IIB 

118TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 8958 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

SEPTEMBER 24, 2024 

Received; read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, 

and Transportation 

AN ACT 

To reauthorize the National Aeronautics and Space 

Administration, and for other purposes. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 


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1 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE; TABLE OF CONTENTS. 

2 (a) SHORT TITLE.—This Act may be cited as the 

3 ‘‘NASA Reauthorization Act of 2024’’. 

4 (b) TABLE OF CONTENTS.—The table of contents for 

5 this Act is as follows: 

Sec. 1. Short title; table of contents. 

Sec. 2. Definitions. 

TITLE I—AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS 

Sec. 101. Fiscal year 2025. 

TITLE II—EXPLORATION 

Sec. 201. Continuity of purpose for space exploration. 

Sec. 202. Artemis program. 

Sec. 203. Reaffirmation of the Space Launch System. 

Sec. 204. Human-rated lunar landing capabilities. 

Sec. 205. Advanced spacesuit capabilities. 

TITLE III—SPACE OPERATIONS 

Sec. 301. Report on continued United States presence in low earth orbit. 

Sec. 302. International Space Station. 

Sec. 303. Nongovernmental missions on the International Space Station. 

Sec. 304. Report on suborbital crew missions. 

Sec. 305. United States deorbit capabilities. 

Sec. 306. Commercial low-earth orbit development. 

Sec. 307. Risk of losing access to low-earth orbit. 

Sec. 308. Maintenance of service for International Space Station. 

Sec. 309. Orbital debris research and development. 

Sec. 310. Restriction on Federal funds relating to certain Chinese space and 

scientific activities. 

TITLE IV—SPACE TECHNOLOGY 

Sec. 401. SBIR phase II flexibility. 

Sec. 402. Lunar power purchase agreement program. 

Sec. 403. Cryogenic fluid valve technology review. 

Sec. 404. Lunar communications. 

Sec. 405. Celestial time standardization. 

TITLE V—AERONAUTICS 

Sec. 501. Definitions. 

Sec. 502. Experimental aircraft demonstrations. 

Sec. 503. Hypersonic research. 

Sec. 504. Advanced materials and manufacturing technology. 

Sec. 505. Unmanned aircraft system and advanced air mobility. 

Sec. 506. Advanced capabilities for emergency response operations. 

Sec. 507. Hydrogen aviation. 

Sec. 508. High-performance chase aircraft. 


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Sec. 509. Collaboration with academia. 

Sec. 510. National student unmanned aircraft systems competition program. 

Sec. 511. Decadal survey for national aeronautics research and priorities review. 

Sec. 512. Making advancements in commercial hypersonics. 

TITLE VI—SCIENCE 

Sec. 601. Maintaining a balanced science portfolio. 

Sec. 602. Implementation of science mission cost-caps. 

Sec. 603. Reexamination of decadal surveys. 

Sec. 604. Landsat. 

Sec. 605. Private earth observation data. 

Sec. 606. Commercial satellite data. 

Sec. 607. Greenhouse gas emission measurements. 

Sec. 608. NASA data for agricultural applications. 

Sec. 609. Planetary science portfolio. 

Sec. 610. Planetary defense. 

Sec. 611. Lunar discovery and exploration. 

Sec. 612. Commercial lunar payload services. 

Sec. 613. Planetary and lunar operations. 

Sec. 614. Mars sample return. 

Sec. 615. Hubble space telescope servicing. 

Sec. 616. Great observatories mission and technology maturation. 

Sec. 617. Nancy Grace Roman telescope. 

Sec. 618. Chandra X-Ray observatory. 

Sec. 619. Heliophysics research. 

Sec. 620. Study on commercial space weather data. 

Sec. 621. Geospace dynamics constellation. 

Sec. 622. Technology development for wildland fire science, management, and 

mitigation. 

Sec. 623. Implementation of recommendations by the National Wildland Fire 

Management and Mitigation Commission. 

TITLE VII—STEM EDUCATION 

Sec. 701. National space grant college and fellowship program. 

Sec. 702. Skilled technical workforce education outreach. 

TITLE VIII—POLICY/NASA 

Sec. 801. Major programs. 

Sec. 802. NASA advisory council. 

Sec. 803. NASA assessment of early cost estimates. 

Sec. 804. Independent cost estimate. 

Sec. 805. Office of Technology, Policy, and Strategy report. 

Sec. 806. Authorization for the transfer to NASA of funds from other agencies 

for scientific or engineering research or education. 

Sec. 807. Procedure for launch services risk mitigation. 

Sec. 808. Report on merits and options for establishing an institute relating to 

space resources. 

Sec. 809. Reports to Congress. 

Sec. 810. Contract flexibility. 

Sec. 811. GAO report. 

Sec. 812. NASA public-private talent program. 

Sec. 813. Report on Space Act agreements. 


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Sec. 814. Mentoring. 

Sec. 815. Drinking water well replacement for Chincoteague, Virginia. 

Sec. 816. Rule of construction. 

1 SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS. 

2 In this Act: 

3 (1) ADMINISTRATOR.—The term ‘‘Adminis4 trator’’ means the Administrator of the National 

5 Aeronautics and Space Administration. 

6 (2) APPROPRIATE COMMITTEES OF CON7 GRESS.—The term ‘‘appropriate committees of Con8 gress’’ means— 

9 (A) the Committee on Commerce, Science, 

10 and Transportation of the Senate; and 

11 (B) the Committee on Science, Space, and 

12 Technology of the House of Representatives. 

13 (3) CISLUNAR SPACE.—The term ‘‘cislunar 

14 space’’ means the region of space beyond low-Earth 

15 orbit out to and including the region around the sur16 face of the Moon. 

17 (4) COMMERCIAL PROVIDER.—The term ‘‘com18 mercial provider’’ means any person providing space 

19 services or space-related capabilities, primary control 

20 of which is held by persons other than the Federal 

21 Government, a State or local government, or a for22 eign government. 


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1 (5) DEEP SPACE.—The term ‘‘deep space’’ 

2 means the region of space beyond low-Earth orbit, 

3 which includes cislunar space. 

4 (6) ISS.—The term ‘‘ISS’’ means the Inter5 national Space Station. 

6 (7) NASA.—The term ‘‘NASA’’ means the Na7 tional Aeronautics and Space Administration. 

8 (8) ORION.—The term ‘‘Orion’’ means the mul9 tipurpose crew vehicle described under section 303 

10 of the National Aeronautics and Space Administra11 tion Authorization Act of 2010 (42 U.S.C. 18323). 

12 (9) SPACE LAUNCH SYSTEM.—The term ‘‘Space 

13 Launch System’’ means the Space Launch System 

14 authorized under section 302 of the National Aero15 nautics and Space Administration Authorization Act 

16 of 2010 (42 U.S.C. 18322). 

17 TITLE I—AUTHORIZATION OF 

18 APPROPRIATIONS 

19 SEC. 101. FISCAL YEAR 2025. 

20 For fiscal year 2025, there are authorized to be ap21 propriated to NASA $25,224,640,000 as follows: 

22 (1) For the Exploration Systems Development 

23 Mission Directorate, $7,618,200,000. 

24 (2) For the Space Operations Mission Direc25 torate, $4,473,500,000. 


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1 (3) For the Space Technology Mission Direc2 torate, $1,181,800,000. 

3 (4) For the Science Mission Directorate, 

4 $7,334,200,000. 

5 (5) For the Aeronautics Research Mission Di6 rectorate, $965,800,000. 

7 (6) For the Office of STEM Engagement, 

8 $135,000,000. 

9 (7) For Safety, Security, and Mission Services, 

10 $3,044,440,000. 

11 (8) For Construction and Environmental Com12 pliance and Restoration, $424,100,000. 

13 (9) For Inspector General, $47,600,000. 

14 TITLE II—EXPLORATION 

15 SEC. 201. CONTINUITY OF PURPOSE FOR SPACE EXPLO16 RATION. 

17 (a) FINDINGS.—Congress finds the following: 

18 (1) NASA continues to make progress in devel19 oping and testing the Space Launch System, Orion, 

20 and associated ground systems, including through 

21 the successful completion of the Artemis I mission in 

22 November 2022 and through continued preparations 

23 for the Artemis II crewed flight demonstration mis24 sion. 


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1 (2) The number of spacefaring countries is in2 creasing, and foreign countries have expanded activi3 ties for space exploration efforts, including efforts to 

4 explore and utilize the Moon through human and 

5 robotic missions. 

6 (3) A strong and ambitious space exploration 

7 program conducted with international and commer8 cial partners is important to maintaining United 

9 States leadership in space and enhancing United 

10 States international competitiveness. 

11 (4) Clear mission objectives that tie to concrete, 

12 long-term programmatic goals provide a measure to 

13 ensure accountability, enhance public support for ex14 ploration missions, and provide a clear signal of 

15 commitment to both international and domestic 

16 partners. 

17 (b) CONTINUITY OF EXISTING CAPABILITIES AND

18 PROGRAMS.— 

19 (1) As part of the human exploration activities 

20 of the Administration, including progress on Artemis 

21 missions and activities, the Administrator shall con22 tinue development of space exploration elements pur23 suant to section 10811 of the National Aeronautics 

24 and Space Administration Authorization Act of 2022 

25 (Public Law 117–167; 51 U.S.C. 20302). 


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1 (2) The Administrator shall leverage the private 

2 sector for logistical services to the extent practical, 

3 consistent with the Moon to Mars architecture re4 quirements and in accordance with section 50131 of 

5 title 51, United States Code. 

6 (3) Congress reaffirms the sense of Congress to 

7 maintain continuity of purpose as described in sec8 tion 201 of the 2017 NASA Transition Authoriza9 tion Act (Public Law 115–10; 131 Stat. 21). 

10 SEC. 202. ARTEMIS PROGRAM. 

11 (a) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—The following is the sense 

12 of Congress: 

13 (1) Exploration of outer space, including explo14 ration of the lunar surface and cislunar space, pro15 vides benefits and economic opportunity, including 

16 by inspiring future generations and expanding the 

17 science, technology, engineering, and mathematics 

18 workforce needed to sustain United States leader19 ship in science, space, and technology. 

20 (2) The lunar south pole is home to shadowed 

21 craters that may contain water ice and other 

22 volatiles. Understanding the nature of lunar polar 

23 volatiles, such as water ice, would advance science 

24 related to the origin and evolution of volatiles in the 

25 inner solar system and could facilitate the long-term 


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1 future of space exploration. Water ice lunar re2 sources have the potential to become an enabling 

3 component of future space exploration missions 

4 throughout the solar system, including crewed mis5 sions to Mars. 

6 (3) Other countries have demonstrated techno7 logical advances and successful robotic missions for 

8 lunar exploration and have announced credible plans 

9 for long-term human exploration of the Moon that 

10 include the intent to establish lunar bases. 

11 (4) United States leadership of and measurable 

12 progress on the exploration of deep space is essential 

13 for guiding development of norms related to oper14 ations on and around the Moon and for other space 

15 destinations. 

16 (5) It is in the national interest of the United 

17 States to hold a leadership role in discussions of fu18 ture norms governing activities in space, including 

19 those on the lunar surface and in cislunar space. 

20 (b) IN GENERAL.—In carrying out activities to en21 able Artemis missions under the Moon to Mars Program 

22 set forth in section 10811 of the National Aeronautics and 

23 Space Administration Authorization Act of 2022 (Public 

24 Law 117–167), the Administrator shall— 


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1 (1) use relevant elements set forth in section 

2 10811(b)(2)(B) of the National Aeronautics and 

3 Space Administration Authorization Act of 2022 

4 (Public Law 117–167); 

5 (2) continue to ensure that the elements under 

6 paragraph (1) enable the human exploration of 

7 Mars, consistent with section 10811(b)(2)(C)(i) of 

8 the National Aeronautics and Space Administration 

9 Authorization Act of 2022 (Public Law 117–167); 

10 (3) engage with international partners, as ap11 propriate, in a manner that is consistent with sec12 tion 10811(b)(2)(C) the National Aeronautics and 

13 Space Administration Authorization Act of 2022 

14 (Public Law 117–167), and that increases redun15 dancy, efficiency, and cost savings; and 

16 (4) leverage capabilities provided by United 

17 States commercial providers, as appropriate and 

18 practicable. 

19 (c) UNITED STATES COMMERCIAL PROVIDER CAPA20 BILITIES IN SUPPORT OF LUNAR EXPLORATION EF21 FORTS.—The Administrator may enter into agreements 

22 with United States commercial providers or engage in pub23 lic-private partnerships to procure capabilities and services 

24 to support the human exploration of the Moon or cislunar 

25 space. 


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1 SEC. 203. REAFFIRMATION OF THE SPACE LAUNCH SYS2 TEM. 

3 (a) SPACE LAUNCH SYSTEM.— 

4 (1) DEVELOPMENT AND CADENCE OBJEC5 TIVES.—Congress reaffirms— 

6 (A) support for the full development of ca7 pabilities of the Space Launch System as set 

8 forth in section 302(c) of the National Aero9 nautics and Space Administration Authorization 

10 Act of 2010 (42 U.S.C. 18322(c)); and 

11 (B) its commitment to the flight rate of 

12 the integrated Space Launch System and Orion 

13 crew vehicle missions set forth in section 

14 10812(b) of the National Aeronautics and 

15 Space Administration Authorization Act of 

16 2022 (Public Law 117–167; 51 U.S.C. 20301 

17 note). 

18 (2) OTHER USES.—The Administrator shall as19 sess the demand for the Space Launch System by 

20 entities other than NASA and shall break out such 

21 demand according to the relevant Federal agency or 

22 nongovernment sector. This assessment may— 

23 (A) estimate cost and schedule savings 

24 from reduced transit times and the potential for 

25 increased returns enabled by the unique capa26 bilities of the Space Launch System; 


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1 (B) describe any barriers or challenges 

2 that could impede use of the Space Launch 

3 System by entities other than NASA; and 

4 (C) identify potential actions and costs as5 sociated with overcoming barriers and chal6 lenges described in subparagraph (B). 

7 (b) REPORT.—Not later than 180 days after the date 

8 of the enactment of this Act, the Administrator shall sub9 mit to the appropriate committees of Congress a report 

10 describing the following: 

11 (1) NASA’s progress towards achieving the 

12 flight rate referred to in subsection (a)(1)(B) and 

13 the expected launch of the integrated Space Launch 

14 System and Orion crew vehicle missions after which 

15 such cadence shall be achieved. 

16 (2) The results of the assessment conducted 

17 pursuant to subsection (a)(2). 

18 SEC. 204. HUMAN-RATED LUNAR LANDING CAPABILITIES. 

19 (a) REAFFIRMATION.—Congress reaffirms that the 

20 Moon to Mars program set forth in section 10811 of the 

21 National Aeronautics and Space Administration Author22 ization Act of 2022 (Public Law 117–167; 51 U.S.C. 

23 20302 note.; 136 Stat. 1732) shall include human-rated 

24 lunar landing systems. 


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1 (b) HUMAN-RATED LUNAR LANDING CAPABILI2 TIES.— 

3 (1) The Administrator shall support the devel4 opment and demonstration of, and shall obtain, 

5 human-rated lunar landing capabilities to further 

6 the goals of the human exploration roadmap under 

7 section 432 of the National Aeronautics and Space 

8 Administration Transition Authorization Act of 

9 2017 (Public Law 115–10; 51 U.S.C. 20302 note) 

10 and the Moon to Mars Program set forth in section 

11 10811 of the National Aeronautics and Space Ad12 ministration Authorization Act of 2022 (Public Law 

13 117–167). 

14 (2) The Administrator shall ensure that such 

15 human-rated lunar landing capabilities meet all rel16 evant requirements, including requirements of the 

17 Moon to Mars program, and for human-rating and 

18 certification. 

19 (3) Any commercial provider from which the 

20 Administrator obtains human-rated lunar landing 

21 capabilities must be a United States commercial pro22 vider. 

23 (4) In carrying out paragraph (1)— 

24 (A) the Administrator may include 

25 uncrewed lunar landing services; and 


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1 (B) the Administrator shall, subject to the 

2 availability of appropriations for such purpose, 

3 seek to obtain capabilities from not fewer than 

4 two commercial providers. 

5 (c) REPORT.—The Administrator shall submit to the 

6 appropriate committees of Congress the following: 

7 (1) Not later than 60 days after the date of the 

8 enactment of this Act, a report— 

9 (A) identifying the contribution over the 

10 past five years, and the planned contribution 

11 for 2024–2029, of government personnel, exper12 tise, technologies and infrastructure utilized 

13 and to be utilized in support of design, develop14 ment, or operation of human lunar landing ca15 pabilities under this section; and 

16 (B) setting forth details and the associated 

17 costs of such government support, broken out 

18 according to the areas of contribution specified 

19 in subparagraph (A), as part of any develop20 ment initiative for obtaining human lunar land21 ing capabilities. 

22 (2) Not later than 90 days after the date of the 

23 enactment of this Act, a report that sets forth, for 

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1 vider for human lunar landing capabilities, the fol2 lowing: 

3 (A) The total value of the agreement when 

4 awarded. 

5 (B) If different from the amount in sub6 paragraph (A), the total value of the agreement 

7 as of the date of the enactment of this Act, and 

8 an explanation for any change in value, as well 

9 as an identification of whether NASA or the 

10 commercial partner is responsible for meeting 

11 the change in value. 

12 (C) The dollar amount invested and to be 

13 invested by the Administration, and the dollar 

14 amount invested and to be invested by the com15 mercial partner. 

16 (D) The full requirements, including 

17 human-rating and safety requirements, for 

18 human lunar landing capabilities under the 

19 agreement when awarded. 

20 (E) If different from the amount specified 

21 in subparagraph (C), the full requirements, in22 cluding human-rating and certification require23 ments, for the human lunar landing capabilities 

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1 actment of this Act and an explanation for any 

2 changes in requirements. 

3 (F) A description of milestone and associ4 ated payments provided for in the agreement, 

5 including the following: 

6 (i) An identification of all milestones 

7 under the agreement. 

8 (ii) The value of the associated pay9 ment for each milestone identified under 

10 clause (i). 

11 (iii) An identification of completed 

12 milestones and the date of completion. 

13 (iv) An identification of milestones 

14 which have not yet been completed and an 

15 estimated schedule for completion. 

16 (v) The value of all NASA payments 

17 under the agreement, outlays as of the 

18 date of the enactment of this Act, and the 

19 amount which as of the date of the enact20 ment of this Act has not yet been paid. 

21 (vi) a description of any changes in 

22 milestones and associated payments be23 tween the date of contract award and the 

24 date of the enactment of this Act. 


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1 (G) Any cost, schedule, and performance 

2 challenges as of the date of the enactment of 

3 this Act in provider performance of the agree4 ment. 

