shall, for purposes of this chapter, define the term "United States private sector entities", taking into account the location of operations, assets, personnel, and other such factors.