USC Chapter 203

in effect

51 U.S.C. § 20301 General responsibilities

(a) Programs.—The Administrator shall ensure that the Administration carries out a balanced set of programs that shall include, at a minimum, programs in—(1) human space flight, in accordance with section 20302 of this title; (2) aeronautics research and development; and (3) scientific research, which shall include, at a minimum—(A) robotic missions to study the Moon and other planets and their moons, and to deepen understanding of astronomy, astrophysics, and other areas of science that can be productively studied from space; (B) Earth science research and research on the Sun-Earth connection through the development and operation of research satellites and other means; (C) support of university research in space science, Earth science, and microgravity science; and (D) research on microgravity, including research that is not directly related to human exploration. (b) Consultation and Coordination.—In carrying out the programs of the Administration, the Administrator shall—(1) consult and coordinate to the extent appropriate with other relevant Federal agencies, including through the National Science and Technology Council; (2) work closely with the private sector, including by—(A) encouraging the work of entrepreneurs who are seeking to develop new means to launch satellites, crew, or cargo; (B) contracting with the private sector for crew and cargo services, including to the International Space Station, to the extent practicable; (C) using commercially available products (including software) and services to the extent practicable to support all Administration activities; and (D) encouraging commercial use and development of space to the greatest extent practicable; and (3) involve other nations to the extent appropriate.

51 U.S.C. § 20302 Vision for space exploration

(a) In General.—The Administrator shall establish a program to develop a sustained human presence in cis-lunar space or on the Moon, including a robust precursor program, to promote exploration, science, commerce, and United States preeminence in space, and as a stepping-stone to future exploration of Mars and other destinations. The Administrator is further authorized to develop and conduct appropriate international collaborations in pursuit of these goals. (b) Future Exploration of Mars.—The Administrator shall manage human space flight programs, including the Space Launch System and Orion, to enable humans to explore Mars and other destinations by defining a series of sustainable steps and conducting mission planning, research, and technology development on a timetable that is technically and fiscally possible, consistent with section 70504. (c) Definitions.—In this section:(1) Orion.—The term “Orion” means the multipurpose crew vehicle described under section 303 of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration Authorization Act of 2010 (42 U.S.C. 18323). (2) Space launch system.—The term “Space Launch System” means has the meaning 11 So in original. given the term in section 3 of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration Authorization Act of 2010 (42 U.S.C. 18302).

51 U.S.C. § 20303 Contribution to innovation

(a) Participation in Interagency Activities.—The Administration shall be a full participant in any interagency effort to promote innovation and economic competitiveness through near-term and long-term basic scientific research and development and the promotion of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics education, consistent with the Administration’s mission, including authorized activities. (b) Historic Foundation.—In order to carry out the participation described in subsection (a), the Administrator shall build on the historic role of the Administration in stimulating excellence in the advancement of physical science and engineering disciplines and in providing opportunities and incentives for the pursuit of academic studies in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. (c) Balanced Science Program and Robust Authorization Levels.—The balanced science program authorized by section 101(d) of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration Authorization Act of 2005 (42 U.S.C. 16611(d)) 11 See References in Text note below. shall be an element of the contribution by the Administration to the interagency programs. (d) Annual Report.—(1) Requirement.—The Administrator shall submit to Congress and the President an annual report describing the activities conducted pursuant to this section, including a description of the goals and the objective metrics upon which funding decisions were made. (2) Content.—Each report submitted pursuant to paragraph (1) shall include, with regard to science, technology, engineering, and mathematics education programs, at a minimum, the following:(A) A description of each program. (B) The amount spent on each program. (C) The number of students or teachers served by each program.

51 U.S.C. § 20304 Basic research enhancement

(a) Definition of Basic Research.—In this section, the term “basic research” has the meaning given the term in Office of Management and Budget Circular No. A–11. (b) Coordination.—The Administrator, the Director of the National Science Foundation, the Secretary of Energy, the Secretary of Defense, and the Secretary of Commerce shall, to the extent practicable, coordinate basic research activities related to physical sciences, technology, engineering, and mathematics.

51 U.S.C. § 20305 National Academies decadal surveys

(a) In General.—The Administrator shall enter into agreements on a periodic basis with the National Academies for independent assessments, also known as decadal surveys, to take stock of the status and opportunities for Earth and space science discipline fields and Aeronautics research and to recommend priorities for research and programmatic areas over the next decade. (b) Independent Cost Estimates.—The agreements described in subsection (a) shall include independent estimates of the life cycle costs and technical readiness of missions assessed in the decadal surveys whenever possible. (c) Reexamination.—The Administrator shall request that each National Academies decadal survey committee identify any conditions or events, such as significant cost growth or scientific or technological advances, that would warrant the Administration asking the National Academies to reexamine the priorities that the decadal survey had established.