5 (H) A detailed justification of compliance 

6 with section 30301 of title 51, United States 

7 Code. 

8 (I) A detailed certification and justification 

9 of compliance with section 50503 of title 51, 

10 United States Code. 

11 (3) Not later than 180 days after the date of 

12 the enactment of this Act, in consultation with any 

13 United States commercial provider that is party to 

14 an agreement with NASA for human lunar landing 

15 capabilities under this section, a report on any steps 

16 the Administrator and such providers are taking to 

17 carry out the following: 

18 (A) Address cost, schedule, and perform19 ance challenges faced by each commercial pro20 vider in development and performance of 

21 human lunar landing capabilities described in 

22 paragraph (2)(G). 

23 (B) Facilitate the timely availability of 

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1 sions in effect as of the date of the enactment 

2 of this Act, as applicable to each provider. 

3 (4) Not later than 180 days after the date of 

4 the enactment of this Act, a report on alternative 

5 approaches, and implementation plans for such ap6 proaches, including an estimate of needed budgetary 

7 resources, for a human lunar landing capability that 

8 meets NASA human-rating and certification require9 ments in the event challenges referred to in para10 graph (3)(A) cannot be overcome or the timeline 

11 specified in paragraph (3)(B) cannot be met. 

12 SEC. 205. ADVANCED SPACESUIT CAPABILITIES. 

13 (a) FINDINGS.—Congress finds the following: 

14 (1) Space suits and associated extravehicular 

15 activity (EVA) technologies are critical exploration 

16 technologies that are necessary for future human 

17 deep space exploration efforts, including crewed mis18 sions to the Moon. 

19 (2) The NASA civil service workforce at the 

20 Johnson Space Center provides unique capabilities 

21 to design, integrate, and validate Space Suits and 

22 associated EVA technologies. 

23 (3) Maintaining a strong NASA core com24 petency in the design, development, manufacture, 

25 and operation of space suits and related technologies 


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1 allows NASA to be an informed purchaser of com2 petitively awarded commercial space suits and sub3 components. 

4 (4) According to a 2018 NASA Office of In5 spector General (OIG) report, current EVAs space 

6 suits, the Extravehicular Mobility Units (EMUs), 

7 were developed in the late 1970s, are reaching the 

8 end of their useful life, have experienced multiple 

9 maintenance issues that threaten astronaut lives, 

10 and no longer accommodate the varying sizes of a 

11 diverse astronaut corps. 

12 (5) The same NASA OIG report found that ‘‘* 

13 * * manufacturers of several critical suit compo14 nents, including the very fibers of the suits, have 

15 now gone out of business * * *,’’ which further rein16 forces the importance of NASA’s role in maintaining 

17 a space suit core competency and limiting the risk 

18 posed by outsourcing key national capabilities. 

19 (6) The private sector currently is developing 

20 space suit capabilities. 

21 (7) Testing space suits and related technologies 

22 on the International Space Station could reduce risk 

23 and improve safety of such suits and technologies. 


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1 (b) IN GENERAL.—The Administrator shall obtain 

2 advanced spacesuit capabilities necessary to achieve the 

3 goals of NASA’s human spaceflight exploration programs. 

4 (c) ELIGIBILITY.—Any commercial provider from 

5 which the Administrator obtains advanced spaceflight ca6 pabilities must be a United States commercial provider, 

7 as set forth in section 203(c) of this Act. 

8 (d) PRESERVING SPACESUIT EXPERTISE.— 

9 (1) In carrying out subsection (b), NASA shall 

10 maintain the internal expertise necessary to develop 

11 space suits for both extravehicular activity and sur12 face operations, including through partnerships with 

13 the private sector. 

14 (2) The Johnson Space Center shall continue to 

15 manage NASA’s spacesuit and extravehicular activ16 ity programs. 

17 (e) REPORT.—Not later than 180 days from the date 

18 of the enactment of this Act, the Administrator shall sub19 mit to the appropriate committees of Congress a report— 

20 (1) describing NASA’s plans for— 

21 (A) in-space testing of advanced spacesuit 

22 capabilities, including— 

23 (i) space suit tests which must be con24 ducted in microgravity in low-Earth orbit; 

25 and 


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1 (ii) space suit tests that must be con2 ducted on the International Space Station 

3 before decommissioning of the Inter4 national Space Station; 

5 (B) transitioning from existing spacesuits 

6 in use on the International Space Station to use 

7 of advanced spacesuit capabilities; 

8 (C) future use of advanced spacesuit capa9 bilities by government astronauts with any non10 governmental platform in low-Earth orbit that 

11 is certified for use by the Administration for 

12 government astronauts (as such term is defined 

13 in section 50902(4) of title 51, United States 

14 Code); and 

15 (D) disposition of retired spacesuits used 

16 on the Space Shuttle or the International Space 

17 Station; and 

18 (2) including— 

19 (A) a detailed justification of compliance 

20 with section 30301 of title 51, United States 

21 Code; and 

22 (B) a detailed certification and justifica23 tion of compliance with section 50503 of title 

24 51, United States Code. 


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1 (f) ASSESSMENT OF EXTRAVEHICULAR MOBILITY

2 UNITS USED ON THE ISS.— 

3 (1) No later than 45 days after the date of en4 actment of this Act, the Administrator shall enter 

5 into an arrangement with an independent science 

6 and technical engineering organization to review the 

7 technical status and performance of the Administra8 tion’s existing extravehicular mobility units 

9 (‘‘EMUs’’), to analyze the data associated with all 

10 mishaps, anomalies, and off-nominal events related 

11 to the EMUs used by government astronauts on the 

12 International Space Station over the last 10 years, 

13 and to make recommendations to the Administrator, 

14 as a result of such assessment. 

15 (2) The Administrator shall ensure that the en16 tity carrying out the assessment in paragraph (1) 

17 consults with relevant industry contractors regarding 

18 the Administration’s EMUs and EMU capabilities, 

19 and coordinates with the NASA Astronaut Office in 

20 carrying out such assessment. 

21 (3) The Administrator shall transmit the re22 sults of the assessment in paragraph (1) to the ap23 propriate committees of Congress as soon as prac24 ticable and no later than 270 days after the date of 

25 enactment of this Act. 


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1 TITLE III—SPACE OPERATIONS 

2 SEC. 301. REPORT ON CONTINUED UNITED STATES PRES3 ENCE IN LOW EARTH ORBIT. 

4 Not later than 270 days after the date of the enact5 ment of this Act, the Comptroller General shall transmit 

6 to the appropriate committees of Congress a report con7 taining information on the following: 

8 (1) The United States Government description 

9 of and plans for implementation of the policy on an 

10 uninterrupted capability for human space flight and 

11 operations in accordance with section 70501(a) of 

12 title 51, United States Code, and section 201(b) of 

13 the National Aeronautics and Space Administration 

14 Authorization Act of 2010 (42 U.S.C. 18311(b)) re15 garding United States human space flight capabili16 ties. 

17 (2) The preparedness of the Administration to 

18 continue to meet statutory direction referenced in 

19 paragraph (1) under the planned approach to 

20 deorbit the International Space Station by not later 

21 than the end of calendar year 2031. 

22 SEC. 302. INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION. 

23 (a) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—It is the sense of Con24 gress that— 


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1 (1) ISS is a unique facility that provides the 

2 United States with capabilities in space that are cur3 rently unmatched; NASA continues to make produc4 tive use of the ISS; 

5 (2) the ISS serves several functions, including 

6 establishing the United States as a leader in space 

7 activities, acting as a beacon of international co8 operation, and conducting cutting-edge microgravity 

9 and observational research in low-Earth orbit; 

10 (3) NASA must complete certain objectives on 

11 the ISS to facilitate deep space exploration efforts, 

12 including carrying out human research and dem13 onstrating exploration-related technologies; and 

14 (4) reducing crew size or cargo deliveries, or re15 ducing sustaining engineering capabilities, would re16 duce the scientific output of the ISS and potentially 

17 increase the risk to the ISS and its crew. 

18 (b) FULL UTILIZATION.— 

19 (1) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—It is the sense of 

20 Congress that, to ensure the greatest return on in21 vestments made by the United States and the Inter22 national Space Station partners in the development, 

23 assembly, and operations of the International Space 

24 Station, the Administrator should maximize the uti25 lization and productivity of the International Space 


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1 Station with respect to the priorities set forth in sec2 tion 10816 of the National Aeronautics and Space 

3 Administration Authorization Act of 2022 (Public 

4 Law 117–167; 51 U.S.C. 70901 note), which include 

5 research of the human research program, risk reduc6 tion activities relevant to exploration technologies, 

7 the advancement of United States leadership of 

8 basic and applied space life and physical sciences, 

9 and other research and development essential to 

10 Moon to Mars program activities. 

11 (2) AMENDMENT.—Section 502(a) of the Na12 tional Aeronautics and Space Administration Au13 thorization Act of 2010 (Public Law 111–267; 42 

14 U.S.C. 18352(a)), is amended by striking ‘‘take 

15 steps to’’. 

16 SEC. 303. NONGOVERNMENTAL MISSIONS ON THE INTER17 NATIONAL SPACE STATION. 

18 (a) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—It is the sense of Con19 gress that— 

20 (1) nongovernmental missions involving crew or 

21 spaceflight participants on the International Space 

22 Station carried out, as appropriate, pursuant to 

23 NASA policies and procedures, and Federal Govern24 ment laws and regulations, can provide lessons and 

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1 government entities to inform the development of fu2 ture commercial low-Earth orbit platforms and a 

3 low-Earth orbit economy; and 

4 (2) the Administrator should share lessons 

5 learned from nongovernmental missions on the 

6 International Space Station to advance the commer7 cial human spaceflight industry, to promote the safe8 ty of future commercial low-Earth orbit platforms, 

9 and to inform the evolution of policies guiding such 

10 activities in low-Earth orbit. 

11 (b) NONGOVERNMENTAL MISSIONS ON THE ISS.— 

12 The Administrator may enter into one or more agreements 

13 to enable one or more United States commercial providers 

14 to conduct nongovernmental missions on the International 

15 Space Station pursuant to NASA policies and procedures, 

16 and Federal government laws and regulations. 

17 (c) REPORT.—Not later than 18 months after the 

18 date of the enactment of this Act, the Comptroller General 

19 of the United States shall submit to the appropriate com20 mittees of Congress a report containing information relat21 ing to the following: 

22 (1) The number of nongovernmental missions 

23 on the ISS planned. 

24 (2) The number of nongovernmental missions 

25 on the ISS completed. 


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1 (3) The extent to which commercial entities car2 rying out nongovernmental missions on the ISS fully 

3 reimburse costs incurred by NASA in association 

4 with any nongovernmental missions carried out on 

5 the International Space Station. 

6 (4) The extent to which nongovernmental mis7 sions on the International Space Station impact the 

8 priorities specified in section 10816 of the National 

9 Aeronautics and Space Administration Authorization 

10 Act of 2022 (Public Law 117–167; 51 U.S.C. 70901 

11 note). 

12 (5) The impact, if any, to operations of or ac13 tivities on the International Space Station that are 

14 not related to nongovernmental missions on the 

15 International Space Station. 

16 (6) The extent to which any nongovernmental 

17 mission on the ISS— 

18 (A) conforms with section 20102 of title 

19 51, United States Code; 

20 (B) adheres to the requirements of section 

21 50131 of title 51, United States Code; and 

22 (C) is consistent with the national security 

23 or foreign policy interests of the United States. 

24 (7) Any other issues related to nongovern25 mental missions on the International Space Station 


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1 that the Comptroller General determines are appro2 priate for review as part of undertaking the report 

3 in subsection (c). 

4 (d) DEFINITIONS.—In this section, the terms ‘‘crew’’ 

5 and ‘‘spaceflight participant’’ have the meanings given 

6 such terms in section 50902 of title 51, United States 

7 Code. 

8 SEC. 304. REPORT ON SUBORBITAL CREW MISSIONS. 

9 Not later than 180 days after the date of the enact10 ment of this Act, the Administrator shall deliver to the 

11 appropriate committees of Congress a report on the costs, 

12 benefits, risks, training requirements, and policy or legal 

13 implications, including liability matters, of launching 

14 United States Government personnel on commercial sub15 orbital vehicles. 

16 SEC. 305. UNITED STATES DEORBIT CAPABILITIES. 

17 (a) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—It is the sense of Con18 gress that— 

19 (1) the International Space Station is aging 

20 and eventually will need to be deorbited safely and 

21 disposed of in a controlled manner; and 

22 (2) to protect the safety of the public, and to 

23 avoid interfering with other space operators or ob24 jects, NASA plans to deorbit and disposition the 


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1 International Space Station through a controlled at2 mospheric reentry over an uninhabited region. 

3 (b) AUTHORIZATION.— 

4 (1) The Administrator shall acquire ISS deorbit 

5 capabilities from one or more United States com6 mercial providers. 

7 (2) In carrying out paragraph (1), the Adminis8 trator shall, to the greatest extent practicable, not 

9 reduce or deprioritize NASA activities conducted on 

10 and in support of the ISS to support the acquisition 

11 of United States deorbit capabilities. 

12 (c) COSTS.— 

13 (1) INDEPENDENT COST ESTIMATE.—Before 

14 entering into an agreement for the capabilities de15 scribed in subsection (b), the Administrator shall ob16 tain an independent life-cycle cost estimate for the 

17 deorbit capability and shall report the results of 

18 such estimate and a five-year budget profile to the 

19 appropriate committees of Congress. 

20 (2) REPORT.— 

21 (A) Not later than one year after the date 

22 of the enactment of this Act, the Administrator 

23 shall submit to the appropriate committees of 

24 Congress a report detailing the Administra25 tion’s plan for the financial, logistical, and 


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1 operational responsibilities associated with the 

2 deorbit capability. 

3 (B) Annually, the Administrator shall sub4 mit to the appropriate committees of Congress 

5 a report, to accompany the President’s budget 

6 request, containing a description of the annual 

7 and lifecycle costs for activities related to the 

8 deorbit of the International Space Station and 

9 how such costs are shared among the ISS part10 ners. 

11 SEC. 306. COMMERCIAL LOW-EARTH ORBIT DEVELOPMENT. 

12 (a) STRATEGY.—Not later than 180 days after the 

13 date of the enactment of this Act, the Administrator, in 

14 consultation with the National Space Council, shall trans15 mit to the appropriate committees of Congress a strategy 

16 for a robust and resilient architecture to advance NASA 

17 and other relevant Federal government civil research, de18 velopment, and operational requirements in low-Earth 

19 orbit. The architecture should— 

20 (1) include a mix of crewed and uncrewed plat21 forms; 

22 (2) consider an incremental approach to achiev23 ing the full suite of capabilities necessary to meet 

24 NASA research, development, and operational re25 quirements in low-Earth orbit; 


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1 (3) consider the requirements described in sub2 section (b); and 

3 (4) sustain and promote United States leader4 ship and international partnerships in carrying out 

5 low-Earth orbit activities. 

6 (b) REQUIREMENTS.—Not later than 90 days after 

7 the date of the enactment of this Act, the Administrator 

8 shall transmit to the appropriate committees of Congress 

9 and make available to relevant United States commercial 

10 industry entities, a detailed account of the research, devel11 opment, and operational requirements for NASA activities 

12 in low-Earth orbit, including any requirements that could 

13 affect the design, development, instrumentation, and long14 term operations of future United States commercial low15 Earth orbit platforms and supporting capabilities. In pre16 paring the detailed account of research, development, and 

17 operational requirements, the Administrator may consider 

18 the requirements of other relevant Federal agencies. 

19 (c) AUTHORIZATION.—The Administrator is author20 ized to enter into agreements with one or more United 

21 States commercial providers to enable the development 

22 and certification of, and procure capabilities related to, a 

23 United States private, low-Earth orbit platform or plat24 forms, and to use such platforms or platforms and related 

25 capabilities to achieve the goals set forth in the strategy 


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1 under subsection (a), to sustain the priorities described 

2 in section 10816 of the National Aeronautics and Space 

3 Administration Authorization Act of 2022 (Public Law 

4 117–167; 51 U.S.C. 70901 note) and the activities under 

5 the Human Exploration Roadmap pursuant to section 

6 432(b)(2)(J) of the National Aeronautics and Space Ad7 ministration Transition Authorization Act of 2017 (Public 

8 Law 115–10), and to meet the requirements described in 

9 subsection (b). 

10 (d) ANCHOR TENANCY.—No later than November 15, 

11 2025, the Administrator shall provide to the appropriate 

12 committees of Congress the following: 

13 (1) The results of a survey and assessment of 

14 the market for capabilities and services that may be 

15 provided through future United States commercial 

16 low-Earth orbit platforms that shall be prepared by 

17 an independent entity with appropriate expertise; 

18 (2) A detailed justification of compliance with 

19 section 30301 of title 51, United States Code. 

20 (3) A detailed certification and justification of 

21 compliance with section 50503 of title 51, United 

22 States Code. 

23 (e) USE OF UNITED STATES LAUNCH AND REENTRY

24 SERVICES.—As a term of an agreement entered into under 

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1 quirement for the use of United States commercially-pro2 vided launch and reentry services to support all Adminis3 tration activities under the agreement, in accordance with 

4 section 50131 of title 51, United States Code, as applica5 ble. 

6 (f) SAFETY.—When an agreement under subsection 

7 (c) involves a government astronauts (as such term is de8 fined in section 50902(4) of title 51, United States Code), 

9 the Administrator shall protect the safety of the govern10 ment astronaut by ensuring that each platform under the 

11 agreement meets all applicable human rating processes, 

12 certification, and safety requirements. 

13 SEC. 307. RISK OF LOSING ACCESS TO LOW-EARTH ORBIT. 

14 Not later than 270 days after the date of the enact15 ment of this Act, the Administrator shall submit to the 

16 appropriate committees of Congress a report that evalu17 ates the risk posed by a potential gap in access to low18 Earth orbit on science and technology research and devel19 opment conducted by NASA and private entities. The re20 port shall describe the following: 

21 (1) The NASA science and exploration pro22 grams that may be adversely affected by the lack of 

23 a United States presence in low-Earth orbit. 

24 (2) The effects that a gap in low-Earth orbit 

25 would have on the United States’ competitiveness in 


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1 science and technology and in the development of 

2 the United States-based commercial space industry. 

3 (3) Potential options and associated costs for 

4 preventing such a gap, including the following: 

5 (A) Implementing the strategy described in 

6 section 306. 

7 (B) Supporting the operation of the Inter8 national Space Station beyond 2030. 

9 (C) Increasing investment in and accel10 erating development of commercial space sta11 tions. 

12 (D) Working with international partners to 

13 establish alternative means for conducting re14 search in low-Earth orbit. 

15 SEC. 308. MAINTENANCE OF SERVICE FOR INTERNATIONAL 

16 SPACE STATION. 

17 (a) IN GENERAL.—Subject to appropriations for such 

18 purpose, the Administrator shall maintain a flight cadence 

19 necessary to support the health and safety of the Inter20 national Space Station crew and the full and productive 

21 utilization of the International Space Station through its 

22 operational lifetime, consistent with the certification date 

23 of the International Space Station. In maintaining such 

24 flight cadence, the Administrator shall seek to carry out 

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1 diately preceding three fiscal years of crew and cargo 

2 flights on United States vehicles certified under NASA’s 

3 Commercial Crew and Cargo Program as of the date of 

4 the enactment of this Act. 

