I 

118TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 8958 

To reauthorize the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, and for 

other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

JULY 9, 2024 

Mr. LUCAS (for himself, Ms. LOFGREN, Mr. BABIN, and Mr. SORENSEN) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on 

Science, Space, and Technology 

A BILL 

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, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE; TABLE OF CONTENTS. 

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

5 ‘‘NASA Reauthorization Act of 2024’’. 

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

7 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. 


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TITLE II—EXPLORATION 

Sec. 201. Continuity of purpose for space exploration. 

Sec. 202. International contributions to human exploration. 

Sec. 203. Artemis program. 

Sec. 204. Reaffirmation of the Space Launch System. 

Sec. 205. Human lunar landing capabilities. 

Sec. 206. Advanced spacesuit capabilities. 

TITLE III—SPACE OPERATIONS 

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

Sec. 302. Microgravity research. 

Sec. 303. International Space Station. 

Sec. 304. Nongovernmental missions on the International Space Station. 

Sec. 305. Report on suborbital crew missions. 

Sec. 306. United States deorbit capabilities. 

Sec. 307. Commercial low-earth orbit development. 

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. 

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. 

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. 

TITLE VI—SCIENCE 

Sec. 601. Maintaining a balanced science portfolio. 

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

Sec. 603. Reexamination of decadal surveys. 

Sec. 604. Assessment of science mission extensions. 

Sec. 605. Landsat. 

Sec. 606. Private earth observation data. 

Sec. 607. Commercial satellite data. 

Sec. 608. Greenhouse gas emission measurements. 

Sec. 609. NASA data for agricultural applications. 

Sec. 610. Planetary science portfolio. 

Sec. 611. Planetary defense. 

Sec. 612. Lunar discovery and exploration. 

Sec. 613. Commercial lunar payload services. 

Sec. 614. Planetary and lunar operations. 


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Sec. 615. Mars sample return. 

Sec. 616. Hubble space telescope servicing. 

Sec. 617. Great observatories mission and technology maturation. 

Sec. 618. Nancy Grace Roman telescope. 

Sec. 619. Chandra X-Ray observatory. 

Sec. 620. Heliophysics research. 

Sec. 621. Study on commercial space weather data. 

Sec. 622. Geospace dynamics constellation. 

TITLE VII—STEM EDUCATION 

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

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 science and technology policy report. 

Sec. 806. National space advisory committee. 

Sec. 807. Authorization for the transfer to NASA of funds from other agencies 

for scientific or engineering research or education. 

Sec. 808. Procedure for launch services risk mitigation. 

Sec. 809. Report on merits and options for establishing an institute relating to 

space resources. 

Sec. 810. Reports to Congress. 

Sec. 811. Advancement of private sector human space activities. 

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. 


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

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

3 orbit out to and including the region around the sur4 face of the Moon. 

5 (4) COMMERCIAL PROVIDER.—The term ‘‘com6 mercial provider’’ means any person providing space 

7 services, primary control of which is held by persons 

8 other than the Federal Government, a State or local 

9 government, or a foreign government. 

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

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

12 which includes cislunar space. 

13 (6) ISS.—The term ‘‘ISS’’ means the Inter14 national Space Station. 

15 (7) NASA.—The term ‘‘NASA’’ means the Na16 tional Aeronautics and Space Administration. 

17 (8) ORION.—The term ‘‘Orion’’ means the mul18 tipurpose crew vehicle described under section 303 

19 of the National Aeronautics and Space Administra20 tion Authorization Act of 2010 (42 U.S.C. 18323). 

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

22 Launch System’’ means the Space Launch System 

23 authorized under section 302 of the National Aero24 nautics and Space Administration Authorization Act 

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


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1 (10) UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT ASTRO2 NAUT.—The term ‘‘United States Government astro3 naut’’ has the meaning given the term ‘‘government 

4 astronaut’’ in section 50905 of title 51, United 

5 States Code, except that it does not include an indi6 vidual who is an international partner astronaut. 

7 TITLE I—AUTHORIZATION OF 

8 APPROPRIATIONS 

9 SEC. 101. FISCAL YEAR 2025. 

10 For fiscal year 2025, there are authorized to be ap11 propriated to NASA $25,224,640,000 as follows: 

12 (1) For Exploration, $7,618,200,000. 

13 (2) For Space Operations, $4,473,500,000. 