51 U.S.C. § 20306 Special appropriations for Mars missions, Artemis missions, and Moon to Mars program

(a) In General.—In addition to amounts otherwise available, there is appropriated to the Administration for fiscal year 2025, out of any money in the Treasury not otherwise appropriated, $9,995,000,000, to remain available until September 30, 2032, to use as follows:(1) $700,000,000, to be obligated not later than fiscal year 2026, for the procurement, using a competitively bid, firm fixed-price contract with a United States commercial provider (as defined in section 50101(7)), of a high-performance Mars telecommunications orbiter—(A) that—(i) is capable of providing robust, continuous communications for—(I) a Mars sample return mission, as described in section 432(3)(C) of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration Transition Authorization Act of 2017 (51 U.S.C. 20302 note; Public Law 115–10); and (II) future Mars surface, orbital, and human exploration missions; (ii) supports autonomous operations, onboard processing, and extended mission duration capabilities; and (iii) is selected from among the commercial proposals that—(I) received funding from the Administration in fiscal year 2024 or 2025 for commercial design studies for Mars Sample Return; and (II) proposed a separate, independently launched Mars telecommunication orbiter supporting an end-to-end Mars sample return mission; and (B) which shall be delivered to the Administration not later than December 31, 2028. (2) $2,600,000,000 to meet the requirements of section 20302(a) using the program of record known, as of the date of the enactment of this section, as “Gateway”, and as described in section 10811(b)(2)(B)(iv) of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration Authorization Act of 2022 (51 U.S.C. 20302 note; Public Law 117–167), of which not less than $750,000,000 shall be obligated for each of fiscal years 2026, 2027, and 2028. (3) $4,100,000,000 for expenses related to meeting the requirements of section 10812 of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration Authorization Act of 2022 (51 U.S.C. 20301; 11 So in original. Probably should be “51 U.S.C. 20301 note;”. Public Law 117–167) for the procurement, transportation, integration, operation, and other necessary expenses of the Space Launch System for Artemis Missions IV and V, of which not less than $1,025,000,000 shall be obligated for each of fiscal years 2026, 2027, 2028, and 2029. (4) $20,000,000 for expenses related to the continued procurement of the multi-purpose crew vehicle described in section 303 of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration Authorization Act of 2010 (42 U.S.C. 18323), known as the “Orion”, for use with the Space Launch System on the Artemis IV Mission and reuse in subsequent Artemis Missions, of which not less than $20,000,000 shall be obligated not later than fiscal year 2026. (5) $1,250,000,000 for expenses related to the operation of the International Space Station and for the purpose of meeting the requirement under section 503(a) of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration Authorization Act of 2010 (42 U.S.C. 18353(a)), of which not less than $250,000,000 shall be obligated for such expenses for each of fiscal years 2025, 2026, 2027, 2028, and 2029. (6) $1,000,000,000 for infrastructure improvements at the manned spaceflight centers of the Administration, of which not less than—(A) $120,000,000 shall be obligated not later than fiscal year 2026 for construction, revitalization, recapitalization, or other infrastructure projects and improvements at the center described in Executive Order 12641 (53 Fed. Reg. 18816; relating to designating certain facilities of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration in the State of Mississippi as the John C. Stennis Space Center); (B) $250,000,000 shall be obligated not later than fiscal year 2026 for construction, revitalization, recapitalization, or other infrastructure projects and improvements at the center described in Executive Order 11129 (28 Fed. Reg. 12787; relating to designating certain facilities of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration and of the Department of Defense, in the State of Florida, as the John F. Kennedy Space Center); (C) $300,000,000 shall be obligated not later than fiscal year 2026 for construction, revitalization, recapitalization, or other infrastructure projects and improvements at the center described in the Joint Resolution entitled “Joint Resolution to designate the Manned Spacecraft Center in Houston, Texas, as the ‘Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center’ in honor of the late President”, approved February 17, 1973 (Public Law 93–8; 87 Stat. 7); (D) $100,000,000 shall be obligated not later than fiscal year 2026 for construction, revitalization, recapitalization, or other infrastructure projects and improvements at the center described in Executive Order 10870 (25 Fed. Reg. 2197; relating to designating the facilities of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration at Huntsville, Alabama, as the George C. Marshall Space Flight Center); (E) $30,000,000 shall be obligated not later than fiscal year 2026 for construction, revitalization, recapitalization, or other infrastructure projects and improvements at the Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans, Louisiana; and (F) $85,000,000 shall be obligated to carry out subsection (b), of which not less than $5,000,000 shall be obligated for the transportation of the space vehicle described in that subsection, with the remainder transferred not later than the date that is 18 months after the date of the enactment of this section to the entity designated under that subsection, for the purpose of construction of a facility to house the space vehicle referred to in that subsection. (7) $325,000,000 to fulfill contract number 80JSC024CA002 issued by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration on June 26, 2024. (b) Space Vehicle Transfer.—(1) In general.—Not later than 30 days after the date of the enactment of this section, the Administrator shall identify a space vehicle described in paragraph (2) to be—(A) transferred to a field center of the Administration that is involved in the administration of the Commercial Crew Program (as described in section 302 of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration Transition Authorization Act of 2017 (51 U.S.C. 50111 note; Public Law 115–10)); and (B) placed on public exhibition at an entity within the Metropolitan Statistical Area where such center is located. (2) Space vehicle described.—A space vehicle described in this paragraph is a vessel that—(A) has flown into space; (B) has carried astronauts; and (C) is selected with the concurrence of an entity designated by the Administrator. (3) Transfer.—Not later than 18 months after the date of the enactment of this section, the space vehicle identified under paragraph (1) shall be transferred to an entity designated by the Administrator. (c) Obligation of Funds.—Funds appropriated under subsection (a) shall be obligated as follows:(1) Not less than 50 percent of the total funds in subsection (a) shall be obligated not later than September 30, 2028. (2) 100 percent of funds shall be obligated not later than September 30, 2029. (3) All associated outlays shall occur not later than September 30, 2034.