5 (b) WAIVER.—The Administrator may waive the re6 quirement under subsection (a) upon submission of a writ7 ten determination to Congress that— 

8 (1) the health and safety of the International 

9 Space Station requires a reduction in flights; or 

10 (2) the International Space Station has con11 cluded its operational lifetime. 

12 SEC. 309. ORBITAL DEBRIS RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT. 

13 (a) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—It is the sense of Con14 gress that NASA’s research and development activities re15 lated to understanding and mitigating the hazards posed 

16 by orbital debris are critical to ensuring the continued safe 

17 operation of NASA missions, including the safety of hu18 mans living and working in space, and such activities fur19 ther enable scientific and technological advances that can 

20 be leveraged by the broader space operations community 

21 to foster a sustainable space environment. 

22 (b) RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT.—The Adminis23 trator shall, to the extent practicable, conduct research 

24 and development to advance scientific understanding and 


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1 technological capabilities related to orbital debris charac2 terization and mitigation. 

3 (c) CONSIDERATIONS.—In conducting the research 

4 and development described in subsection (b), the Adminis5 trator may consider activities that— 

6 (1) improve the characterization and modeling 

7 of the space environment, including the characteriza8 tion and modeling of objects of both natural and an9 thropogenic origins that cannot be directly charac10 terized by ground-based measurements; 

11 (2) leverage space weather research and devel12 opment elements within NASA’s Heliophysics pro13 gram, to the extent appropriate and in accordance 

14 with the priorities established in the most recent 

15 solar and space physics decadal survey; and 

16 (3) support the application of relevant research, 

17 tools, and technologies to advance orbital debris 

18 characterization and mitigation and the transfer of 

19 such research, tools, and technologies to stake20 holders, as appropriate and practicable. 

21 SEC. 310. RESTRICTION ON FEDERAL FUNDS RELATING TO 

22 CERTAIN CHINESE SPACE AND SCIENTIFIC 

23 ACTIVITIES. 

24 (a) IN GENERAL.—No Federal funds authorized in 

25 this Act may be obligated or expended for the following: 


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1 (1) For the National Aeronautics and Space 

2 Administration (NASA), the Office of Science and 

3 Technology Policy (OSTP), or the National Space 

4 Council (NSC) to develop, design, plan, promulgate, 

5 implement, or execute a bilateral policy, program, 

6 order, or contract of any kind to participate, collabo7 rate, or coordinate bilaterally in any way with China 

8 or any Chinese-owned company unless such activities 

9 are specifically authorized by a law enacted after the 

10 date of the enactment of this Act. 

11 (2) To effectuate the hosting of official Chinese 

12 visitors at facilities belonging to or utilized by 

13 NASA. 

14 (b) EXCEPTION.—The restrictions described in sub15 section (a) shall not apply to activities with respect to 

16 which NASA, OSTP, or NSC, after consultation with the 

17 Federal Bureau of Investigation, have certified— 

18 (1) pose no risk of resulting in the transfer of 

19 technology, data, or other information with national 

20 security or economic security implications to China 

21 or a Chinese-owned company; and 

22 (2) will not involve knowing interactions with 

23 officials who have been determined by the United 

24 States to have direct involvement with violations of 

25 human rights. 


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1 (c) SUBMISSION.—Any certification made under sub2 section (b) shall be submitted to the Committee on 

3 Science, Space, and Technology and the Committee on Ap4 propriations of the House of Representatives, the Com5 mittee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation and the 

6 Committee on Appropriations of the Senate, and the Fed7 eral Bureau of Investigation, not later than 30 days prior 

8 to the activity in question. Any such certification shall in9 clude a description of the purpose of such activity, its 

10 agenda, its major participants, and its location and tim11 ing. 

12 TITLE IV—SPACE TECHNOLOGY 

13 SEC. 401. SBIR PHASE II FLEXIBILITY. 

14 Section 9 of the Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 638) 

15 is amended in subsection (cc) by striking ‘‘and the Depart16 ment of Education’’ and inserting ‘‘the Department of 

17 Education, and the National Aeronautics and Space Ad18 ministration’’. 

19 SEC. 402. LUNAR POWER PURCHASE AGREEMENT PRO20 GRAM. 

21 (a) STUDY.—The Administrator may enter into an 

22 arrangement with an independent entity with appropriate 

23 expertise to conduct a study evaluating the feasibility of 

24 using power purchase agreements to facilitate the develop25 ment and deployment of lunar surface power. 


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1 (b) CONTENTS.—The study conducted under sub2 section (a) may include the following: 

3 (1) An identification of facilities and technical 

4 capabilities needed to support lunar surface power 

5 production. 

6 (2) A demand forecast for lunar surface power, 

7 including the following: 

8 (A) Forecasted demand of both govern9 mental and nongovernmental users. 

10 (B) To support the following: 

11 (i) Near-term exploration activities. 

12 (ii) Long-duration activities. 

13 (3) Potential policy and legal issues associated 

14 with lunar power purchase agreements between pro15 viders and the United States Government, inter16 national partners, and other private sector entities. 

17 (c) COORDINATION.—In conducting the study under 

18 this section, the Administrator may consult with the fol19 lowing: 

20 (1) The Lunar Surface Innovation Consortium. 

21 (2) The Department of Energy, the Depart22 ment of Commerce, and other Federal agencies, as 

23 determined appropriate by the Administrator. 

24 (3) International partners. 

25 (4) Relevant private sector entities. 


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1 (d) REPORT.—Not later than 24 months after the 

2 date of the enactment of this Act, the Administrator may 

3 submit to the appropriate committees of Congress a report 

4 that describes the results of the study conducted pursuant 

5 to subsection (a). 

6 SEC. 403. CRYOGENIC FLUID VALVE TECHNOLOGY REVIEW. 

7 (a) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—It is the sense of Con8 gress that advancing cryogenic fluid valve technology 

9 would support the Administration’s efforts to improve 

10 cryogenic fluid management and improve space vehicle re11 liability and efficiency. 

12 (b) TECHNOLOGY AND RESEARCH REVIEW.—Not 

13 later than 90 days after the date of the enactment of this 

14 Act, subject to the availability of appropriations, the Ad15 ministrator shall enter into an agreement with an inde16 pendent research and development center or other inde17 pendent nonprofit organization, as determined appropriate 

18 by the Administrator, to conduct a review of cryogenic 

19 fluid valve technology in accordance with this section. The 

20 organization shall review recent advances in technologies 

21 related to cryogenic fluid valve use in space applications 

22 and assess opportunities to improve cryogenic fluid valve 

23 technologies, including support for research and develop24 ment activities to advance materials engineering for cryo25 genic fluid valves. 


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1 (c) REPORT.—Not later than 18 months after the 

2 date of the enactment of this Act, the organization con3 ducting the review shall submit to the Administrator and 

4 the appropriate committees of Congress a report detailing 

5 the results of the review conducted under this section. 

6 SEC. 404. LUNAR COMMUNICATIONS. 

7 (a) FINDINGS.—Congress finds the following: 

8 (1) Reliable communication and navigation ca9 pabilities are essential for sustainable human and 

10 robotic exploration of the Moon. 

11 (2) Fostering the development of commercial 

12 capabilities can accelerate the deployment of lunar 

13 communication and navigation services. 

14 (b) IN GENERAL.—The Administrator is authorized 

15 to develop a robust and resilient architecture for lunar 

16 communications and navigation to support the Adminis17 tration’s human and robotic lunar exploration activities. 

18 (c) STUDY AND PLAN.—To inform the development 

19 in subsection (a), the Administrator shall develop a study 

20 and prepare a plan to— 

21 (1) enable interoperable communications and 

22 navigation services for cislunar missions; 

23 (2) work with the private sector, other Federal 

24 agencies, and, as appropriate, international partners 

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1 tion 12(d) of the National Technology Transfer and 

2 Advancement Act of 1995 (Public Law 104–113), 

3 protocols, and interface requirements for cislunar 

4 communications and navigation services and sys5 tems; 

6 (3) support NASA lunar activities; 

7 (4) leverage NASA’s space technology research, 

8 development, and demonstration activities related to 

9 space communications and navigation; and 

10 (5) evaluate the opportunities, benefits, feasi11 bility, and challenges of potentially using commercial 

12 cislunar communication and navigation services, as 

13 appropriate, by United States commercial providers. 

14 SEC. 405. CELESTIAL TIME STANDARDIZATION. 

15 (a) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—It is the sense of Con16 gress that— 

17 (1) United States leadership of a sustained 

18 presence on the Moon and in deep space exploration 

19 is important for advancing science, exploration, com20 mercial growth, and international partnership; 

21 (2) the Artemis and Moon to Mars program of 

22 the National Aeronautics and Space Administration 

23 (NASA) will involve governmental, commercial, aca24 demic, and international partners where there is a 

25 need for interoperability between systems; 


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1 (3) the use of Coordinated Universal Time has 

2 challenges when used beyond Earth at other celestial 

3 bodies, due to relativistic effects; 

4 (4) the United States should lead in developing 

5 time standardization for the Moon and other celes6 tial bodies other than Earth to support interoper7 ability and safe and sustainable operations; and 

8 (5) development of such standardization will ad9 vance United States leadership in standards setting 

10 for global competitiveness, and will benefit other 

11 spacefaring countries and entities. 

12 (b) DEVELOPMENT OF CELESTIAL TIME STANDARD13 IZATION.—The Administrator of NASA, in consultation 

14 with the Director of the Office of Science and Technology 

15 Policy, shall carry out the following: 

16 (1) Enable the development of celestial time 

17 standardization, including by leading the study and 

18 definition of a coordinated lunar time. 

19 (2) Develop a strategy to implement a coordi20 nated lunar time that would support future oper21 ations and infrastructure on and around the Moon. 

22 (3) In carrying out paragraphs (1) and (2)— 

23 (A) coordinate with relevant Federal enti24 ties, including the Department of Commerce, 

25 the Department of Defense, the Department of 


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1 State, and the Department of Transportation; 

2 and 

3 (B) consult with— 

4 (i) relevant private sector entities; 

5 (ii) relevant academic entities; and 

6 (iii) relevant international standards 

7 setting bodies. 

8 (4) Incorporate the following features of a co9 ordinated lunar time, to the extent practicable, in 

10 the development of the strategy developed pursuant 

11 to paragraph (2): 

12 (A) Traceability to Coordinated Universal 

13 Time. 

14 (B) Accuracy sufficient to support preci15 sion navigation and science. 

16 (C) Resilience to loss of contact with 

17 Earth. 

18 (D) Scalability to space environments be19 yond the Earth-Moon system. 

20 (c) REPORT.—Not later than two years after the date 

21 of the enactment of this Act, the Administrator of NASA 

22 shall submit to the Committee on Science, Space, and 

23 Technology of the House of Representatives and the Com24 mittee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the 

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1 ant to subsection (b)(2), including relevant plans, 

2 timelines, and resources required for the implementation 

3 of a coordinated lunar time pursuant to such strategy. 

4 TITLE V—AERONAUTICS 

5 SEC. 501. DEFINITIONS. 

6 In this title: 

7 (1) ADVANCED AIR MOBILITY; AAM.—The terms 

8 ‘‘advanced air mobility’’ and ‘‘AAM’’ mean a trans9 portation system that is comprised of urban air mo10 bility and regional air mobility using manned or un11 manned aircraft. 

12 (2) REGIONAL AIR MOBILITY.—The term ‘‘re13 gional air mobility’’ means the movement of pas14 sengers or property by air between 2 points using an 

15 airworthy aircraft that— 

16 (A) has advanced technologies, such as dis17 tributed propulsion, vertical takeoff and land18 ing, powered lift, nontraditional power systems, 

19 or autonomous technologies; 

20 (B) has a maximum takeoff weight of 

21 greater than 1,320 pounds; and 

22 (C) is not urban air mobility. 

23 (3) UNMANNED AIRCRAFT SYSTEM.—The term 

24 ‘‘unmanned aircraft system’’ has the meanings given 


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1 such term in section 44801 of title 49, United 

2 States Code. 

3 (4) URBAN AIR MOBILITY.—The term ‘‘urban 

4 air mobility’’ means the movement of passengers or 

5 property by air between 2 points in different cities 

6 or 2 points within the same city using an airworthy 

7 aircraft that— 

8 (A) has advanced technologies, such as dis9 tributed propulsion, vertical takeoff and land10 ing, powered lift, nontraditional power systems, 

11 or autonomous technologies; and 

12 (B) has a maximum takeoff weight of 

13 greater than 1,320 pounds. 

14 (5) UTM.—The term ‘‘UTM’’ means an un15 manned aircraft system traffic management system 

16 or service. 

17 SEC. 502. EXPERIMENTAL AIRCRAFT DEMONSTRATIONS. 

18 (a) STUDY.—Not later than 1 year after the date of 

19 the enactment of this Act, the Administrator, in consulta20 tion with industry and academia, shall conduct a study 

21 of past and future administration of the experimental air22 craft demonstrator projects. 

23 (b) FUTURE DEMONSTRATIONS.—The study under 

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1 tion and demonstration through the development of an ex2 perimental aircraft demonstrator. Such systems, capabili3 ties, and technologies may include technological advance4 ments related to structures, aerodynamics, propulsion, 

5 controls, and autonomous capabilities. The study shall in6 clude a description of criteria and performance metrics 

7 used to determine the readiness of a system, capability, 

8 or technology to be demonstrated on a future experimental 

9 aircraft demonstrator. 

10 (c) LESSONS LEARNED.—The study under subsection 

11 (a) also shall include an assessment of lessons learned 

12 from the Administration’s previous experimental aircraft 

13 demonstration projects over the last decade, including the 

14 projects set forth under section 10831 of the National 

15 Aeronautics and Space Administration Authorization Act 

16 of 2022 (Public Law 117–167). This assessment shall in17 clude— 

18 (1) a quantitative assessment of each experi19 mental aircraft demonstration project’s ability to 

20 meet cost, schedule and performance goals, as de21 fined at the time of project confirmation; 

22 (2) the extent to which the project’s objectives 

23 or performance goals were changed or descoped; 

24 (3) the extent to which the system, capability, 

25 or technology that was the subject of the project was 


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1 matured as a result of its demonstration on an ex2 perimental aircraft demonstrator; and 

3 (4) the extent to which the project has contrib4 uted to advancing the capabilities of and innovation 

5 in the United States aircraft and aviation industries. 

6 SEC. 503. HYPERSONIC RESEARCH. 

7 (a) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—It is the sense of Con8 gress that— 

9 (1) basic and applied hypersonic research— 

10 (A) is critical for enabling the development 

11 of advanced high-speed aeronautical and space 

12 systems; and 

13 (B) can improve understanding of tech14 nical challenges related to high-speed and reus15 able vehicle technologies, including those related 

16 to propulsion, noise, advanced materials, and 

17 entry, descent, and landing operations; 

18 (2) investments in hypersonic research are crit19 ical to sustaining United States global leadership in 

20 space and aeronautics; and 

21 (3) NASA efforts to study hypersonic research 

22 should complement research supported by the De23 partment of Defense and, when appropriate, be con24 ducted in partnership with universities and industry. 


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1 (b) HYPERSONIC RESEARCH.—The Administrator, in 

2 coordination with the Administrator of the Federal Avia3 tion Administration and the Secretary of the Department 

4 of Defense, and in consultation with industry and aca5 demia, shall continue to carry out basic and applied 

6 hypersonic research. 

7 (c) HYPERSONIC RESEARCH ROADMAP.—Not later 

8 than 180 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, 

9 the Administrator, in consultation with the Administrator 

10 of the Federal Aviation Administration and the Secretary 

11 of the Department of Defense, and with industry and aca12 demic institutions, shall update the hypersonic research 

13 roadmap required under section 603 of the National Aero14 nautics and Space Administration Transition Authoriza15 tion Act of 2017 (Public Law 115–10; 51 U.S.C. 20302 

16 note). In updating the research roadmap, the Adminis17 trator may consider advancements in— 

18 (1) system level design, analysis, and validation 

19 of hypersonic aircraft technologies; 

20 (2) propulsion capabilities and technologies; 

21 (3) vehicle technologies to include vehicle flow 

22 physics and vehicle thermal management associated 

23 with aerodynamic heating; 

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1 onstrating durable materials, and efforts to create 

2 models and simulate use of such materials; and 

3 (5) other areas of hypersonic research as deter4 mined appropriate by the Administrator. 

5 (d) REPORT AND BRIEFING.—Not later than 1 year 

6 after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Adminis7 trator shall— 

8 (1) transmit the updated research roadmap 

9 under subsection (c) to the appropriate committees 

10 of Congress; and 

11 (2) provide a briefing on the research conducted 

12 under subsection (b), including how such research 

13 aligns with the updated research roadmap under 

14 subsection (c). 

15 SEC. 504. ADVANCED MATERIALS AND MANUFACTURING 

16 TECHNOLOGY. 

17 Not later than 1 year after the date of the enactment 

18 of this Act, the Administrator shall transmit a report to 

19 the appropriate committees of Congress on the status of 

20 NASA activities relating to section 10831(e), the Ad21 vanced Materials and Manufacturing Technology Pro22 gram, and section 10831(f), regarding relevant Research 

23 Partnerships, as set forth in the National Aeronautics and 

24 Space Administration Authorization Act of 2022 (Public 

25 Law 117–167). 


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1 SEC. 505. UNMANNED AIRCRAFT SYSTEM AND ADVANCED 

2 AIR MOBILITY. 

3 (a) FINDING.—Congress finds that research and de4 velopment related to autonomous aviation is vital to en5 sure United States competitiveness as the National Air6 space System evolves from trajectory-based operations to 

7 collaborative and highly automated operations. 

8 (b) COLLABORATION.—The Administrator shall, in 

9 collaboration with the Administrator of Federal Aviation 

10 Administration, the heads of other relevant Federal agen11 cies, and appropriate representatives of academia and in12 dustry, continue its research on unmanned aircraft sys13 tems and advanced air mobility, including research related 

14 to UTM and autonomous capabilities, as practicable. 

15 (c) BRIEF.—Not later than 18 months after the date 

16 of the enactment of this Act, the Administrator shall brief 

17 the appropriate committees of Congress on the progress 

18 of the research under subsection (b). 

19 SEC. 506. ADVANCED CAPABILITIES FOR EMERGENCY RE20 SPONSE OPERATIONS. 

21 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Administrator shall leverage 

22 NASA-developed tools and technologies to conduct re23 search and development activities under the Advanced Ca24 pabilities for Emergency Response Operations (ACERO) 

25 project, or appropriate successor project or projects, to im26 prove aerial responses to wildfires. 