14 (3) For Space Technology, $1,181,800,000. 

15 (4) For Science, $7,334,200,000. 

16 (5) For Aeronautic, $965,800,000. 

17 (6) For Education, $135,000,000. 

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

19 $3,044,440,000. 

20 (8) For Construction and Environmental Com21 pliance and Restoration, $424,100,000. 

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


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1 TITLE II—EXPLORATION 

2 SEC. 201. CONTINUITY OF PURPOSE FOR SPACE EXPLO3 RATION. 

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

5 (1) NASA continues to make progress in devel6 oping and testing the Space Launch System, Orion, 

7 and associated ground systems, including through 

8 the successful completion of the Artemis I mission in 

9 November 2022 and through continued preparations 

10 for the Artemis II crewed flight demonstration mis11 sion. 

12 (2) The number of spacefaring countries is in13 creasing, and foreign countries have expanded activi14 ties for space exploration efforts, including efforts to 

15 explore and utilize the Moon through human and 

16 robotic missions. 

17 (3) A strong and ambitious space exploration 

18 program conducted with international and commer19 cial partners is important to maintaining United 

20 States leadership in space and enhancing United 

21 States international competitiveness. 

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

23 long-term programmatic goals provide a measure to 

24 ensure accountability, enhance public support for ex25 ploration missions, and provide a clear signal of 


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1 commitment to both international and domestic 

2 partners. 

3 (b) CONTINUITY OF EXISTING CAPABILITIES AND

4 PROGRAMS.— 

5 (1) As part of the human exploration activities 

6 of the Administration, including progress on Artemis 

7 missions and activities, the Administrator shall con8 tinue development of space exploration elements pur9 suant to section 10811 of the National Aeronautics 

10 and Space Administration Authorization Act of 2022 

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

12 (2) The Administrator shall leverage the private 

13 sector for logistical services to the extent practical, 

14 consistent with the Moon to Mars architecture re15 quirements and in accordance with section 50131 of 

16 title 51, United States Code. 

17 (3) Congress reaffirms the sense of Congress to 

18 maintain continuity of purpose as described in sec19 tion 201 of the 2017 NASA Transition Authoriza20 tion Act (Public Law 115–10; 131 Stat. 21). 

21 SEC. 202. INTERNATIONAL CONTRIBUTIONS TO HUMAN EX22 PLORATION. 

23 Subsection (d) of section 70504 of title 51, United 

24 States Code, is amended to read as follows: 

25 ‘‘(d) INTERNATIONAL PARTICIPATION.— 


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1 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—In order to achieve the goal 

2 of successfully conducting a crewed mission to the 

3 surface of Mars, the President may invite the United 

4 States partners in the International Space Station 

5 program and other countries, as appropriate, to par6 ticipate in an international initiative under the lead7 ership of the United States. 

8 ‘‘(2) LIMITATION.—After January 1, 2025, the 

9 Administrator shall not include an international con10 tribution on the critical path for any mission sup11 porting the human exploration roadmap developed 

12 pursuant to section 20302(b) of this title, or section 

13 432 of the National Aeronautics and Space Adminis14 tration Transition Authorization Act of 2017 (51 

15 U.S.C. 20302 note; Public Law 115–10), unless the 

16 Administrator— 

17 ‘‘(A) determines that the risk of under- or 

18 non-performance by the international partner 

19 making the contribution is low; 

20 ‘‘(B) prepares a detailed plan to ensure 

21 that any under- or non-performance of the 

22 international partner will not result in signifi23 cant cost increases, disruption, or delay of 

24 United States space exploration goals and ob25 jectives; and 


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1 ‘‘(C) transmits a report describing the 

2 basis for the determination in subparagraph (A) 

3 and the plan in subparagraph (B) to the Com4 mittee on Science, Space, and Technology of 

5 the House of Representatives and the Com6 mittee on Commerce, Science, and Transpor7 tation of the Senate at least 30 days prior to 

8 entering into a commitment with the inter9 national partner for such contribution. 

10 ‘‘(3) DEFINITION.—In this subsection, the term 

11 ‘critical path’ means any program element that, if 

12 delayed or cancelled, or if modified in a way that 

13 significantly impacts performance, would prevent, 

14 delay, or impede progress, or increase costs for the 

15 overall program.’’. 