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1 (b) GOALS.—The research and development activities 

2 conducted under subsection (a) may include the following: 

3 (1) Advanced aircraft technologies and airspace 

4 management efforts to assist in the management, 

5 deconfliction, and coordination of aerial assets dur6 ing wildfire response efforts. 

7 (2) Information sharing and real-time data ex8 change for wildfire response teams. 

9 (3) Development of an interoperable platform to 

10 provide situational awareness of aerial assets during 

11 wildfire response. 

12 (4) Establishment of a multi-agency concept of 

13 operations, which may involve Federal, State, and 

14 local government agencies, to enable coordination of 

15 aerial activities for wildfire response. 

16 (c) COLLABORATION.—In carrying out this section, 

17 the Administrator— 

18 (1) may coordinate and collaborate with other 

19 Federal, State, and local government agencies, re20 gional organizations, and commercial partners and 

21 academic institutions involved in wildfire manage22 ment; and 

23 (2) shall, to the maximum extent practicable, 

24 consult with the heads of other Federal departments 

25 and agencies to avoid duplication of activities. 


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1 (d) PROHIBITION.— 

2 (1) IN GENERAL.—Except as provided in this 

3 subsection, the Administrator may not procure an 

4 unmanned aircraft system to conduct activities de5 scribed in this section if such unmanned aircraft sys6 tem is manufactured or assembled by a covered for7 eign entity. 

8 (2) EXEMPTION.—The Administrator may 

9 waive the prohibition under paragraph (1) on a case10 by-case basis if the Administrator— 

11 (A) determines that the procurement of an 

12 unmanned aircraft system is— 

13 (i) in the national interest of the 

14 United States; and 

15 (ii) necessary for the sole purpose of 

16 improving aerial responses to wildfires; and 

17 (B) notifies the Committee on Science, 

18 Space, and Technology of the House of Rep19 resentatives and the Committee on Commerce, 

20 Science, and Transportation of the Senate not 

21 later than 30 days after a determination in the 

22 affirmative under subparagraph (A). 

23 (e) ANNUAL REPORTS.—Not later than one year 

24 after the date of the enactment of this Act and annually 

25 thereafter until December 31, 2029, the Administrator 


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1 shall submit to the Committee on Science, Space and 

2 Technology of the House of Representatives and the Com3 mittee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the 

4 Senate a report describing the activities, including results, 

5 carried out pursuant to this section 2. Each such report, 

6 at minimum, shall contain the following: 

7 (1) A description of any research and develop8 ment activities. 

9 (2) A description of the Administrator’s activi10 ties pursuant to subsection (c). 

11 (3) An identification of any topics related to 

12 improvement of aerial responses to wildfires that 

13 could benefit from further research. 

14 (4) A description of any continuing efforts 

15 under this section. 

16 (5) Any other information determined appro17 priate by the Administrator. 

18 (f) DEFINITION.—In this section: 

19 (1) COVERED FOREIGN ENTITY.—The term 

20 ‘‘covered foreign entity’’ has the meaning given such 

21 term in section 1832 of the National Defense Au22 thorization Act for Fiscal Year 2024 (Public Law 

23 118–31). 

24 (2) UNMANNED AIRCRAFT SYSTEM.—The term 

25 ‘‘unmanned aircraft system’’ has the meaning given 


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1 such term in section 44801 of title 49, United 

2 States Code. 

3 SEC. 507. HYDROGEN AVIATION. 

4 (a) IN GENERAL.—Subject to the availability of ap5 propriations for such purpose, and taking into consider6 ation the strategy developed under and research conducted 

7 pursuant to section 1019 of the FAA Reauthorization Act 

8 of 2024 (Public Law 118–63), the Administrator may 

9 carry out research on emerging technologies related to hy10 drogen aviation. 

11 (b) REPORT.—Not later than 18 months after the 

12 date of the enactment of this Act, the Administrator shall 

13 submit to the appropriate committees of Congress a report 

14 on the findings of the research under subsection (a). 

15 SEC. 508. HIGH-PERFORMANCE CHASE AIRCRAFT. 

16 (a) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—It is the sense of Con17 gress that— 

18 (1) NASA programs benefit from and rely upon 

19 high-performance chase aircraft for providing re20 search and mission support; and 

21 (2) NASA currently faces maintenance chal22 lenges related to its aging high-performance aircraft 

23 fleet, which is resulting in increased program costs. 

24 (b) BRIEFING.—Not later than 60 days after the date 

25 of the enactment of this Act and biannually thereafter, 


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1 the Administrator shall provide to the appropriate com2 mittees of Congress a briefing on the strategy of NASA 

3 relating to the following: 

4 (1) Collaboration with the Department of De5 fense on efforts for research and flight asset sharing 

6 to support NASA’s research mission support and 

7 pilot training requirements. 

8 (2) Efforts to seek aircraft parts and engines to 

9 keep NASA’s current fleet of chase aircraft oper10 ational, including potential use of 3D additive manu11 factured parts. 

12 (3) Strategies for acquiring or using through 

13 loan, sharing, or other agreements, as appropriate, 

14 Department of Defense aircraft to support NASA’s 

15 research and mission support activities, as required. 

16 SEC. 509. COLLABORATION WITH ACADEMIA. 

17 It is the sense of Congress that— 

18 (1) colleges and universities are hubs of re19 search and innovation, with expertise in various 

20 fields of science and aeronautics; 

21 (2) collaborating with academia allows NASA to 

22 access cutting-edge research and expertise that can 

23 further enable advancements in aeronautics research 

24 and technology and address complex aeronautical 

25 challenges; 


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1 (3) a cutting-edge civil aeronautics research and 

2 development program can inspire the next genera3 tion to pursue education and careers in science, 

4 technology, engineering, and mathematics, including 

5 aeronautics; and 

6 (4) opportunities for students to participate in 

7 NASA-supported academic research and develop8 ment projects, such as the University Leadership 

9 Initiative, the University Students Research Chal10 lenge, and related aeronautic projects and competi11 tions, contributes to training the next generation 

12 and developing the aeronautics workforce to support 

13 continued United States leadership and economic 

14 growth in civil aeronautics and aviation. 

15 SEC. 510. NATIONAL STUDENT UNMANNED AIRCRAFT SYS16 TEMS COMPETITION PROGRAM. 

17 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Administrator shall lead a 

18 national pilot program to carry out unmanned aircraft sys19 tems technology competitions for students at the high 

20 school and undergraduate level (in this section referred to 

21 as ‘‘competitions’’) in which students shall compete to de22 sign, create, and demonstrate an unmanned aircraft sys23 tem. 

24 (b) COMPETITION ADMINISTRATION.—The Adminis25 trator shall award, on a merit-reviewed, competitive basis, 


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1 a grant to a nonprofit organization, an institution of high2 er education, or a consortium thereof, to administer the 

3 pilot program under subsection (a) (in this section re4 ferred to as the ‘‘competition administrator’’). 

5 (c) AWARD CRITERIA.—The Administrator shall en6 sure that the award decision made under subsection (b) 

7 take into account the extent to which the eligible entity— 

8 (1) identifies a plan for engaging eligible insti9 tutions from diverse geographic areas, including 

10 poor, rural, and Tribal communities; and 

11 (2) identifies a plan for connecting science, 

12 technology, engineering, and medicine (STEM) ac13 tivities to Administration missions and centers. 

14 (d) COMPETITION ADMINISTRATOR RESPONSIBIL15 ITIES.—In carrying out the pilot program, the competition 

16 administrator shall be responsible for the following: 

17 (1) Awarding grants to institutions of higher 

18 education or nonprofit organizations (or a consor19 tium thereof) on a merit-reviewed, competitive basis 

20 to host individual competitions. 

21 (2) Developing STEM curriculum to be utilized 

22 by the competition awardees to help students make 

23 the connection to the design, construction, and dem24 onstration of unmanned aircraft systems. 


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1 (3) Developing curriculum to assist students in 

2 making real-world connections to STEM content and 

3 educate students on the relevance and significance of 

4 STEM careers. 

5 (4) Ensuring competition awardees are sup6 porting the activities specified in subsection (f). 

7 (5) Conducting performance evaluations of com8 petitions, including data collection, on the following: 

9 (A) The number of students engaged. 

10 (B) Geographic and institutional diversity 

11 of participating schools and institutions of high12 er education. 

13 (6) Any other activities the Administrator finds 

14 necessary to ensure the competitions are successful. 

15 (e) ADDITIONAL CONSIDERATIONS.—In awarding 

16 grants in subsection (d), the competition administrator 

17 shall consider applications that include a partnership with 

18 that State’s space grant program under chapter 403 of 

19 title 51, United States Code. 

20 (f) PERMITTED ACTIVITIES.—In carrying out the 

21 pilot program under subsection (a), the competition ad22 ministrator shall ensure competitions occurring at both 

23 the high school and undergraduate levels— 

24 (1) allow students to design, construct, and 

25 demonstrate an unmanned aircraft system; 


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1 (2) allow students to compete with other teams 

2 in the performance of the constructed unmanned air3 craft system; 

4 (3) connect to relevant missions and NASA 

5 Center activities of the Administration; 

6 (4) connect relevant STEM curriculum to the 

7 design, construction, and demonstration of un8 manned aircraft systems; 

9 (5) support activities designed to help students 

10 make real-world connections to STEM content and 

11 educate students on the relevance and significance of 

12 STEM careers; 

13 (6) are geographically dispersed in order to 

14 serve a broad student population, including those in 

15 rural and underserved communities; and 

16 (7) encourage, to the greatest extent prac17 ticable, the participation of students from groups 

18 historically underrepresented in STEM. 

19 (g) REPORT TO CONGRESS.—Not later than six 

20 months after the end of the pilot program under sub21 section (a), the Administrator shall submit to the appro22 priate committees of Congress a report describing the ac23 complishments, lessons learned, any challenges in the im24 plementation of the pilot program, and recommendations 

25 for whether to continue the pilot program. 


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1 (h) DEFINITION.—In this section, the term ‘‘eligible 

2 institution’’ means— 

3 (1) an institution of higher education; 

4 (2) a nonprofit research institution; 

5 (3) a high school; or 

6 (4) a consortium of 2 or more entities described 

7 in any of paragraphs (1) through (3). 

8 SEC. 511. DECADAL SURVEY FOR NATIONAL AERONAUTICS 

9 RESEARCH AND PRIORITIES REVIEW. 

10 (a) FINDING.—Congress finds the following: 

11 (1) Engaging the science and engineering com12 munities, along with industry, through the develop13 ment of a National Academies of Science, Engineer14 ing, and Medicine decadal survey in aeronautics re15 search and development can provide a science and 

16 engineering community consensus on key research 

17 and development priorities in national civil aero18 nautics programs. 

19 (2) A decadal survey entails a comprehensive 

20 review of and strategy and priorities for civil na21 tional aeronautics research and development and 

22 prioritizes for the next decade. 

23 (3) A decadal survey for civil aeronautics re24 search and development can serve as a guiding 

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1 cation in the field of civil aeronautics for the coming 

2 decade. 

3 (b) STUDY.—The Administrator in consultation with 

4 the heads of other relevant Federal Government agencies 

5 and in accordance with section 20305 of title 51. United 

6 States Code, shall seek to enter into an arrangement with 

7 the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and 

8 Medicine (in this section referred to as the ‘‘National 

9 Academies’’) to conduct a decadal survey of civil aero10 nautics research and development for the 2025—2035 

11 decade. The survey shall recommend research priorities to 

12 sustain United States leadership in civil aeronautics re13 search and development and support a safe and sustain14 able future for aviation. The survey may also include rec15 ommendations related to the dissemination and transition 

16 of such research and development to the United States 

17 commercial aviation and aircraft industries, to enabling 

18 innovation, and to ensuring a world-class workforce for 

19 aeronautics research and development and related United 

20 States commercial industries and activities. 

21 (c) TRANSMITTAL.—Not later than 2 years after the 

22 date of enactment of this Act, the Administrator shall sub23 mit to the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology 

24 of the House of Representatives and the Committee on 


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1 Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate the 

2 results of such survey, including any recommendations. 

3 SEC. 512. MAKING ADVANCEMENTS IN COMMERCIAL 

4 HYPERSONICS. 

5 (a) IN GENERAL.—In conducting the hypersonics re6 search in section 40112(d) of title 51, United States Code, 

7 the Administrator may establish the Making Advance8 ments in Commercial Hypersonics Program (in this sec9 tion referred to as the ‘‘Program’’), which shall facilitate 

10 opportunities for testing of high-speed aircraft and other 

11 technologies that advance scientific research and tech12 nology development related to hypersonic aircraft. 

13 (b) LIMITATION.—The Program under subsection (a) 

14 shall not fund the development of technologies that are 

15 supported by such testing opportunities. 

16 (c) PLAN.—Not later than 60 days after the date of 

17 the enactment of this Act, the Administrator, acting 

18 through the Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate, 

19 shall develop a strategic plan for activities under sub20 section (a) that aligns with the research roadmap under 

21 section 503 of this Act. 

22 (d) COORDINATION, CONSULTATION AND COLLABO23 RATION.— 

24 (1) The Administrator shall ensure coordination 

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1 torate and other Mission Directorates, as appro2 priate, to identify technologies eligible for testing op3 portunities under the Program. 

4 (2) The Administrator shall consult and seek to 

5 collaborate with, as appropriate, with the Secretary 

6 of Defense and the Administrator of the Federal 

7 Aviation Administration on activities related to the 

8 Program, including development, testing, and eval9 uation of high-speed aircraft and related tech10 nologies. 

11 (e) REPORT.—The Administrator shall submit to the 

12 appropriate committees of Congress, and the Committee 

13 on Armed Services of the House of Representatives and 

14 the Committee on Armed Services of the Senate— 

15 (1) not later than 80 days after the date of the 

16 enactment of this section, a report that— 

17 (A) describes activities of the program es18 tablished under subsection (a); and 

19 (B) includes the strategic plan produced 

20 under subsection (c); and 

21 (2) not later than 1 year after the date of the 

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1 portunities executed in the previous fiscal year and 

2 planned for the upcoming fiscal year. 

3 (f) RESEARCH SECURITY.—Nothing under this sec4 tion authorizes the Administrator to develop, implement, 

5 or execute an agreement related to technologies under this 

6 section with any entity of concern, a foreign business enti7 ty, or a foreign country of concern. 

8 (g) DEFINITIONS.—In this section— 

9 (1) ENTITY OF CONCERN.—the term ‘‘entity of 

10 concern’’ has the meaning given such term in section 

11 10114 of the Research and Development, Competi12 tion, and Innovation Act (Public Law 117–167; 42 

13 U.S.C. 18912). 

14 (2) FOREIGN BUSINESS ENTITY.—The term 

15 ‘‘foreign business entity’’ means an entity that is 

16 majority-owned or majority-controlled (as such term 

17 is defined in section 800.208 of title 31, Code of 

18 Federal Regulations, or a successor regulation), or 

19 minority owned greater than 25 percent by— 

20 (A) any governmental organization of a 

21 foreign country of concern; or 

22 (B) any other entity that is— 

23 (i) known to be owned or controlled 

24 by any governmental organization of a for25 eign country of concern; or 


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1 (ii) organized under, or otherwise sub2 ject to, the laws of a foreign country of 

3 concern. 

4 (3) FOREIGN COUNTRY OF CONCERN.—The 

5 term ‘‘foreign country of concern’’ has the meaning 

6 given such term in section 9901 of title XCIX of di7 vision H of the William M. (Mac) Thornberry Na8 tional Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 

9 2021 (15 U.S.C. 4651). 

10 (4) HIGH-SPEED AIRCRAFT.—The term ‘‘high11 speed aircraft’’ has the meaning given such term in 

12 section 1009 of the Federal Aviation Reauthoriza13 tion Act of 2024 (Public Law 118–63). 

14 TITLE VI—SCIENCE 

15 SEC. 601. MAINTAINING A BALANCED SCIENCE PORTFOLIO. 

16 (a) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—Congress reaffirms the 

17 sense of Congress that— 

18 (1) a balanced and adequately funded set of ac19 tivities consisting of research and analysis grant pro20 grams, technology development, suborbital research 

21 activities, and small, medium, and large space mis22 sions, contributes to a robust and productive science 

23 program and serves as a catalyst for innovation and 

24 discovery; and 


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1 (2) the Administrator should set science prior2 ities by following the recommendations and guidance 

3 provided by the scientific community through the 

4 National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and 

5 Medicine decadal surveys. 

6 (b) POLICY REAFFIRMATION.—Congress reaffirms 

7 the policy of the United States set forth in section 501(c) 

8 of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration 

9 Transition Authorization Act of 2017 (Public Law 115– 

10 10; 51 U.S.C. 20302 note), which states, ‘‘It is the policy 

11 of the United States to ensure, to the extent practicable, 

12 a steady cadence of large, medium, and small science mis13 sions’’. 

14 SEC. 602. IMPLEMENTATION OF SCIENCE MISSION COST15 CAPS. 

16 (a) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—It is the sense of Con17 gress that— 

18 (1) NASA science missions address compelling 

19 scientific questions prioritized by the National Acad20 emies decadal surveys, and often such missions ex21 ceed expectations in terms of performance, longevity, 

22 and scientific impact; 

23 (2) the Administrator should continue to pursue 

24 an ambitious science program while also seeking to 

25 avoid excessive cost growth that has the potential to 


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1 affect the balance across the Science portfolio and 

2 within the Science Divisions; 

3 (3) audits by the NASA Inspector General and 

4 the Government Accountability Office have reported 

5 that early cost estimates for missions in the prelimi6 nary phases of conception and development are im7 mature and unreliable, and the cost of a mission 

8 typically is not well-understood until the project is 

9 further along in the development process; 

10 (4) cost growth of a mission beyond its early 

11 cost estimates is a challenge for budget planning 

12 and has the potential to affect other missions in the 

13 Science Mission Directorate portfolio, including 

14 through delays to future mission solicitations; and 

15 (5) relying on early cost estimates made prior 

16 to preliminary design review for science missions 

17 which then experience such cost growth may 

18 disincentivize program and cost discipline moving 

19 forward. 