16 SEC. 203. ARTEMIS PROGRAM. 

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

18 of Congress: 

19 (1) Exploration of outer space, including explo20 ration of the lunar surface and cislunar space, pro21 vides benefits and economic opportunity, including 

22 by inspiring future generations and expanding the 

23 science, technology, engineering, and mathematics 

24 workforce needed to sustain United States leader25 ship in science, space, and technology. 


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

2 craters that may contain water ice and other 

3 volatiles. Understanding the nature of lunar polar 

4 volatiles, such as water ice, would advance science 

5 related to the origin and evolution of volatiles in the 

6 inner solar system and could facilitate the long-term 

7 future of space exploration. Water ice lunar re8 sources have the potential to become an enabling 

9 component of future space exploration missions 

10 throughout the solar system, including crewed mis11 sions to Mars. 

12 (3) Other countries have demonstrated techno13 logical advances and successful robotic missions for 

14 lunar exploration and have announced credible plans 

15 for long-term human exploration of the Moon that 

16 include the intent to establish lunar bases. 

17 (4) United States leadership of and measurable 

18 progress on the exploration of deep space is essential 

19 for guiding development of norms related to oper20 ations on and around the Moon and for other space 

21 destinations. 

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

23 States to hold a leadership role in discussions of fu24 ture norms governing activities in space, including 

25 those on the lunar surface and in cislunar space. 


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1 (b) IN GENERAL.—In carrying out activities to en2 able a crewed lunar landing under the Moon to Mars Pro3 gram, the Administrator shall— 

4 (1) use relevant elements set forth in section 

5 10811(b)(2)(B) of the National Aeronautics and 

6 Space Administration Authorization Act of 2022 

7 (Public Law 117–167); 

8 (2) continue to ensure that the elements under 

9 paragraph (1) enable the human exploration of 

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

11 the National Aeronautics and Space Administration 

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

13 (3) engage with international partners, as ap14 propriate, in a manner that is consistent with sec15 tion 10811(b)(2)(C) the National Aeronautics and 

16 Space Administration Authorization Act of 2022 

17 (Public Law 117–167), and that increases redun18 dancy, efficiency, and cost savings; and 

19 (4) leverage private sector capabilities as set 

20 forth in subsection (c). 

21 (c) PRIVATE SECTOR CAPABILITIES ON THE MOON

22 IN SUPPORT OF LUNAR EXPLORATION EFFORTS.— 

23 (1) PRIVATE SECTOR CAPABILITIES.—The Ad24 ministrator shall, to the greatest extent practicable, 

25 use services of United States private sector providers 


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1 or engage in public-private partnerships to procure 

2 logistical, augmenting, and supporting capabilities 

3 and services for the human exploration of the Moon 

4 or cislunar space. 

5 (2) ELIGIBILITY.—For purposes of this section, 

6 to be considered a United States private sector com7 mercial service provider, the provider must— 

8 (A) be headquartered in the United States; 

9 (B) be organized under the laws of the 

10 United States or of a State; 

11 (C) have more than 50 percent ownership 

12 by United States citizens; 

13 (D) employ United States citizens for the 

14 majority of its positions; 

15 (E) meet the requirement for components 

16 mined, produced, or manufactured in the 

17 United States to total at least 50 percent of the 

18 total cost; 

19 (F) use United States launch vehicles; 

20 (G) be majority-designed, majority-devel21 oped, and majority-manufactured in the United 

22 States; and 

23 (H) maintain substantial ties to the United 

24 States. 


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1 (d) ARTEMIS FLIGHT RATE AND SAFETY.—To main2 tain the critical human spaceflight production and oper3 ation skills necessary to safely conduct human spaceflight 

4 activities in deep space, after the first crewed lunar land5 ing, the Administrator shall, to the extent practicable, seek 

6 to carry out a flight rate of two crewed lunar landing mis7 sions annually until lunar activities needed to enable a 

8 human mission to Mars are completed. 

9 SEC. 204. REAFFIRMATION OF THE SPACE LAUNCH SYS10 TEM. 

11 (a) SPACE LAUNCH SYSTEM.— 

12 (1) DEVELOPMENT AND CADENCE OBJEC13 TIVES.—Congress reaffirms— 

14 (A) support for the full development of ca15 pabilities of the Space Launch System as set 

16 forth in section 302(c) of the National Aero17 nautics and Space Administration Authorization 

18 Act of 2010 (42 U.S.C. 18322(c)). 

19 (B) its commitment to the flight rate spec20 ified in section 10812(b) of the National Aero21 nautics and Space Administration Authorization 

22 Act of 2022 (Public Law 117–267; 51 U.S.C. 

23 20301 note). 