20 (b) REPORT.—Not later than 12 months after the 

21 date of the enactment of this Act, the Comptroller General 

22 shall transmit to the appropriate committees of Congress 

23 a review of NASA practices related to establishment of 

24 and compliance with cost caps of competitively-selected, 


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1 principal investigator-led science missions. The review 

2 shall— 

3 (1) assess current cost cap values and deter4 mine whether existing cost-cap amounts are appro5 priate for different classes of missions; 

6 (2) consider the effectiveness of cost caps in 

7 maintaining a varied and balanced portfolio of mis8 sion types within the Science Mission Directorate; 

9 (3) describe the information NASA requires as 

10 part of a proposal submission related to project cost 

11 estimates and proposal compliance with cost caps, 

12 and assess whether such required information pro13 vides sufficient insight or confidence in the esti14 mates; 

15 (4) consider NASA processes for assessing pro16 posed cost estimates and the accuracy of such as17 sessments for past competitively-selected, principal 

18 investigator-led science missions; and 

19 (5) for the period starting on January 1, 2000 

20 and ending on the date of the enactment of this 

21 Act— 

22 (A) a list of— 

23 (i) competitively-selected, principal in24 vestigator-led science missions for which 


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1 costs have exceeded the associated cost 

2 cap; and 

3 (ii) reason the mission costs exceeded 

4 the cost-cap; 

5 (B) an assessment of NASA’s role in pre6 dicting, preventing, or managing competitively7 selected, principal investigator-led science mis8 sion cost increases; and 

9 (C) a description of the impact of in10 creased competitively-selected, principal investi11 gator-led science mission costs beyond the cost 

12 caps on— 

13 (i) the missions for which the cost cap 

14 has been breached; and 

15 (ii) other missions within the applica16 ble division and within the Science Mission 

17 Directorate. 

18 SEC. 603. REEXAMINATION OF DECADAL SURVEYS. 

19 Title 51, United States Code, is amended in section 

20 20305(c) by inserting ‘‘, significant changes to the NASA 

21 budget’’ after ‘‘growth’’. 

22 SEC. 604. LANDSAT. 

23 Not later than 180 days after the date of enactment 

24 of this Act, the Administrator shall transmit a report to 

25 the appropriate committees of Congress describing— 


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1 (1) the Administrator’s efforts to comply with 

2 section 60134 of title 51, United States Code; 

3 (2) aspects of Landsat NEXT or any other 

4 Landsat observations that— 

5 (A) could be provided by private sector 

6 data-buys or service procurements; and 

7 (B) could— 

8 (i) meet associated science require9 ments while maintaining or exceeding the 

10 quality, integrity, and continuity of the 

11 Landsat observational capabilities and per12 formance, including requirements nec13 essary to ensure high-quality calibrated 

14 data continuity and traceability with the 

15 50-year Landsat data record; and 

16 (ii) comply with nondiscriminatory 

17 availability of unenhanced data and public 

18 archiving of data pursuant to section 

19 60141 and 60142 of title 51, United 

20 States Code, and all other relevant federal 

21 laws, regulations, and policies related to 

22 open science and data accessibility; 

23 (3) any potential tradeoffs or other impacts of 

24 subparagraphs (A) or (B) that could reduce the ben25 efit of Landsat data for scientific and applied uses 


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1 or reduce the Federal Government’s ability to make 

2 such data available for the widest possible use; and 

3 (4) recommendations and opportunities for the 

4 Federal Government to mitigate potential tradeoffs 

5 or impacts identified under paragraph (3) or to oth6 erwise facilitate private sector data-buys or service 

7 procurements. 

8 SEC. 605. PRIVATE EARTH OBSERVATION DATA. 

9 (a) AMENDMENTS.—Section 702 of the National Aer10 onautics and Space Administration Authorization Act of 

11 2010 (42 U.S.C. 18371) is amended— 

12 (1) by striking ‘‘The Director of OSTP’’ and 

13 inserting the following: 

14 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—The Director of OSTP’’; and 

15 (2) by adding at the end the following: 

16 ‘‘(b) CONSIDERATIONS.—In updating the civil Earth 

17 observation strategic implementation plan pursuant to 

18 subsection (a), the Director of the Office of Science and 

19 Technology Policy shall consider commercial Earth obser20 vation data, as appropriate, that can be purchased or 

21 accessed by the Federal Government to meet Earth obser22 vation requirements.’’. 

23 (b) GOVERNMENT ACCOUNTABILITY OFFICE RE24 PORT.—Not later than 12 months after the release of the 

25 next civil Earth observation strategic implementation plan 


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1 update under section 702(a) of the National Aeronautics 

2 and Space Administration Authorization Act of 2010 (42 

3 U.S.C. 18371(a)), the Comptroller General shall report to 

4 the appropriate committees of Congress an assessment of 

5 the Director of the Office of Science and Technology Pol6 icy’s implementation of section 702(b) of the National 

7 Aeronautics and Space Administration Authorization Act 

8 of 2010 (42 U.S.C. 18371(b)), as amended. 

9 SEC. 606. COMMERCIAL SATELLITE DATA. 

10 (a) FINDINGS.—Congress makes the following find11 ings: 

12 (1) Section 60501 of title 51, United States 

13 Code, states that the goal for the Earth Science pro14 gram of NASA shall be to pursue a program of 

15 Earth observations, research, and applications activi16 ties to better understand the Earth, how it supports 

17 life, and how human activities affect its ability to do 

18 so in the future. 

19 (2) Section 50115 of title 51, United States 

20 Code, states that the Administrator of NASA shall, 

21 to the extent possible and while satisfying the sci22 entific or educational requirements of NASA, and 

23 where appropriate, of other Federal agencies and 

24 scientific researchers, acquire, where cost effective, 

25 space-based and airborne commercial Earth remote 


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1 sensing data, services, distribution, and applications 

2 from a commercial provider. 

3 (3) The Administrator of NASA established the 

4 Commercial SmallSat Data Acquisition Pilot Pro5 gram in 2019 to identify, validate, and acquire from 

6 commercial sources data that support the Earth 

7 science research and application goals. 

8 (4) The Administrator of NASA has— 

9 (A) determined that the pilot program de10 scribed in paragraph (3) has been a success, as 

11 described in the final evaluation entitled ‘‘Com12 mercial SmallSat Data Acquisition Program 

13 Pilot Evaluation Report’’ issued in 2020; 

14 (B) established a formal process for evalu15 ating and onboarding new commercial vendors 

16 in such pilot program; 

17 (C) increased the number of commercial 

18 vendors and commercial data products available 

19 through such pilot program; and 

20 (D) expanded procurement arrangements 

21 with commercial vendors to broaden user access 

22 to provide commercial Earth remote sensing 

23 data and imagery to federally funded research24 ers. 


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1 (b) COMMERCIAL SATELLITE DATA ACQUISITION

2 PROGRAM.— 

3 (1) IN GENERAL.—Chapter 603 of title 51, 

4 United States Code, is amended by adding at the 

5 end the following: 

6 ‘‘§ 60307. Commercial satellite data acquisition pro7 gram 

8 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—The Administrator shall estab9 lish within the Earth Science Division of the Science Mis10 sion Directorate a program to acquire and disseminate 

11 cost-effective and appropriate commercial Earth remote 

12 sensing data and imagery in order to satisfy the scientific, 

13 operational, and educational requirements of the Adminis14 tration, and where appropriate, of other Federal agencies 

15 and scientific researchers to augment or complement the 

16 suite of Earth observations acquired by the Administra17 tion, other United States Government agencies, and inter18 national partners. 

19 ‘‘(b) DATA PUBLICATION AND TRANSPARENCY.—The 

20 terms and conditions of commercial Earth remote sensing 

21 data and imagery acquisitions under the program de22 scribed in subsection (a) shall not prevent— 

23 ‘‘(1) the publication of commercial data or im24 agery for scientific purposes; or 


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1 ‘‘(2) the publication of information that is de2 rived from, incorporates, or enhances the original 

3 commercial data or imagery of a vendor. 

4 ‘‘(c) AUTHORIZATION.—In carrying out the program 

5 under this section, the Administrator may— 

6 ‘‘(1) procure the commercial Earth remote 

7 sensing data and imagery from commercial vendors 

8 to advance scientific research and applications in ac9 cordance with subsection (a); and 

10 ‘‘(2) establish or modify end-use license terms 

11 and conditions to allow for the widest-possible use of 

12 procured commercial Earth remote sensing data and 

13 imagery by individuals other than NASA-funded 

14 users, consistent with the goals of the program. 

15 ‘‘(d) UNITED STATES VENDORS.—Commercial Earth 

16 remote sensing data and imagery referred to in sub17 sections (a) and (c) shall, to the maximum extent prac18 ticable, be procured from United States vendors. 

19 ‘‘(e) REPORT.—Not later than 180 days after the 

20 date of the enactment of this section and annually there21 after, the Administrator shall submit to the Committee on 

22 Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate and 

23 the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology of the 

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1 cense terms, and uses of commercial Earth remote sensing 

2 data and imagery under this section: 

3 ‘‘(1)(A) In the case of the initial report, a list 

4 of all agreements that are providing commercial 

5 Earth remote sensing data and imagery to NASA as 

6 of the date of the report. 

7 ‘‘(B) For each subsequent report, a list of all 

8 agreements that have provided commercial Earth re9 mote sensing data and imagery to NASA during the 

10 reporting period. 

11 ‘‘(2) A description of the end-use license terms 

12 and conditions for each such vendor. 

13 ‘‘(3) A description of the manner in which each 

14 such agreement is advancing scientific research and 

15 applications, including priorities recommended by 

16 the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, 

17 and Medicine decadal surveys. 

18 ‘‘(4) Information specifying whether the Admin19 istrator has entered into an agreement with a com20 mercial vendor or a Federal agency that permits the 

21 use of data and imagery by Federal Government em22 ployees, contractors, or non-Federal users.’’. 

23 (2) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The table of con24 tents for chapter 603 of title 51, United States 


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1 Code, is amended by adding at the end the following 

2 new item: 

‘‘60307. Commercial Satellite Data Acquisition Program.’’. 

3 SEC. 607. GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSION MEASUREMENTS. 

4 (a) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—It is the sense of Con5 gress that— 

6 (1) observation and measurement of greenhouse 

7 gases such as carbon dioxide and methane are of 

8 critical importance to understand the sources of 

9 these emissions; 

10 (2) additional tools can improve the precise de11 tection of methane leaks from natural gas lines and 

12 production facilities to reduce economic losses and to 

13 reduce unintentional release of this potent green14 house gas; 

15 (3) observation of such gases can be conducted 

16 with a combination of space-based, airborne, and 

17 ground-based instruments; 

18 (4) in 2022, NASA cancelled the Geostationary 

19 Carbon Cycle Observatory, a competitively-selected, 

20 Principal Investigator-led instrument under develop21 ment that is designed to make space-based observa22 tions of greenhouse gases, including carbon dioxide, 

23 carbon monoxide, and methane, as well as vegetation 

24 health over the western hemisphere from geo25 synchronous orbit; and 


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1 (5) in 2023, the Geostationary Carbon Cycle 

2 Observatory PI-led project team delivered an 

3 unvalidated instrument assembly and flight spares to 

4 NASA as part of the project closeout activities. 

5 (b) HARDWARE.— 

6 (1) The Administrator shall assess the hard7 ware and, to the maximum extent practicable, seek 

8 to validate the instrument assembly delivered to the 

9 Administration under the contract for the develop10 ment of GeoCarb, which shall include an assessment 

11 of scientific capabilities of the delivered hardware, 

12 including potential repurposed uses or science con13 tributions. 

14 (2) The Administrator, within 6 months of the 

15 date of the enactment of this Act, shall provide a re16 port to the appropriate committees of Congress re17 garding the results of the assessment conducted pur18 suant to paragraph (1) and if appropriate based on 

19 the assessment, a list of potential launch opportuni20 ties, including cost and schedule associated with 

21 such opportunities. 

22 (c) STRATEGY.— 

23 (1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 90 days after 

24 the date of the enactment of this Act, the Adminis25 trator, in consultation with the National Oceanic 


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1 and Atmospheric Administration, the National Insti2 tute of Standards and Technology, and other rel3 evant agencies, shall enter into an agreement with 

4 the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, 

5 and Medicine to develop a science-based strategy to 

6 assess and evaluate the use of present and future 

7 greenhouse gas monitoring and detection capabili8 ties, including ground-based, airborne, and space9 based sensors and integration of data relating to 

10 such monitoring and detection from other indicators, 

11 to detect large methane emission events (commonly 

12 referred to as ‘‘methane super-emitters’’). 

13 (2) REQUIREMENTS.—The strategy described in 

14 subsection (a) shall include the following elements: 

15 (A) Development of a proposed definition 

16 for the term ‘‘methane super-emitter’’. 

17 (B) Examination of whether and how cur18 rent and planned Federal greenhouse gas moni19 toring and detection capabilities may be lever20 aged to monitor and detect methane super21 emitters, and identify key gaps in such capabili22 ties. 

23 (C) Examination of the effectiveness of the 

24 U.S. Greenhouse Gas Center and Greenhouse 

25 Gas Monitoring and Measurement Interagency 


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1 Working Group in facilitating interagency col2 laboration for greenhouse gas monitoring and 

3 detection, data standards, stewardship, and 

4 data integration, including activities related to 

5 monitoring and detecting methane super6 emitters. 

7 (D) Examination of actions taken by Fed8 eral agencies and departments in response to 

9 the National Strategy to Advance an Integrated 

10 U.S. Greenhouse Gas Measurement, Moni11 toring, and Information System, including 

12 progress towards pathways to enhance the sci13 entific and operational value of information re14 garding methane super-emitters. 

15 (E) Consideration of options for the Fed16 eral Government to partner with nongovern17 mental entities, including State and local gov18 ernments, academia, nonprofit organizations, 

19 commercial industry, and international organi20 zations, to effectively leverage greenhouse gas 

21 monitoring and detection capabilities to monitor 

22 and detect methane super-emitters. 

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1 governmental entities, academia, nonprofit or2 ganizations, commercial industry, and inter3 national organizations related to monitoring 

4 and detecting methane super-emitters. 

5 (G) Recommendations regarding the activi6 ties under subparagraphs (A) through (F), as 

7 appropriate. 

8 (d) USE OF STRATEGY.—The Administrator may use 

9 the strategy described in subsection (a) to inform the plan10 ning of research and development activities regarding 

11 greenhouse gas monitoring and detection, including meth12 ane super-emitters. 

13 (e) REPORT.—Not later than 18 months after the 

14 date of the execution of the agreement between the Admin15 istrator and the National Academies of Sciences, Engi16 neering, and Medicine under subsection (a), the National 

17 Academies shall submit to the Administrator, the Com18 mittee on Science, Space, and Technology of the House 

19 of Representatives, and the Committee on Commerce, 

20 Science, and Transportation of the Senate a report on the 

21 strategy described in subsection (a). 

22 (f) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 

23 (1) GREENHOUSE GAS MONITORING AND DE24 TECTION.—The term ‘‘greenhouse gas monitoring 

25 and detection’’ means the direct observation, from 


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1 space or in-situ, or collection of measurement data 

2 pertaining to, greenhouse gas emissions and levels. 

3 (2) GEOCARB.—The term ‘‘GeoCarb’’ shall 

4 mean the Geostationary Carbon Cycle Observatory. 

5 SEC. 608. NASA DATA FOR AGRICULTURAL APPLICATIONS. 

6 (a) FINDINGS.—Congress finds the following: 

7 (1) NASA has decades of experience in space8 based scientific Earth observations and measure9 ments, including data, trends and modeling. 

10 (2) NASA Earth science data, which includes 

11 data on precipitation, temperature, 

12 evapotranspiration, soil moisture, and vegetation 

13 health, has been used to inform the decisionmaking 

14 of agricultural producers. 

15 (3) NASA applies its scientific data and models 

16 to inform and support the agricultural community 

17 and engages in innovative collaborations such as the 

18 NASA Acres and NASA Harvest agricultural con19 sortia. 

20 (4) NASA uses space-based Earth observations 

21 and science and applications to support farmers in 

22 efforts to conserve water and other resources, im23 prove farm management and crop yield, and facili24 tate the stability of the national food supply. 


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1 (5) NASA’s upcoming Earth System Observ2 atory will benefit the agricultural community by im3 proving observations critical for measuring and un4 derstanding cropland conditions, water availability, 

5 early onset crop disease, soil moisture, and other 

6 crop and rangeland management indicators. 

7 (6) Increased engagement between NASA and 

8 the agricultural community can support agricultural 

9 producers, bolster the national food supply, and im10 prove agricultural research, science, and technology. 

11 (b) DATA DISSEMINATION.—NASA shall continue to 

12 partner with other relevant Federal agencies, as prac13 ticable, to disseminate water, soil, vegetation, land-use, 

14 and other relevant NASA Earth observation and science 

15 data, information and tools to support American agricul16 tural producers. Such partnerships may include activities 

17 such as— 

18 (1) continuing the leverage NASA Earth 

19 science water data and information to enable effi20 cient use of resources, inform irrigation decisions, 

21 and support local innovation and control of water 

22 management; 

23 (2) supporting agriculture decisionmaking by 

24 increasing the accessibility and useability of NASA 

25 Earth science data, information, and tools relevant 


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1 to the impact of disease, weather, precipitation, and 

2 other environmental factors on agricultural produc3 tion; or 

4 (3) making available, to the greatest extent 

5 practicable, NASA earth science measurements and 

6 data to advance precision agricultural capabilities 

7 relevant to the needs and requirements of agricul8 tural producers. 

9 (c) APPLICATION OF SPACE-BASED DATA.—The Ad10 ministrator shall, in furtherance of the goal for the 

11 NASA’s Earth science and applications program of secur12 ing practical benefits for society, as set forth in section 

13 60501 of title 51, United States Code, continue to collabo14 rate with relevant Federal agencies to develop mechanisms 

15 to transition, as appropriate, relevant NASA Earth 

16 science research findings, data, information, models, and 

17 capabilities to operational governmental and private sector 

18 entities focused on addressing the needs of the agricultural 

19 user community. 

20 (d) PARTNERING.—In carrying out subsections (b) 

21 and (d), NASA shall, to the extent practicable and in col22 laboration with other relevant Federal agencies, where ap23 propriate, continue to engage State and local government 

24 agencies, institutions of higher education, agriculture pro25 ducer organizations, and other relevant stakeholder and 


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1 user communities from the public and private sectors to 

2 improve dissemination of NASA Earth science data, infor3 mation, and tools relevant to the needs of agricultural pro4 ducers and the agriculture industry, in accordance with 

5 the goal for the Administration’s Earth science and appli6 cations program set forth in section 60501 of title 51, 

7 United States Code, and relevant recommendations of the 

8 most recent decadal survey on Earth science and applica9 tions from space. 

10 SEC. 609. PLANETARY SCIENCE PORTFOLIO. 

11 (a) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—It is the sense of Con12 gress that— 

13 (1) planetary science missions advance the sci14 entific understanding of the solar system and the 

15 place of humans in it while also advancing the de16 sign and operations of spacecraft and robotic engi17 neering; and 

18 (2) Discovery, New Frontiers, and Flagship 

19 programs allow NASA to fund a range of missions 

20 that vary in size, cost, and complexity; maintaining 

21 balance across these mission classes allows for a 

22 broad scope of discoveries and scientific advances. 

23 (b) MISSION PRIORITIES REAFFIRMATION.—Con24 gress reaffirms the direction in section 502(b)(1) of the 

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1 tion Authorization Act of 2017 (Public Law 115–10; 51 

2 U.S.C. 20302 note) that— 

3 (1) in accordance with the priorities established 

4 in the most recent Planetary Science Decadal Sur5 vey, the Administrator shall ensure, to the greatest 

6 extent practicable, the completion of a balanced set 

7 of Discovery, New Frontiers, and Flagship missions 

8 at the cadence recommended by the most recent 

9 Planetary Science Decadal Survey; and 

10 (2) consistent with the set of missions described 

11 in paragraph (1), and while maintaining the con12 tinuity of scientific data and steady development of 

13 capabilities and technologies, the Administrator may 

14 seek, if necessary, adjustments to mission priorities, 

15 schedule, and scope in light of changing budget pro16 jections. 

17 SEC. 610. PLANETARY DEFENSE. 

18 (a) Section 808 of the National Aeronautics and 

19 Space Administration Authorization Act of 2010 (42 

20 U.S.C. 18387), is amended in subsection (b) by striking 

21 ‘‘implement, before September 30, 2012,’’ and inserting 

22 ‘‘, in coordination with the NASA Administrator, maintain 

23 and regularly update’’. 

24 (b) Title 51, United States Code, is amended— 

25 (1) in section 71103— 


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1 (A) in the section heading, by striking 

2 ‘‘Developing policy and recom3 mending’’ and inserting ‘‘Policy on near4 Earth objects and’’ 

5 (B) by striking ‘‘Within 2 years after Oc6 tober 15, 2008, the’’ and inserting ‘‘The’’; 

7 (C) after ‘‘Policy shall’’, by inserting ‘‘, in 

8 coordination with the Administrator, maintain 

9 and regularly update’’; 

10 (D) by striking ‘‘(1) develop’’; and 

11 (E) in paragraph (2), by striking ‘‘(2) rec12 ommend’’ and inserting ‘‘recommendations 

13 for’’; and 

14 (2) in chapter 711— 

15 (A) by adding at the end the following: 

16 ‘‘§ 71105. Planetary defense coordination office 

17 ‘‘(a) OFFICE.—As directed in section 10825 of the 

18 National Aeronautics and Space Administration Author19 ization Act of 2022 (Public Law 117–167), the Adminis20 trator shall maintain an office within the Planetary 

21 Science Division of the Science Mission Directorate to be 

22 known as the ‘Planetary Defense Coordination Office’. 

23 ‘‘(b) RESPONSIBILITIES.—Consistent with the direc24 tion in section 10825 of the National Aeronautics and 

25 Space Administration Authorization Act of 2022 (Public 


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1 Law 117–167) the Planetary Defense Coordination Office 

2 under subsection (a) shall— 

3 ‘‘(1) plan, develop, and implement a program to 

4 survey threats posed by near-Earth objects equal to 

5 or grater than 140 meters in diameter, as required 

6 by section 321(d)(1) of the National Aeronautics 

7 and Space Administration Authorization Act of 2005 

8 (Public Law 109–155; 119 Stat. 2922; 51 U.S.C. 

9 71101 note prec.); 

10 ‘‘(2) identify, track, and characterize potentially 

11 hazardous near-Earth objects, issue warnings of the 

12 effects of potential impacts of such objects, and in13 vestigate strategies and technologies for mitigating 

14 the potential impacts of such objects; and 

15 ‘‘(3) assist in coordinating government planning 

16 for a response to a potential impact of a near-Earth 

17 objects.’’; and 

18 (B) in the table of contents— 

19 (i) by adding at the end the following 

20 new item: 

‘‘71105. Planetary Defense Coordination Office.’’; and 

21 (ii) by amending the item relating to 

22 section 71103 to read as follows: 

‘‘71103. Policy on near-Earth objects and responsible Federal agency.’’. 


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1 SEC. 611. LUNAR DISCOVERY AND EXPLORATION. 

2 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Administrator may carry out, 

3 within the Science Mission Directorate, a program to ac4 complish science objectives for the Moon, with an organi5 zational structure that aligns responsibility, authority, and 

6 accountability, as recommended by the most recent 

7 decadal survey for planetary science and astrobiology. 

8 (b) OBJECTIVES AND REQUIREMENTS.—In carrying 

9 out the program in subsection (a), the Administrator shall 

10 direct the Science Mission Directorate, in consultation 

11 with the Exploration Systems Development Mission Direc12 torate and the Space Technology Mission Directorate, to 

13 define high-priority lunar science objectives informed by 

14 decadal and other scientific consensus recommendations, 

15 and related requirements of an integrated Artemis science 

16 strategy for human and robotic missions to the Moon. 

17 (c) INSTRUMENTATION.—The program in subsection 

18 (a) should assess the need for and facilitate the develop19 ment of instrumentation to support the scientific explo20 ration of the Moon. 

21 SEC. 612. COMMERCIAL LUNAR PAYLOAD SERVICES. 

22 (a) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—It is the sense of Con23 gress that— 

24 (1) the Administrator’s encouragement and 

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1 livery capabilities and other related services serves 

2 the national interest; and 

3 (2) commercial providers benefit from an ap4 proach that places low-cost, noncritical instruments 

5 on initial deliveries using small- and medium-size 

6 landers before proceeding to larger landers for more 

7 complex payloads. 

8 (b) COMMERCIAL LUNAR PAYLOAD SERVICES.—The 

9 Administrator is authorized to establish a Commercial 

10 Lunar Payload Services program for the purposes of pro11 curing, from one or more United States commercial pro12 viders, services for delivery of NASA science payloads, and 

13 the payloads of other NASA mission directorates, as ap14 propriate and practicable, to the lunar surface. 

15 (c) RELATIONSHIP TO OTHER MISSION DIREC16 TORATES.—A Mission Directorate that seeks to obtain 

17 commercial lunar payload services under the program es18 tablished in subsection (b) shall provide funding for— 

19 (1) any payload, instrument or other item spon20 sored by the Mission Directorate for delivery 

21 through the program; and 

22 (2) the cost of the commercial lunar payload 

23 services obtained on behalf of the Mission Direc24 torate. 


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1 (d) IMPLEMENTATION.—In implementing any such 

2 activities pursuant to subsection (b), the Administrator 

3 shall— 

4 (1) conduct updated market research on the 

5 commercial lunar economy and identify any changes 

6 since the last market analysis; 

7 (2) assess NASA’s needs from and role in and 

8 contribution to the commercial lunar delivery mar9 ket; 

10 (3) based on such needs identified in paragraph 

11 (2), assess the effectiveness of the task order ap12 proach in advancing commercial development of 

13 lunar delivery services, including an assessment of 

14 the appropriate number of providers necessary to 

15 support NASA commercial lunar delivery needs, and 

16 identify any challenges and recommendations for im17 provement; and 

18 (4) strengthen procedures related to the selec19 tion, manifesting, interfaces, and requirements of 

20 payloads and other relevant factors that could con21 tribute to minimizing future NASA-directed changes 

22 to projects following commercial lunar payload serv23 ice contract awards. 

24 (e) MANAGEMENT PLAN.—Not later than 90 days 

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1 trator shall, informed by the activities conducted under 

2 subsection (c), prepare and implement a management plan 

3 with clear leadership authority and responsibility for the 

4 program authorized in subsection (b). 

5 (f) BRIEFINGS.—Not later than 180 days from the 

6 date of the enactment of this Act, the Administrator shall 

7 brief the appropriate committees of Congress on the imple8 mentation of the management plan in subsection (d). 

9 (g) COORDINATION.—The Administrator shall ensure 

10 coordination between Mission Directorates and the Moon 

11 to Mars Program on the administration of the program 

12 in subsection (b) to ensure alignment of goals for lunar 

13 delivery services. 

14 SEC. 613. PLANETARY AND LUNAR OPERATIONS. 

15 (a) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—It is the sense of Con16 gress that— 

17 (1) existing NASA lunar and Martian orbital 

18 missions are operating well beyond their planned 

19 mission lifespans; 

20 (2) NASA relies on this aging infrastructure for 

21 observations, communications relay, and other oper22 ations to support critical NASA missions; and 

23 (3) the United States plans to increase its ac24 tivities on and around both the Moon and Mars in 

25 coming years. 


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1 (b) PLAN.—The Administrator shall develop a plan 

2 to ensure continuity of operations and sufficient observa3 tional and operational capabilities on and around the 

4 Moon and Mars necessary to continue to enable a robust 

5 science program and human exploration program for the 

6 Moon and Mars well into the future. Such plan shall con7 sider opportunities to engage both private and inter8 national partners in future operations. 

9 SEC. 614. MARS SAMPLE RETURN. 

10 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Administrator shall, subject 

11 to the availability of appropriations, lead a Mars Sample 

12 Return program to enable the return to Earth of scientif13 ically-selected samples from the surface of Mars for study 

14 in terrestrial laboratories, consistent with the rec15 ommendations of the National Academies decadal surveys 

16 for planetary science. 

17 (b) APPROACH.—The Administrator shall pursue the 

18 program in subsection (a) on a timeline and in a manner 

19 necessary to— 

20 (1) Sustain United States leadership in the sci21 entific exploration of Mars; 

22 (2) maintain NASA capabilities to land and op23 erate robotic spacecraft on the surface of Mars; 

24 (3) preserve the relevant unique and long-term 

25 institutional expertise; and 


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1 (4) maintain a balanced and robust planetary 

2 science division portfolio without requiring signifi3 cant increases to the NASA budget. 

4 (c) IMPLEMENTATION PLAN.—The Administrator 

5 shall, as soon as practicable and no later than 180 days 

6 after the date of enactment of this Act, transmit to the 

7 appropriate committees of Congress a plan and timeline 

8 for the implementation of a Mars Sample Return program 

9 pursuant to this section with the goal of enabling the high10 est scientific return for the resources invested. Such plan 

11 shall include a design and mission architecture and estab12 lish realistic cost and schedule estimates to enable such 

13 goal. 

14 SEC. 615. HUBBLE SPACE TELESCOPE SERVICING. 

15 Not later than 90 days from the date of the enact16 ment of this Act, the Administrator shall submit a report 

17 to the appropriate committees of Congress that includes 

18 the results of any study or studies conducted in the last 

19 five years regarding the technical feasibility of safely re20 boosting the Hubble Space Telescope, including any such 

21 studies regarding the technical feasibility of using private 

22 sector capabilities. 


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1 SEC. 616. GREAT OBSERVATORIES MISSION AND TECH2 NOLOGY MATURATION. 

3 (a) ESTABLISHMENT.—The Administrator may es4 tablish a Great Observatories Mission and Technology 

5 Maturation project (referred to in this section as a 

6 ‘‘Project’’) to mature the large-scale space-based mission 

7 concepts and technologies needed for a future astrophysics 

8 mission, as informed by the recommendations of the most 

9 recent decadal survey in astronomy and astrophysics. 

10 (b) ACTIVITIES.—A project established under sub11 section (b) shall inform the design and development of fu12 ture large-scale space-based Astrophysics missions by con13 ducting activities which may include— 

14 (1) assessing the appropriate scope for any fu15 ture mission; 

16 (2) determining the range of capabilities and 

17 technology readiness of such capabilities needed for 

18 a mission; and 

19 (3) informing the development and maturation 

20 of science and technologies needed for such mission. 

21 (c) COSTS.—The independent life-cycle cost estimate 

22 conducted under section 30307 of title 51, United States 

23 Code, as amended by this Act, for a large-scale space24 based mission resulting from successful completion of a 

25 Project established under subsection (b) shall include an 


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1 accounting of all costs spent on maturation of the mission 

2 through such Project. 

3 (d) REPORT.—Starting on February 1, 2025, and 

4 continuing annually thereafter, the Administrator shall 

5 submit to the appropriate committees of Congress a report 

6 on the progress and impacts of any Projects established 

7 under subsection (b) within Astrophysics programs. 

8 SEC. 617. NANCY GRACE ROMAN TELESCOPE. 

9 The Administrator shall continue development of the 

10 Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope as directed in sub11 section 10823(b) of the National Aeronautics and Space 

12 Administration Authorization Act of 2022 (Public Law 

13 117–167). 

14 SEC. 618. CHANDRA X-RAY OBSERVATORY. 

15 The Administrator shall, to the greatest extent prac16 ticable, take no action to reduce or otherwise preclude con17 tinuation of the science operations of the Chandra X-Ray 

18 Telescope prior to the completion and consideration of the 

19 next triennial review of mission extensions for the Astro20 physics division conducted pursuant to section 30504 of 

21 title 51, United States Code and NASA’s ongoing oper22 ations paradigm change review. 

23 SEC. 619. HELIOPHYSICS RESEARCH. 

24 (a) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—It is the sense of Con25 gress that— 


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1 (1) NASA heliophysics research advances the 

2 scientific understanding of the Sun, its impact on 

3 the Earth and near-Earth environment, and the 

4 Sun’s interactions with other bodies in the solar sys5 tem, the interplanetary medium, and the interstellar 

6 medium; 

7 (2) fundamental science supported by the 

8 Heliophysics division is critical to improving space 

9 weather observations forecasting capabilities, which 

10 contribute to— 

11 (A) fortifying national security and other 

12 critically important space-based and ground13 based assets; 

14 (B) improving the resilience of the Na15 tion’s energy infrastructure; and 

16 (C) protecting human health in space; and 

17 (3) the Heliophysics Division should continue to 

18 maximize the scientific return on investment of its 

19 portfolio through maintaining a balanced portfolio 

20 that includes research and analysis, including multi21 disciplinary research initiatives, technology develop22 ment, space-based missions and suborbital flight 

23 projects that include both directed and strategic mis24 sions and principal investigator-led, competitively so25 licited missions, informed by the science priorities 


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1 and guidance of the most recent decadal survey in 

2 solar and space physics. 

3 (b) PROGRAM MANAGEMENT.—The Administrator 

4 shall seek to— 

5 (1) maintain a regular Explorer Announcement 

6 of Opportunity cadence and alternate between small 

7 and mid-sized missions; and 

8 (2) enable a regular selection of Missions of Op9 portunity. 

10 SEC. 620. STUDY ON COMMERCIAL SPACE WEATHER DATA. 

11 (a) STUDY.—The Administrator, in consultation with 

12 the Administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmos13 pheric Administration, shall conduct a study of the extent 

14 to which commercially-available data could advance space 

15 weather research, including the relevant space weather re16 search priorities of the most recent decadal survey on solar 

17 and space physics. 

18 (b) CONTENTS.—The study shall include— 

19 (1) an assessment of commercial capabilities 

20 and commercial data that meets or exceeds the 

21 science and technical standards and requirements of 

22 the Administration, which may include— 

23 (A) data that is generated or able to be 

24 generated by commercial providers; 


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1 (B) commercially-available small space2 craft; 

3 (C) opportunities for hosted NASA pay4 loads on commercial spacecraft; and 

5 (D) commercial solutions for data proc6 essing applicable to space weather science; 

7 (2) recommendations and opportunities for the 

8 Federal Government to facilitate the use of commer9 cially available options for space weather data rel10 evant to advancing the Administration’s space 

11 weather research and development activities con12 sistent with the most recent National Academies 

13 decadal survey, without reducing quality of data; 

14 and 

15 (3) options, where appropriate, for potential 

16 partnerships or use of NASA prize authority and 

17 competitions, as appropriate and practicable, to ob18 tain access to such data identified in paragraph (1) 

19 that— 

20 (A) meets or exceeds the science and tech21 nical standards and requirements of the Admin22 istration; and 

23 (B) are not duplicative of activities con24 ducted pursuant to chapter 606 of title 51, 

25 United States Code. 


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1 (c) REPORT.—Not later than 270 days after the date 

2 of enactment of this Act, the Administrator shall transmit 

3 a report to the appropriate committees of Congress con4 taining the results of the study provided under subsection 

5 (a). 

6 SEC. 621. GEOSPACE DYNAMICS CONSTELLATION. 

7 (a) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—It is the sense of Con8 gress that the Geospace Dynamics Constellation mission 

9 could enable scientific discoveries that will transform un10 derstanding of the processes that govern the dynamics of 

11 the Earth’s upper atmospheric envelope that surrounds 

12 and protects the planet. 

13 (b) ASSESSMENT.—Not later than September 5, 

14 2024, the Administrator shall transmit to the appropriate 

15 committees of Congress a report regarding the schedule 

16 and budget profile to launch the Geospace Dynamics Con17 stellation mission by the end of the decade to fulfill the 

18 recommendations of the heliophysics decadal survey. 

19 SEC. 622. TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPMENT FOR WILDLAND 

20 FIRE SCIENCE, MANAGEMENT, AND MITIGA21 TION. 

22 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Administrator, acting 

23 through the Associate Director of the Earth Science Divi24 sion for Earth Action, shall establish a project for science 

25 and technology development for wildland fire management 


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1 and mitigation (referred to in this section as 

2 ‘‘FireSense’’). 

3 (b) PURPOSE.—The purpose of FireSense is to co4 develop, deploy, and support NASA’s application of ad5 vanced science, data, and technology capabilities to enable 

6 measurable improvement in United States wildland fire 

7 management and mitigation across the fire cycle, includ8 ing pre-fire, active fire, and post-fire phases. 

9 (c) OBJECTIVES.—In establishing FireSense, the Ad10 ministrator shall seek input from relevant stakeholders 

11 and shall align FireSense with the goal for NASA’s Earth 

12 science and applications program set forth in section 

13 60501 of title 51, United States Code, consider relevant 

14 recommendations of the most recent decadal survey on 

15 Earth science and applications from space, and shall, to 

16 the extent practicable, focus on the following objectives: 

17 (1) Enhanced predictive modeling and early 

18 warning systems for wildland fire detection and pre19 vention. 

20 (2) Developing remote sensing technologies and 

21 data analysis tools to monitor fire-prone areas. 

22 (3) Transitioning wildland fire management 

23 technologies to operational users, including agencies, 

24 private sector entities, and academic institutions. 


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1 (4) Conducting research to understand the im2 pacts of climate change on wildland fire frequency 

3 and intensity. 

4 (5) Supporting post-fire recovery and ecosystem 

5 restoration through advanced technologies and data. 

6 (6) Providing necessary technical assistance to 

7 operational users to receive, process, and make use 

8 of wildland fire science, data, and technology re9 sources. 

10 (7) Any additional objectives as determined nec11 essary by the Administrator to satisfy the purpose 

12 described in subsection (b). 

13 (d) INTERAGENCY COORDINATION.—In implementing 

14 FireSense, the Administrator shall, as practicable and ap15 propriate, coordinate with relevant Federal, State, and 

16 local agencies to support wildland fire science, data, and 

17 technology development activities across all phases of the 

18 fire cycle, including prevention, detection, response, and 

19 recovery. 

20 (e) OPERATIONAL SUPPORT.—The Administrator 

21 shall, to the extent practicable and in collaboration with 

22 other relevant Federal agencies, continue to provide nec23 essary scientific and technical support to enhance wildland 

24 fire mitigation efforts to operational users, including the 

25 following: 


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1 (1) Relevant Federal agencies, as determined 

2 appropriate by the Administrator. 

3 (2) State, local, and Tribal governments and or4 ganizations. 

5 (3) Private sector entities. 

6 (4) Academic institutions, including colleges, 

7 universities, and wildland fire research institutions. 