24 (2) OTHER USES.—The Administrator shall as25 sess the utility of the Space Launch System, in acVerDate Sep 11 2014 20:46 Sep 09, 2024 Jkt 049200 PO 00000 Frm 00013 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H8958.IH H8958

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1 cordance with section 421(g) of the National Aero2 nautics and Space Administration Transition Au3 thorization Act of 2017 (Public Law 115–10; 51 

4 U.S.C. 20302 note), by entities other than NASA. 

5 Such assessment shall— 

6 (A) estimate overall cost and schedule sav7 ings from reduced transit times and the poten8 tial for increased returns enabled by the unique 

9 capabilities of the Space Launch System; 

10 (B) describe any barriers or challenges 

11 that could prevent or impede use of the Space 

12 Launch System by entities other than NASA; 

13 and 

14 (C) set forth recommendations, if any, for 

15 enabling non-NASA uses of the Space Launch 

16 System and mitigating any barriers and chal17 lenges described in subparagraph (B). 

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

19 of the enactment of this Act, the Administrator shall sub20 mit to the appropriate committees of Congress a report 

21 describing the following: 

22 (1) NASA’s progress towards achieving the 

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

24 the expected launch of the Space Launch System 

25 after which such cadence shall be achieved. 


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1 (2) The results of the assessment conducted 

2 pursuant to subsection (a)(2). 

3 SEC. 205. HUMAN LUNAR LANDING CAPABILITIES. 

4 (a) REAFFIRMATION.—Congress reaffirms that the 

5 Moon to Mars program, as set forth in subsection (b) of 

6 section 10811 of the National Aeronautics and Space Ad7 ministration Authorization Act of 2022 (Public Law 117– 

8 267; 51 U.S.C. 20302 note.; 136 Stat. 1732) shall include 

9 human-rated lunar landing systems in accordance with 

10 paragraph (2)(B)(v) of such subsection. 

11 (b) HUMAN LANDING CAPABILITIES.— 

12 (1) The Administrator shall support the devel13 opment and demonstration of, and shall obtain, 

14 human-rated lunar landing capabilities to further 

15 the goals of the human exploration roadmap under 

16 section 432 of the National Aeronautics and Space 

17 Administration Transition Authorization Act of 

18 2017 (Public Law 115–10; 51 U.S.C. 20302 note). 

19 (2) The Administrator shall ensure that such 

20 human-rated lunar landing capabilities meet all rel21 evant requirements, including requirements of the 

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

23 certification. 

24 (3) Any commercial provider from which the 

25 Administrator obtains human-rated lunar landing 


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1 capabilities must be a United States private sector 

2 commercial service provider, as described in section 

3 203(c) of this Act. 

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

5 appropriate committees of Congress the following: 

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

7 enactment of this Act, a report— 

8 (A) identifying the contribution over the 

9 past five years, and the planned contribution 

10 from 2024–2029, of government personnel, ex11 pertise, technologies and infrastructure utilized 

12 and to be utilized in support of design, develop13 ment, or operations of human lunar landing ca14 pabilities under this section; and 

15 (B) setting forth details and the associated 

16 costs of such government support, broken out 

17 according to the areas of contributions specified 

18 in subparagraph (A), as part of any develop19 ment initiative for obtaining human lunar land20 ing capabilities. 

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

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

23 any agreement with a United States private sector 

24 commercial provider for human lunar landing capa25 bilities, the following: 


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1 (A) The total value of the agreement when 

2 awarded. 

3 (B) If different from the amount in sub4 paragraph (A), the total value of the agreement 

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

6 an explanation for any change in value, as well 

7 as an identification of whether NASA or the 

8 commercial partner is responsible for meeting 

9 the change in value. 

10 (C) The dollar amount invested and to be 

11 invested by the Administration, and the dollar 

12 amount invested and to be invested by the com13 mercial provider. 

14 (D) The full requirements, including 

15 human-rating and safety requirements, for 

16 human lunar landing capabilities under the 

17 agreement when awarded. 

18 (E) If different from the amount specified 

19 in subparagraph (C), the full requirements, in20 cluding human-rating and certification require21 ments, for the human lunar landing capabilities 

22 under the agreement as of the date of the en23 actment of this Act and an explanation for any 

24 changes in requirements. 