8 (f) DATA SHARING AND COLLABORATION.—The Ad9 ministrator shall facilitate the sharing of data, tools, and 

10 research findings with operational users and other rel11 evant stakeholders to ensure effective use of NASA’s capa12 bilities in wildland fire management. 

13 (g) FIRESENSE PROJECT EVALUATION.—The Ad14 ministrator shall periodically evaluate the effectiveness of 

15 FireSense and make necessary adjustments to improve its 

16 impact on wildland fire management. 

17 (h) REPORT.—Not later than one year after the date 

18 of the enactment of this Act and annually thereafter for 

19 five years, the Administrator shall submit to the appro20 priate committees of Congress a report on the activities 

21 and accomplishments of FireSense, including the fol22 lowing: 

23 (1) An assessment of interagency coordination 

24 efforts. 


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1 (2) FireSense’s impact on wildland fire man2 agement efforts. 

3 (3) A list of emerging wildland fire manage4 ment technologies and opportunities that may be 

5 considered for further research, development, dem6 onstration, and deployment. 

7 (4) An assessment of existing challenges to ef8 fective coordination with operational users, including 

9 State, local, and Tribal governments. 

10 SEC. 623. IMPLEMENTATION OF RECOMMENDATIONS BY 

11 THE NATIONAL WILDLAND FIRE MANAGE12 MENT AND MITIGATION COMMISSION. 

13 (a) FINDINGS.—Congress finds the following: 

14 (1) Wildland fires pose a significant threat to 

15 public safety, property, and natural resources. 

16 (2) The National Wildland Fire Management 

17 and Mitigation Commission (in this section referred 

18 to as the ‘‘Commission’’) has provided critical rec19 ommendations for enhancing wildland fire science, 

20 data, and technology resources. 

21 (3) The Administration, through the Science 

22 Mission Directorate, has the capability to support 

23 and enhance wildland fire management through its 

24 advanced research and technological expertise. 


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1 (b) INCORPORATION OF RECOMMENDATIONS.—The 

2 Administrator, in accordance with the goal for NASA’s 

3 Earth science and applications program set forth in sec4 tion 60501 of title 51, United States Code, and relevant 

5 recommendations of the most recent decadal survey on 

6 Earth science and applications from space, shall incor7 porate the recommendations of the Commission, to the ex8 tent practicable, which may include continuing to carry 

9 out the following: 

10 (1) Enhancing the collection, analysis, and dis11 semination of data related to wildland fires, includ12 ing satellite and remote sensing data. 

13 (2) Supporting research and development 

14 projects aimed at improving wildland fire prediction, 

15 prevention, response, and recovery. 

16 (3) Developing and deploying technologies that 

17 can assist in monitoring, detecting, and mitigating 

18 wildland fires. 

19 (4) Conducting studies on the impact of climate 

20 change on wildland fire behavior, frequency, and in21 tensity. 

22 (c) INTERAGENCY COORDINATION.—The Adminis23 trator shall continue to coordinate, as practicable, with 

24 other Federal, State, local, and Tribal entities to integrate 

25 the Commission’s recommendations into broader wildland 


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1 fire management efforts. Such coordination may include 

2 the following: 

3 (1) Facilitating the sharing of wildland fire-re4 lated data and research findings with relevant agen5 cies and stakeholders. 

6 (2) Participating in joint initiatives and projects 

7 aimed at enhancing wildland fire management capa8 bilities. 

9 (d) EVALUATION.—The Administrator shall conduct 

10 periodic evaluations of NASA’s efforts to incorporate the 

11 Commission’s recommendations and make adjustments as 

12 necessary to maximize the effectiveness of such rec13 ommendations to support wildland fire mitigation and 

14 management efforts. 

15 (e) REPORTING.—Not later than one year after the 

16 date of the enactment of this Act, the Administrator shall 

17 submit to the appropriate committees of Congress a report 

18 detailing the activities undertaken by NASA to implement 

19 the Commission’s recommendations, including the fol20 lowing: 

21 (1) A summary of research and development 

22 projects initiated or supported. 

23 (2) An assessment of the impact of such activi24 ties on wildland fire management and mitigation ef25 forts. 


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1 (3) Any challenges or obstacles encountered in 

2 implementing such recommendations. 

3 TITLE VII—STEM EDUCATION 

4 SEC. 701. NATIONAL SPACE GRANT COLLEGE AND FELLOW5 SHIP PROGRAM. 

6 (a) AMENDMENTS.—Title 51, United States Code, is 

7 amended— 

8 (1) in section 40303, by striking subsections (d) 

9 and (e); 

10 (2) in section 40304— 

11 (A) by striking subsection (c) and inserting 

12 the following: 

13 ‘‘(c) SOLICITATIONS.— 

14 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Administrator shall 

15 issue a solicitation from space grant consortia for 

16 the award of grants or contracts under this section 

17 at the conclusion of the award cycle for fiscal Year 

18 2020 to 2024. The Administrator shall implement 

19 the allocation guidance from section 40304(e) during 

20 each fiscal year covered by the award cycle. 

21 ‘‘(2) PROPOSALS.—A lead institution of a space 

22 grant consortium that seeks a grant or contract 

23 under this section shall submit, on behalf of such 

24 space grant consortium, an application to the Ad25 ministrator at such time and in such manner and 


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1 accompanied by such information as the Adminis2 trator may require. 

3 ‘‘(3) AWARDS.—The Administrator shall award 

4 1 or more multi-year grants or contracts, disbursed 

5 in annual installments, to the lead institution of an 

6 eligible space grant consortium of— 

7 ‘‘(A) each of the 50 States of the United 

8 States; 

9 ‘‘(B) the District of Columbia; and 

10 ‘‘(C) the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico.’’; 

11 and 

12 (B) by inserting after subsection (d) the 

13 following: 

14 ‘‘(e) ALLOCATION OF FUNDING.— 

15 ‘‘(1) PROGRAM IMPLEMENTATION.—To carry 

16 out the purposes set forth in section 40301 of this 

17 title, each fiscal year, of the funds appropriated for 

18 this program of that fiscal year, the Administrator 

19 shall allocate not less than 85 percent among eligible 

20 space grant consortia as follows: 

21 ‘‘(A) The space grant consortia identified 

22 in paragraph 40304(c)(3) shall each receive an 

23 equal share. 

24 ‘‘(B) The territories of Guam and the U.S. 

25 Virgin Islands shall each receive funds equal to 


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1 one-fifth of the share for each space grant con2 sortium. 

3 ‘‘(2) PROGRAM ADMINISTRATION.— 

4 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—Each fiscal year, of 

5 the funds made available for the National Space 

6 Grant College and Fellowship Program, the Ad7 ministrator shall allocate not more than 10 per8 cent for the administration of the program. 

9 ‘‘(B) COSTS COVERED.—The funds allo10 cated under paragraph (1)(A) of this section 

11 shall cover all costs of the Administration asso12 ciated with the administration of the National 

13 Space Grant College and Fellowship Program, 

14 including— 

15 ‘‘(i) direct costs to the program, in16 cluding costs relating to support services 

17 and civil service salaries and benefits; 

18 ‘‘(ii) indirect general and administra19 tive costs of centers and facilities of the 

20 Administration; and 

21 ‘‘(iii) indirect general and administra22 tive costs of the Administration head23 quarters. 

24 ‘‘(3) SPECIAL OPPORTUNITIES.—Each fiscal 

25 year, of the funds made available for the National 


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1 Space Grant College and Fellowship program, the 

2 Administrator shall allocate not more than 5 percent 

3 to lead institutions of Space Grant Consortia for 

4 grants to carry out innovative approaches and pro5 grams to further science and education relating to 

6 the missions of the Administration pursuant to sub7 section (b).’’. 

8 (b) REVIEW.—The Administrator shall make ar9 rangements for an independent external review of the Na10 tional Space Grant College and Fellowship Program to— 

11 (1) evaluate its management, accomplishments, 

12 approach to funding allocation as described in sec13 tion 40303(e) of title 51, United States Code, and 

14 responsiveness to the purposes and goals defined in 

15 chapter 403 of title 51, United States Code; 

16 (2) consider the benefits partnerships with local 

17 education agencies, including those in underserved 

18 and rural areas, may provide; and 

19 (3) propose any statutory updates that may be 

20 needed to implement recommendations of the review. 

21 (c) REPORT.—Not later than nine months after the 

22 date of enactment of this Act, the Administrator shall 

23 transmit a report on the independent external review of 

24 the National Space Grant College and Fellowship Pro25 gram described in subsection (a) to the Committee on 


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1 Science, Space, and Technology of the House of Rep2 resentatives and the Committee on Commerce, Science, 

3 and Transportation of the Senate. 

4 SEC. 702. SKILLED TECHNICAL WORKFORCE EDUCATION 

5 OUTREACH. 

6 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Administrator may conduct 

7 or support STEM engagement activities that focus on ex8 panding opportunities for students to pursue skilled tech9 nical workforce occupations in space and aeronautics. 

10 (b) LEVERAGING EXISTING PROGRAMS.—The Ad11 ministrator, in conducting activities pursuant to sub12 section (a), shall consider leveraging, as appropriate, exist13 ing programs of NASA or other Federal programs and 

14 interagency initiatives, such as the Manufacturing USA 

15 program under section 34 of the National Institute of 

16 Standards and Technology Act (15 U.S.C. 278s). 

17 (c) INCLUSION.—Activities under subsection (a) may 

18 include outreach activities that engage secondary and 

19 post-secondary students, including students at institutions 

20 of higher education, two-year colleges, and high schools, 

21 and students in vocational or career and technical edu22 cation programs, and that— 

23 (1) expose students to careers that require ca24 reer and technical education; 


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1 (2) encourage students to pursue careers that 

2 require career and technical education; and 

3 (3) provide students hands-on learning opportu4 nities to view the manufacturing, assembly, and test5 ing of NASA-funded space and aeronautical systems, 

6 as the Administrator considers appropriate and with 

7 consideration of relevant factors such as workplace 

8 safety, mission needs, and the protection of sensitive 

9 and proprietary technologies. 

10 (d) REPORT.—Not later than one year after the date 

11 of the enactment of this Act, the Administrator shall sub12 mit to the appropriate committees of Congress a report 

13 on the NASA’s activities, and any planned activities, con14 ducted pursuant to this section. 

15 (e) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 

16 (1) INSTITUTION OF HIGHER EDUCATION.—The 

17 term ‘‘institution of higher education’’ has the 

18 meaning given the term in section 101(a) of the 

19 Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1001(a)). 

20 (2) SKILLED TECHNICAL WORKFORCE.—The 

21 term ‘‘skilled technical workforce’’ has the meaning 

22 given the term in section 4(b)(3) of the Innovations 

23 in Mentoring, Training, and Apprenticeships Act (42 

24 U.S.C. 1862p note; Public Law 115–402). 


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1 TITLE VIII—POLICY/NASA 

2 SEC. 801. MAJOR PROGRAMS. 

3 Section 30104 of title 51, United States Code, is 

4 amended in subsection (a)(1) by striking ‘‘7120.5E, dated 

5 August 14, 2012’’ and inserting ‘‘7120.5F, dated August 

6 3, 2021’’. 

7 SEC. 802. NASA ADVISORY COUNCIL. 

8 (a) CONSULTATION AND ADVICE.—Section 20113(g) 

9 of title 51, United States Code, is amended by adding 

10 ‘‘and Congress’’ after ‘‘advice to the Administration’’. 

11 (b) SUNSET.—Effective September 30, 2028, section 

12 20113(g) of title 51, United States Code, is amended by 

13 striking ‘‘and Congress’’. 

14 SEC. 803. NASA ASSESSMENT OF EARLY COST ESTIMATES. 

15 Not later than 12 months after the date of the enact16 ment of this Act, the Comptroller General shall transmit 

17 to the appropriate committees of Congress a review of the 

18 development, application, and assessment of early cost es19 timates made prior to preliminary design review for NASA 

20 missions. The review may include— 

21 (1) an assessment of NASA processes related to 

22 the formation and evaluation of proposed and early23 stage cost estimates; 

24 (2) an evaluation of NASA’s monitoring and 

25 management of cost estimates throughout mission 


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1 development, in accordance with section 10861(b)(4) 

2 of the National Aeronautics and Space Administra3 tion Authorization Act of 2022 (Public Law 117– 

4 167); and 

5 (3) any such recommendations as the Comp6 troller General determines appropriate. 

7 SEC. 804. INDEPENDENT COST ESTIMATE. 

8 Section 30307 of title 51, United States Code, is 

9 amended— 

10 (1) in the section heading, by striking ‘‘anal11 ysis’’ and inserting ‘‘estimate’’; and 

12 (2) in subsection (b)— 

13 (A) by striking ‘‘Before any funds may be 

14 obligated for implementation’’ and inserting 

15 ‘‘After the Administrator completes the prelimi16 nary design review’’; 

17 (B) by striking ‘‘analysis’’ and inserting 

18 ‘‘estimate’’; and 

19 (C) by inserting after the first sentence, 

20 ‘‘No funds may be obligated for implementation 

21 of the project before the Administrator reports 

22 the results of the life-cycle cost estimate to 

23 Congress.’’. 


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1 SEC. 805. OFFICE OF TECHNOLOGY, POLICY, AND STRAT2 EGY REPORT. 

3 Not later than January 1, 2025, and annually there4 after, the Office of Technology, Policy, and Strategy shall 

5 prepare and submit to the appropriate committees of Con6 gress a report describing the efforts of the Office during 

7 the previous calendar year and priorities of the Office for 

8 the upcoming calendar year, as practicable. 

9 SEC. 806. AUTHORIZATION FOR THE TRANSFER TO NASA OF 

10 FUNDS FROM OTHER AGENCIES FOR SCI11 ENTIFIC OR ENGINEERING RESEARCH OR 

12 EDUCATION. 

13 (a) IN GENERAL.—Subsection (f) of section 20113 

14 of title 51, United States Code, is amended— 

15 (1) by striking ‘‘In the performance of its func16 tions’’ and inserting the following: 

17 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—In the performance of its 

18 functions’’; and 

19 (2) by adding at the end the following new 

20 paragraph: 

21 ‘‘(2) TREATMENT.—Funds available to any de22 partment or agency of the Federal Government for 

23 scientific or engineering research or education, or 

24 the provision of facilities therefor, shall, subject to 

25 the approval of the head of such department or 

26 agency or as delegated pursuant to such departVerDate Sep 11 2014 02:59 Sep 25, 2024 Jkt 049200 PO 00000 Frm 00116 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H8958.RFS H8958

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1 ment’s or agency’s regulation, be available for trans2 fer, in whole or in part, to the Administration for 

3 such use as is consistent with the purposes for which 

4 such funds were appropriated. Funds so transferred 

5 shall be merged with the appropriation to which 

6 transferred, except that such transferred funds shall 

7 be limited to the awarding of grants or cooperative 

8 agreements for scientific or engineering research or 

9 education.’’. 

10 (b) ANNUAL INFORMATION ON FUNDS TRANS11 FERRED.— 

12 (1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than two years 

13 after the date of the enactment of this section, the 

14 Administrator shall include in the annual budget 

15 justification materials of the Administration, as sub16 mitted to Congress with the President’s budget re17 quest under section 1105 of title 31, United States 

18 Code, information describing the activities conducted 

19 under subsection (f) of section 20113 of title 51, 

20 United States Code (as amended by subsection (a)), 

21 during the immediately preceding fiscal year. 

22 (2) CONTENTS.—The information referred to in 

23 paragraph (1) shall contain a description of each 

24 transfer of funds under the authority provided for in 

25 paragraph (2) of subsection (f) of section 20113 of 


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1 title 51, United States Code (as added and amend2 ed, respectively, by this section), during the imme3 diately preceding fiscal year, including the following: 

4 (A) An identification of the department or 

5 agency of the Federal Government from which 

6 such funds were transferred. 

7 (B) The total amount of funds so trans8 ferred, disaggregated by each such department 

9 or agency. 

10 (C) The purposes for which such funds 

11 were appropriated to each agency or depart12 ment. 

13 (D) The program or activity of the Admin14 istration to which such funds were made avail15 able by each such transfer. 

16 (E) The purposes of each such administra17 tion program or activity, and the amount of 

18 funding appropriated to the Administration for 

19 such purposes. 

20 (c) REPORT.—Not later than three years after the 

21 date of enactment of the section, the Administrator of the 

22 Administration shall submit to the Committee on Science, 

23 Space, and Technology of the House of Representatives 

24 and the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transpor25 tation of the Senate a report that includes the following: 


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1 (1) A summary of the value of the authority 

2 provided for in paragraph (2) of subsection (f) of 

3 section 209113 of title 51, United States Code (as 

4 added and amended, respectively, by this section), 

5 including the extent to which such authority has 

6 benefited the Administration and its ability to meet 

7 its needs, achieve its mission, or more effectively 

8 conduct interagency collaborations. 

9 (2) An identification of any barriers or chal10 lenges to implementing such authority, or otherwise 

11 to managing funding required to conduct joint pro12 grams and award jointly funded grants and coopera13 tive agreements by the administration with other 

14 Federal departments and agencies to advance the 

15 missions of each such department and agency. 

16 SEC. 807. PROCEDURE FOR LAUNCH SERVICES RISK MITI17 GATION. 

18 (a) ASSESSMENT.—The Administrator shall enter 

19 into an arrangement for an independent external assess20 ment of the effectiveness and efficiency of NASA’s ap21 proach towards launch services risk mitigation in the Ad22 ministration’s Procedural Requirements 8610.7D. 

23 (b) REPORT.—Not later than 180 days from the date 

24 of enactment of this Act, the Administrator shall submit 

25 to the appropriate committees of Congress the following: 


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1 (1) The report of the assessment conducted 

2 under subsection (a). 

3 (2) NASA response to the findings of the re4 port, if any. 

5 SEC. 808. REPORT ON MERITS AND OPTIONS FOR ESTAB6 LISHING AN INSTITUTE RELATING TO SPACE 

7 RESOURCES. 

8 (a) REPORT.—Not later than 180 days after the date 

9 of the enactment of this Act, the Administrator and Sec10 retary shall jointly submit to the appropriate committees 

11 of Congress a report on the merits of, and options for, 

12 establishing an institute relating to space resources to ad13 vance the objectives of NASA and the Department in 

14 maintaining United States preeminence in space. Such ob15 jectives shall include the following: 

16 (1) Identifying, developing, and distributing 

17 space resources, including by encouraging the devel18 opment of foundational science, industrial capability, 

19 and technology. 

20 (2) Reducing the technological and business 

21 risks associated with identifying, developing, and dis22 tributing space resources. 

23 (3) Research to maximize the responsible use of 

24 space resources. 


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1 (4) Developing options for using space re2 sources to carry out the following. 

3 (A) Support current and future space ar4 chitectures, programs, business, and missions. 

5 (B) Enable such architectures, programs, 

6 business, and missions that would not otherwise 

7 be possible. 

8 (C) Supplement the supply of such re9 sources available on Earth. 

10 (b) ADDITIONAL MATTERS.—The report required 

11 under subsection (a) shall also include the following as12 sessments of the Administrator and the Secretary: 

13 (1) Whether a virtual or physical institute relat14 ing to space resources is most cost effective and ap15 propriate. 

16 (2) Whether partnering with institutions of 

17 higher education and the aerospace industry, and 

18 the extractive industry as appropriate, would be ef19 fective in increasing information available to the in20 stitute with respect to advancing the objectives de21 scribed in such subsection. 

22 (c) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 

23 (1) DEPARTMENT.—The term ‘‘Department’’ 

24 means the Department of Commerce. 


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1 (2) EXTRACTIVE INDUSTRY.—The term ‘‘ex2 tractive industry’’ means companies and individuals 

3 involved in the processes of extracting, including 

4 mining, quarrying, drilling, and dredging, raw, nat5 ural materials or energy sources. 

6 (3) INSTITUTE OF HIGHER EDUCATION.—The 

7 term ‘‘institution of higher education’’ has the 

8 meaning given such term in section 101(a) of the 

9 Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1001(a)). 

10 (4) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means 

11 the Secretary of Commerce. 

12 (5) SPACE RESOURCE.— 

13 (A) IN GENERAL.—The term ‘‘space re14 source’’ means an abiotic resource in situ in 

15 outer space. 

16 (B) INCLUSIONS.—The term ‘‘space re17 source’’ includes a raw, natural material or en18 ergy source. 

19 SEC. 809. REPORTS TO CONGRESS. 

20 (a) CONGRESSIONAL REPORTS AND NOTICES.—Any 

21 report or notice provided to Congress by NASA shall be 

22 provided to the Committee on Science, Space, and Tech23 nology of the House of Representatives and the Committee 

24 on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate, 


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1 concurrently with its delivery to any other Committee or 

2 office. 

3 (b) REPORTS ON INTERNATIONAL AGREEMENTS.—If 

4 the United States becomes a signatory to an international 

5 agreement concerning outer space activities, the Adminis6 trator shall provide to the Committee on Science, Space, 

7 and Technology of the House of Representatives and the 

8 Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of 

9 the Senate a report containing a copy of such agreement. 

10 SEC. 810. CONTRACT FLEXIBILITY. 

11 Congress finds that NASA FAR Supplement (NFS) 

12 1852.242-72, Denied Access to NASA Facilities instructs 

13 that for the period that NASA facilities were not acces14 sible to contractor employees, the contracting officer may 

15 adjust the contract performance or delivery schedule, fore16 go the work, reschedule the work, or consider requests for 

17 equitable adjustment to the contract. 

18 SEC. 811. GAO REPORT. 

19 Not later than one year after the date of the enact20 ment of this Act, the Comptroller General of the United 

21 States shall transmit to the appropriate committees of 

22 Congress a review of fire and emergency services at NASA 

23 launch and reentry facilities that assesses the following: 

24 (1) Current capabilities and projected demands 

25 for NASA-provided fire and emergency services. 


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1 (2) How demand for NASA-provided fire and 

2 emergency services have been impacted by the fol3 lowing: 

4 (A) An increased rate of launch and re5 entry operations. 

6 (B) An increased number of leases with 

7 commercial launch and reentry service providers 

8 for use of NASA property. 

9 (3) Current fire and emergency services pro10 vided by commercial providers to support launch and 

11 reentry operations that are conducted— 

12 (A) to fulfill a contractual obligation with 

13 NASA; or 

14 (B) for non-NASA purposes using NASA15 leased property. 

16 (4) Whether NASA-provided and commercially17 provided fire and emergency services are able to 

18 meet current and projected demands and support all 

19 fire response areas on NASA property. 

20 SEC. 812. NASA PUBLIC-PRIVATE TALENT PROGRAM. 

21 Section 20113 of title 51, United States Code, is 

22 amended by adding at the end the following new sub23 section: 

24 ‘‘(o) PUBLIC-PRIVATE TALENT PROGRAM.— 


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1 ‘‘(1) ASSIGNMENT AUTHORITY.—Under policies 

2 and procedures prescribed by the Administration, 

3 the Administrator may, with the agreement of a pri4 vate sector entity and the consent of an employee of 

5 the Administration or of such entity, arrange for the 

6 temporary assignment of such employee of the Ad7 ministration to such private sector entity, or of such 

8 employee of such entity to the Administration, as 

9 the case may be. 

10 ‘‘(2) AGREEMENTS.— 

11 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—The Administrator 

12 shall provide for a written agreement among 

13 the Administration, the private sector entity, 

14 and the employee concerned regarding the 

15 terms and conditions of the employee’s assign16 ment under this subsection. The agreement 

17 shall— 

18 ‘‘(i) require that the employee of the 

19 Administration, upon completion of the as20 signment, will serve in the Administration, 

21 or elsewhere in the civil service if approved 

22 by the Administrator, for a period equal to 

23 twice the length of the assignment; 

24 ‘‘(ii) provide that if the employee of 

25 the Administration or of the private sector 


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1 entity (as the case may be) fails to carry 

2 out the agreement, such employee shall be 

3 liable to the United States for payment of 

4 all expenses of the assignment, unless such 

5 failure was for good and sufficient reason, 

6 as determined by the Administrator; and 

7 ‘‘(iii) contain language ensuring that 

8 such employee of the Administration or of 

9 the private sector entity (as the case may 

10 be) does not improperly use predecisional 

11 or draft deliberative information that such 

12 employee may be privy to or aware of re13 lated to Administration programing, budg14 eting, resourcing, acquisition, or procure15 ment for the benefit or advantage of the 

16 private sector entity. 

17 ‘‘(B) TREATMENT.—An amount for which 

18 an employee is liable under subparagraph (A) 

19 shall be treated as a debt due the United 

20 States. 

21 ‘‘(C) WAIVER.—The Administrator may 

22 waive, in whole or in part, collection of a debt 

23 described in subparagraph (B) based on a de24 termination that the collection would be against 

25 equity and good conscience and not in the best 


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1 interests of the United States, after taking into 

2 account any indication of fraud, misrepresenta3 tion, fault, or lack of good faith on the part of 

4 the employee concerned. 

5 ‘‘(3) TERMINATION.—An assignment under this 

6 section may, at any time and for any reason, be ter7 minated by the Administration or the private-sector 

8 entity concerned, as the case may be. 

9 ‘‘(4) DURATION.— 

10 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—An assignment under 

11 this subsection shall be for a period of not less 

12 than three months and not more than two 

13 years, renewable up to a total of three years. 

14 An employee of the Administration may not be 

15 assigned under this subsection for more than a 

16 total of three years inclusive of all such assign17 ments. 

18 ‘‘(B) EXTENSION.—An assignment under 

19 this subsection may be for a period in excess of 

20 two years, but not more than three years, if the 

21 Administrator determines that such assignment 

22 is necessary to meet critical mission or program 

23 requirements. 

24 ‘‘(5) POLICIES AND PROCEDURES.— 


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1 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—The Administrator 

2 shall establish policies and procedures relating 

3 to assignments under this subsection. 

4 ‘‘(B) ELEMENTS.—Policies and procedures 

5 established pursuant to subparagraph (A) shall 

6 address the following: 

7 ‘‘(i) The nature and elements of writ8 ten agreements with participants in assign9 ments under this subsection. 

10 ‘‘(ii) Criteria for making such assign11 ments, including the needs of the Adminis12 tration relating thereto. 

13 ‘‘(iii) How the Administration will 

14 oversee such assignments, in particular 

15 with respect to paragraphs (2)(A)(iii), 

16 (7)(C), and (7)(D). 

17 ‘‘(iv) Criteria for issuing waivers. 

18 ‘‘(v) How expenses under paragraph 

19 (2)(A)(ii) would be determined. 

20 ‘‘(vi) Guidance for participants in 

21 such assignments. 

22 ‘‘(vii) Mission Directorate, Office, and 

23 organizational structure to implement and 

24 manage such assignments. 


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1 ‘‘(viii) Any other necessary policies, 

2 procedures, or guidelines to ensure such 

3 assignments comply with all relevant statu4 tory authorities and ethics rules, and effec5 tively contribute to one or more of the Ad6 ministration’s missions. 

7 ‘‘(C) INHERENTLY GOVERNMENTAL AC8 TIVITIES.—Assignments made under this sub9 section shall not have responsibilities or per10 form duties or decision making regarding Ad11 ministration activities that are inherently gov12 ernmental, pursuant to subpart 7.500 of title 

13 48, Code of Federal Regulations, and Office of 

14 Management and Budget review. 

15 ‘‘(6) STATUS OF FEDERAL EMPLOYEES AS16 SIGNED TO PRIVATE SECTOR ENTITIES.— 

17 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—An employee of the 

18 Administration who is assigned to a private sec19 tor entity under this subsection shall be consid20 ered, during the period of such assignment, to 

21 be on detail to a regular work assignment in 

22 the Administration for all purposes. The written 

23 agreement established under paragraph (2)(A) 

24 shall address the specific terms and conditions 


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1 related to such employee’s continued status as 

2 a Federal employee. 

3 ‘‘(B) CERTIFICATION.—In establishing a 

4 temporary assignment of an employee of the 

5 Administration to a private sector entity, the 

6 Administrator shall certify that such temporary 

7 assignment shall not have an adverse or nega8 tive impact on the mission of the Administra9 tion or organizational capabilities associated 

10 with such assignment. 

11 ‘‘(7) TERMS AND CONDITIONS FOR PRIVATE

12 SECTOR EMPLOYEES.—An employee of a private sec13 tor entity who is assigned to the Administration 

14 under this subsection— 

15 ‘‘(A) shall continue to receive pay and ben16 efits from the private sector entity from which 

17 such employee is assigned and shall not receive 

18 pay or benefits from the Administration, except 

19 as provided in subparagraph (B); 

20 ‘‘(B) is deemed to be an employee of the 

21 Administration for the purposes of— 

22 ‘‘(i) chapters 73 and 81 of title 5; 

23 ‘‘(ii) sections 201, 203, 205, 207, 

24 208, 209, 603, 606, 607, 643, 654, 1905, 

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1 tion 209 does not apply to any salary, or 

2 contribution or supplementation of salary 

3 made pursuant to subparagraph (A) of this 

4 paragraph; 

5 ‘‘(iii) sections 1343, 1344, and 

6 1349(b) of title 31; 

7 ‘‘(iv) the Federal Tort Claims Act and 

8 any other Federal tort liability statute; 

9 ‘‘(v) the Ethics in Government Act of 

10 1978; and 

11 ‘‘(vi) chapter 21 of title 41; 

12 ‘‘(C) shall not have access to any trade se13 crets or any other nonpublic information which 

14 is of commercial value to the private sector en15 tity from which such employee is assigned; 

16 ‘‘(D) may not perform work that is consid17 ered inherently governmental in nature, in ac18 cordance with paragraph (5)(C); and 

19 ‘‘(E) may not be used to circumvent— 

20 ‘‘(i) section 1710 of title 41, United 

21 States Code; or 

22 ‘‘(ii) any limitation or restriction on 

23 the size of the Administration’s civil serv24 ant workforce. 


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1 ‘‘(8) ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS.—The Ad2 ministrator shall ensure that— 

3 ‘‘(A) the normal duties and functions of an 

4 employee of the Administration who is assigned 

5 to a private sector entity under this subsection 

6 can be reasonably performed by other employ7 ees of the Administration without the perma8 nent transfer or reassignment of other per9 sonnel of the Administration; 

10 ‘‘(B) normal duties and functions of such 

11 other employees of the Administration are not, 

12 as a result of and during the course of such 

13 temporary assignment, performed or augmented 

14 by contractor personnel in violation of section 

15 1710 of title 41; and 

16 ‘‘(C) not more than two percent of the Ad17 ministration’s civil servant workforce may par18 ticipate in an assignment under this subsection 

19 at the same time. 

20 ‘‘(9) CONFLICTS OF INTEREST.—The Adminis21 trator shall implement a system to identify, mitigate, 

22 and manage any conflicts of interests that may arise 

23 as a result of an employee’s assignment under this 

24 subsection. 


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1 ‘‘(10) PROHIBITION AGAINST CHARGING CER2 TAIN COSTS TO THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT.—A 

3 private-sector entity may not charge the Administra4 tion or any other agency of the Federal Government, 

5 as direct or indirect costs under a Federal contract, 

6 the costs of pay or benefits paid by the entity to an 

7 employee assigned to the Administration under this 

8 subsection for the period of the assignment con9 cerned. 

10 ‘‘(11) CONSIDERATIONS.—In carrying out this 

11 subsection, the Administrator shall take into consid12 eration— 

13 ‘‘(A) the question of how assignments 

14 under this subsection might best be used to 

15 help meet the needs of the Administration with 

16 respect to the training of employees; and 

17 ‘‘(B) where applicable, areas of particular 

18 private sector expertise, such as cybersecurity. 

19 ‘‘(12) NASA REPORTING.— 

20 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—Not later than April 

21 30 of each year, the Administrator shall submit 

22 to the Committee on Science, Space, and Tech23 nology of the House of Representatives and the 

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1 portation of the Senate a report summarizing 

2 the implementation of this subsection. 

3 ‘‘(B) CONTENTS.—Each report under sub4 paragraph (A) shall include, with respect to the 

5 annual period to which such report relates, the 

6 following: 

7 ‘‘(i) Information relating to the total 

8 number of employees of private sector enti9 ties assigned to the Administration, and 

10 the total number of employees of the Ad11 ministration assigned to private sector en12 tities. 

13 ‘‘(ii) A brief description and assess14 ment of the talent management benefits 

15 evidenced from such assignments, as well 

16 as any identified strategic human capital 

17 and operational challenges, including the 

18 following: 

19 ‘‘(I) An identification of the 

20 names of the private sector entities to 

21 and from which employees were as22 signed. 

23 ‘‘(II) A complete listing of posi24 tions such employees were assigned to 

25 and from. 


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1 ‘‘(III) An identification of as2 signed roles and objectives of such as3 signments. 

4 ‘‘(IV) Information relating to the 

5 durations of such assignments. 

6 ‘‘(V) Information relating to as7 sociated pay grades and levels. 

8 ‘‘(iii) An assessment of impacts of 

9 such assignments on the Administration 

10 workforce and workforce culture. 

11 ‘‘(iv) An identification of the number 

12 of Administration staff and budgetary re13 sources required to implement this sub14 section. 

15 ‘‘(13) FEDERAL ETHICS.—Nothing in this sub16 section shall affect existing Federal ethics rules ap17 plicable to Federal personnel. 

18 ‘‘(14) GAO REPORTING.— 

19 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—Not later than three 

20 years after the date of the enactment of this 

21 subsection, the Comptroller General of the 

22 United States shall submit to the Committee on 

23 Science, Space, and Technology of the House of 

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1 ate a report summarizing the implementation of 

2 this subsection. 

3 ‘‘(B) CONTENTS.—The report under sub4 paragraph (A) shall include the following: 

5 ‘‘(i) A review of the implementation of 

6 this subsection, according to law and the 

7 Administration policies and procedures es8 tablished for assignments under this sub9 section. 

10 ‘‘(ii) Information relating to the ex11 tent to which such assignments adhere to 

12 best practices relating to public-private tal13 ent exchange programs. 

14 ‘‘(iii) A determination as to whether 

15 there should be limitations on the number 

16 of individuals participating in such assign17 ments. 

18 ‘‘(iv) Information relating to the ex19 tent to which the Administration complies 

20 with statutory requirements and ethics 

21 rules, and appropriately handles potential 

22 conflicts of interest and access to non23 public information with respect to such as24 signments. 


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1 ‘‘(v) Information relating to the extent 

2 to which such assignments effectively con3 tribute to one or more of the Administra4 tion’s missions. 

5 ‘‘(vi) Information relating to Adminis6 tration resources, including employee time, 

7 dedicated to administering such assign8 ments, and whether such resources are suf9 ficient for such administration.’’. 

10 SEC. 813. REPORT ON SPACE ACT AGREEMENTS. 

11 (a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 180 days after the 

12 date of the enactment of this Act, the Administrator shall 

13 submit to the appropriate committees of Congress a report 

14 describing the following: 

15 (1) Intellectual property considerations in Space 

16 Act agreements. 

17 (2) Feedback shared by industry groups regard18 ing intellectual property considerations in Space Act 

19 agreements. 

20 (3) Differences between NASA policies regard21 ing intellectual property in Space Act agreements 

22 and policies utilized in similar situations by other 

23 Federal agencies. 

24 (b) DEFINITION.—In this section, the term ‘‘Space 

25 Act agreements’’ means agreements entered into by NASA 


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1 pursuant to its authorities under the National Aeronautics 

2 and Space Act of 1958 (Public Law 85–568). 

3 SEC. 814. MENTORING. 

4 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Administrator shall establish 

5 a comprehensive NASA-wide mentoring program for early6 career, mid-level, and senior-level employees at all NASA 

7 Centers and NASA Headquarters to ensure a robust pipe8 line for NASA’s civil servant workforce and support the 

9 preparation of employees, including those from popu10 lations that are historically underrepresented in STEM, 

11 for promotion and leadership roles. 

12 (b) BRIEFING.—Not later than 180 days after the 

13 date of the enactment of this Act, the Administrator shall 

14 brief the appropriate committees of Congress on the imple15 mentation of the subsection (a). 

16 SEC. 815. DRINKING WATER WELL REPLACEMENT FOR 

17 CHINCOTEAGUE, VIRGINIA. 

18 (a) IN GENERAL.—Notwithstanding any other provi19 sion of law, the Administrator may enter into an agree20 ment, as appropriate, with the Town of Chincoteague, Vir21 ginia, for a period of up to five years, for reimbursement 

22 of the Town of Chincoteague’s costs directly associated 

23 with the development of a plan for removal of drinking 

24 water wells currently situated on NASA-administered 

25 property and the establishment of alternative drinking 


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1 water wells which are located on property under the ad2 ministrative control, either through lease, ownership, or 

3 easement, of the Town of Chincoteague. Such agreement 

4 shall, to the extent practicable, include the three remain5 ing wells to be removed and relocated, the location of the 

6 site to which such wells would be relocated or are planned 

7 to be relocated, and a current estimated cost of the reloca8 tion, including for the purchase, lease, or use of additional 

9 property, engineering, design, permitting, and construc10 tion. 

11 (b) SUBMISSION TO CONGRESS.—Not later than 18 

12 months after the date of the enactment of this Act, the 

13 Administrator, in coordination with the heads or other ap14 propriate representatives of relevant entities, shall submit 

15 to the appropriate committees of Congress the agreement 

16 under subsection (a). 

17 SEC. 816. RULE OF CONSTRUCTION. 

18 Nothing in this Act may be construed to limit the 

19 ability of a NASA employee to discuss scientific research 


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1 performed by such employee in accordance with NASA’s 

2 scientific integrity policies. 

Passed the House of Representatives September 23, 

2024. 

Attest: KEVIN F. MCCUMBER, 

Clerk. 


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