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1 (F) A description of milestones and associ2 ated payments provided for in the agreement, 

3 including the following: 

4 (i) An identification of all milestones 

5 under the agreement. 

6 (ii) The value of the associated pay7 ment for each milestone identified under 

8 clause (i). 

9 (iii) An identification of completed 

10 milestones and the date of completion. 

11 (iv) An identification of milestones 

12 which have not yet been completed and an 

13 estimated schedule for completion. 

14 (v) The value of all NASA payments 

15 under the agreement, outlays as of the 

16 date of the enactment of this Act, and the 

17 amount which as of the date of the enact18 ment of this Act has not yet been paid. 

19 (vi) A description of any changes in 

20 milestones and associated payments be21 tween the date of contract award and the 

22 date of the enactment of this Act. 

23 (G) Any cost, schedule, and performance 

24 challenges as of the date of the enactment of 


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1 this Act in provider performance of the agree2 ment. 

3 (H) A detailed justification of compliance 

4 with section 30301 of title 51, United States 

5 Code. 

6 (I) A detailed certification and of compli7 ance with section 50503 of title 51, United 

8 States Code. 

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

10 the enactment of this Act, in consultation with any 

11 United States private sector commercial service pro12 vider of human lunar landing capabilities under this 

13 section, a report on any steps the Administrator and 

14 such providers are taking to carry out the following: 

15 (A) Address cost, schedule, and perform16 ance challenges faced by each commercial pro17 vider in development and performance of 

18 human lunar landing services described in para19 graph (2)(G). 

20 (B) Facilitate the timely availability of 

21 human lunar landing capabilities of each pro22 vider to support the schedule of Artemis mis23 sions in effect as of the date of the enactment 

24 of this Act, as applicable to each provider. 


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

2 the enactment of this Act, a report on alternative 

3 approaches, and implementation plans for such ap4 proaches, including an estimate of needed budgetary 

5 resources, for a human lunar landing capability that 

6 meets NASA human-rating and certification require7 ments in the event challenges referred to in para8 graph (3)(A) cannot be overcome or the timeline 

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

10 SEC. 206. ADVANCED SPACESUIT CAPABILITIES. 

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

12 (1) Space suits and associated extravehicular 

13 activity (EVA) technologies are critical exploration 

14 technologies that are necessary for future human 

15 deep space exploration efforts, including crewed mis16 sions to the Moon. 

17 (2) The NASA civil service workforce at the 

18 Johnson Space Center provides unique capabilities 

19 to design, integrate, and validate Space Suits and 

20 associated EVA technologies. 

21 (3) Maintaining a strong NASA core com22 petency in the design, development, manufacture, 

23 and operation of space suits and related technologies 

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1 petitively awarded commercial space suits and sub2 components. 

3 (4) According to a 2018 NASA Office of In4 spector General (OIG) report, current EVAs space 

5 suits, the Extravehicular Mobility Units (EMUs), 

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

7 end of their useful life, have experienced multiple 

8 maintenance issues that threaten astronaut lives, 

9 and no longer accommodate the varying sizes of a 

10 diverse astronaut corps. 

11 (5) The same NASA OIG report found that 

12 ‘‘. . . manufacturers of several critical suit compo13 nents, including the very fibers of the suits, have 

14 now gone out of business . . . ,’’ which further rein15 forces the importance of NASA’s role in maintaining 

16 a space suit core competency and limiting the risk 

17 posed by outsourcing key national capabilities. 

18 (6) The private sector currently is developing 

19 space suit capabilities. 

20 (7) Testing space suits and related technologies 

21 on the International Space Station could reduce risk 

22 and improve safety of such suits and technologies. 

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

24 advanced spacesuit capabilities necessary to achieve the 

25 goals of NASA’s human exploration programs. 


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1 (c) ELIGIBILITY.—Any commercial provider from 

2 which the Administrator obtains advanced spaceflight ca3 pabilities must be a U.S. private sector commercial service 

4 provider, as set forth in section 203(c) of this Act. 

5 (d) PRESERVING EXPERTISE.— 

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

7 maintain the internal expertise necessary to develop 

8 space suits for both extravehicular activity and sur9 face operations, including through partnerships with 

10 the private sector. 

11 (2) The Johnson Space Center shall continue to 

12 manage NASA’s spacesuit and extravehicular activ13 ity programs. 

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

15 of the enactment of this Act, the Administrator shall sub16 mit to the appropriate committees of Congress a report— 

17 (1) describing NASA’s plans for— 

18 (A) in-space testing of advanced spacesuit 

19 capabilities, including— 

20 (i) space suit tests which must be con21 ducted in microgravity in low-Earth orbit; 

22 and 

23 (ii) space suit tests that must be con24 ducted on the International Space Station 


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1 before decommissioning of the Inter2 national Space Station; 

3 (B) transitioning from existing spacesuits 

4 in use on the International Space Station to use 

5 of advanced spacesuit capabilities; 

6 (C) future use of advanced spacesuit capa7 bilities by government astronauts with any non8 governmental platform in low-Earth orbit that 

9 is certified for use by the Administration for 

10 government astronauts (as such term is defined 

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

12 Code); and 

13 (D) disposition of retired spacesuits used 

14 on the Space Shuttle or the International Space 

15 Station; and 

16 (2) including— 

17 (A) a detailed justification of compliance 

18 with section 30301 of title 51, United States 

19 Code; and 

20 (B) a detailed certification and justifica21 tion of compliance with section 50503 of title 

22 51, United States Code. 

23 (f) ASSESSMENT OF EXTRAVEHICULAR MOBILITY

24 UNITES USED ON THE ISS.— 


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1 (1) No later than 45 days after the date of en2 actment of this Act, the Administrator shall enter 

3 into an arrangement with an independent science 

4 and technical engineering organization to review the 

5 technical status and performance of the Administra6 tion’s existing extravehicular mobility units 

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

8 mishaps, anomalies, and off-nominal events related 

9 to the EMUs used by government astronauts on the 

10 International Space Station over the last 10 years, 

11 and to make recommendations to the Administrator, 

12 as a result of such assessment. 

13 (2) The Administrator shall ensure that the en14 tity carrying out the assessment in paragraph (1) 

15 consults with relevant industry contractors regarding 

16 the Administration’s EMUs and EMU capabilities, 

17 and coordinates with the NASA Astronaut Office in 

18 carrying out such assessment. 

19 (3) The Administrator shall transmit the re20 sults of the assessment in paragraph (1) to the ap21 propriate committees of Congress as soon as prac22 ticable and no later than 270 days after the date of 

23 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 the requirements referred to 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. MICROGRAVITY RESEARCH. 

23 Paragraph (2) of section 40904 of title 51, United 

24 States Code, is amended— 


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1 (1) by inserting the phrase ‘‘use one or more 

2 microgravity platforms, as determined appropriate 

3 by the Administrator, to’’ before ‘‘carry out, to the 

4 maximum extent’’; and 

5 (2) by striking ‘‘International Space Station’’. 

6 SEC. 303. INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION. 

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

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

10 United States with capabilities in space that are cur11 rently unmatched; NASA continues to make produc12 tive use of the ISS; 

13 (2) the ISS serves several functions, including 

14 establishing the United States as a leader in space 

15 activities, acting as a beacon of international co16 operation, and conducting cutting-edge microgravity 

17 and observational research in low-Earth orbit; 

18 (3) NASA must complete certain objectives on 

19 the ISS to facilitate deep space exploration efforts, 

20 including carrying out human research and dem21 onstrating exploration-related technologies; and 

22 (4) reducing crew size or cargo deliveries, or re23 ducing sustaining engineering capabilities, would re24 duce the scientific output of the ISS and potentially 

25 increase the risk to the ISS and its crew. 


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1 (b) FINDINGS.—Congress finds that section 70907 of 

2 title 51, United States Code, does not prohibit the oper3 ation of the International Space Station after a specific 

4 year. 

5 (c) FULL UTILIZATION.— 

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

7 Congress that, to ensure the greatest return on in8 vestments made by the United States and the Inter9 national Space Station partners in the development, 

10 assembly, and operations of the International Space 

11 Station, the Administrator should maximize the uti12 lization and productivity of the International Space 

13 Station with respect to the priorities set forth in sec14 tion 10816 of the National Aeronautics and Space 

15 Administration Authorization Act of 2022 (Public 

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

17 research of the human research program, risk reduc18 tion activities relevant to exploration technologies, 

19 the advancement of United States leadership of 

20 basic and applied space life and physical sciences, 

21 and other research and development essential to 

22 Moon to Mars program activities. 

23 (2) AMENDMENT.—Section 502(a) of the Na24 tional Aeronautics and Space Administration Au25 thorization Act of 2010 (Public Law 111–267; 42 


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

2 steps to’’. 

3 SEC. 304. NONGOVERNMENTAL MISSIONS ON THE INTER4 NATIONAL SPACE STATION. 

5 (a) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—It is the sense of Con6 gress that— 

7 (1) NASA seeks to enable a low-Earth orbit 

8 economy by supporting commercial entities who seek 

9 to provide both developing technologies, such as 

10 commercial low-Earth orbit platforms, and tech11 nologies that already have been developed, such as 

12 commercial spaceflight capabilities; 

13 (2) nongovernmental missions involving crew or 

14 crew and spaceflight participants on the Inter15 national Space Station carried out, as appropriate, 

16 pursuant to NASA policies and procedures related to 

17 International Space Station operations, and Federal 

18 Government laws and regulations, can provide les19 sons and learning experiences for both government 

20 and nongovernmental entities to inform the develop21 ment of future commercial low-Earth orbit platforms 

22 and a low-Earth orbit economy; and 

23 (3) the Administrator should, while safe24 guarding the proprietary information of nongovern25 mental entities, share lessons learned from private, 


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1 nongovernmental missions on the International 

2 Space Station to advance the commercial human 

3 spaceflight industry, to promote the safety of future 

4 commercial low-Earth orbit platforms, and to inform 

5 the evolution of policies guiding such activities in 

6 low-Earth orbit. 

7 (b) NONGOVERNMENTAL ISS MISSIONS.—The Ad8 ministrator may enter into agreements to allow United 

9 States private sector commercial providers to conduct one 

10 or more nongovernmental missions to the International 

11 Space Station. 

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

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

14 of the United States shall submit to the appropriate com15 mittees of Congress a report containing information relat16 ing to the following: 

17 (1) The number of nongovernmental missions to 

18 the ISS planned. 

19 (2) The number of nongovernmental missions to 

20 the ISS completed. 

21 (3) The extent to which commercial entities car22 rying out nongovernmental missions on the ISS fully 

23 reimburse Administration costs incurred by NASA 

24 in association with any nongovernmental missions 

25 carried out on the International Space Station. 


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1 (4) The extent to which private, nongovern2 mental missions on the International Space Station 

3 impact the priorities specified in section 10816 of 

4 the National Aeronautics and Space Administration 

5 Authorization Act of 2022 (Public Law 117–167; 51 

6 U.S.C. 70901 note). 

7 (5) The impact, if any, to operations of or ac8 tivities on the International Space Station that are 

9 not related to nongovernmental missions on the 

10 International Space Station. 

11 (6) A consideration of the extent to which any 

12 nongovernmental missions on the ISS— 

13 (A) conform with section 20102 of title 51, 

14 United States Code; 

15 (B) adhere to the requirements of section 

16 50131 of title 51, Untied States Code; and 

17 (C) are consistent with the national secu18 rity and foreign policy interests of the United 

19 States. 

20 (7) Any other issues or benefits related to non21 governmental missions on the International Space 

22 Station that the Comptroller General determines ap23 propriate. 

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

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


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

2 Code. 

3 SEC. 305. REPORT ON SUBORBITAL CREW MISSIONS. 

4 Not later than 180 days after the date of the enact5 ment of this Act, the Administrator shall submit to the 

6 appropriate committees of Congress a report on the costs, 

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

8 implications, including liability matters, of launching 

9 United States Government personnel on commercial sub10 orbital vehicles. 

11 SEC. 306. UNITED STATES DEORBIT CAPABILITIES. 

12 (a) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—It is the sense of Con13 gress that— 

14 (1) the International Space Station is aging 

15 and eventually will need to be deorbited safely and 

16 disposed of in a controlled manner; and 

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

18 avoid interfering with other space operators or ob19 jects, NASA plans to deorbit and disposition the 

20 International Space Station through a controlled at21 mospheric reentry over an uninhabited region. 

22 (b) AUTHORIZATION.— 

23 (1) The Administrator shall acquire ISS deorbit 

24 capabilities from a United States private sector com25 mercial service provider or providers. 


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1 (2) In carrying out paragraph (1), the Adminis2 trator shall, to the greatest extent practicable, not 

3 reduce or deprioritize NASA activities conducted on 

4 and in support of the ISS to support the develop5 ment of United States deorbit capabilities. 

6 (c) COSTS.— 

7 (1) INDEPENDENT COST ESTIMATE.—Before 

8 entering into an agreement for the capabilities de9 scribed in subsection (b), the Administrator shall ob10 tain an independent life-cycle cost estimate for the 

11 deorbit capability and shall report the results of 

12 such estimate and five-year budget profile to the ap13 propriate committees of Congress. 

14 (2) REPORT.— 

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

16 of the enactment of this Act, the Administrator 

17 shall submit to the appropriate committees of 

18 Congress a report detailing the Administra19 tion’s plan for the financial, logistical, and 

20 operational responsibilities associated with the 

21 deorbit capability. 

22 (B) Annually, the Administrator shall sub23 mit to the appropriate committees of Congress 

24 a report, to accompany the President’s budget 

25 request, containing a description of annual and 


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1 lifecycle costs for activities related to the 

2 deorbit of the International Space Station and 

3 how such costs are shared among the ISS part4 ners. 

5 SEC. 307. COMMERCIAL LOW-EARTH ORBIT DEVELOPMENT. 

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

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

8 consultation with the National Space Council, shall submit 

9 to the appropriate committees of Congress a strategy for 

10 a robust and resilient architecture to advance NASA and 

11 other relevant Federal Government civil research, develop12 ment, and operational requirements in low-Earth orbit. 

13 The architecture should— 

14 (1) include a mix of crewed and uncrewed plat15 forms; 

16 (2) consider an incremental approach to achiev17 ing the full suite of capabilities necessary to meet 

18 Administration research, development, and oper19 ational requirements in low-Earth orbit; 

20 (3) consider the requirements described in sub21 section (d); and 

22 (4) sustain and promote United States leader23 ship and international partnerships in carrying out 

24 low-Earth orbit activities. 


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

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

3 shall submit to the appropriate committees of Congress 

4 and make available to relevant United States commercial 

5 industry entities, a detailed account of the research, devel6 opment, and operational requirements for NASA activities 

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

8 affect the design, development, instrumentation, and long9 term operations of future United States commercial low10 Earth orbit platforms. In preparing the detailed account 

11 of research, development, and operational requirements, 

12 the Administrator may consider the requirements of other 

13 Federal agencies. 

14 (c) AUTHORIZATION.—The Administrator is author15 ized to enter into agreements with one or more United 

16 States commercial providers, as such term is defined in 

17 section 203(c) of this Act, to enable the development and 

18 certification of a United States private, low-Earth orbit 

19 platform, and to use such platform and platform capabili20 ties to achieve the goals set forth in the strategy under 

21 subsection (a), sustain the priorities described in section 

22 10816 of the National Aeronautics and Space Administra23 tion Authorization Act of 2022 (Public Law 117–167; 51 

24 U.S.C. 70901 note) and the activities under the Human 

25 Exploration Roadmap pursuant to section 432(b)(2)(J) of 


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1 the National Aeronautics and Space Administration Tran2 sition Authorization Act of 2017 (Public Law 115–10) 

3 and to meet the requirements described in subsection (b). 

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

5 2025, the Administrator shall provide to the appropriate 

6 committees of Congress the following: 

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

8 the market for capabilities and services that may be 

9 provided through future United States commercial 

10 low-Earth orbit platform that shall be prepared by 

11 an independent entity with appropriate expertise. 

12 (2) A detailed justification of compliance with 

13 section 30301 of title 51, United States Code. 

14 (3) A detailed certification and justification of 

15 compliance with section 50503 of title 51, United 

16 States Code. 

17 (e) USE OF UNITED STATES LAUNCH AND REENTRY

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

19 to subsection (d), the Administrator shall include a re20 quirement for the use of United States commercially pro21 vided launch and reentry services to support all Adminis22 tration activities under such agreement, in accordance 

23 with section 50131 of title 51, United States Code, as ap24 plicable. 


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

2 (d) involves government astronauts (as such term is de3 fined in section 50902(4) of title 51, United States Code), 

4 the Administrator shall protect the safety of such govern5 ment astronauts by ensuring that each platform under the 

6 agreement meets all applicable human rating processes, 

7 certification, and safety requirements. 

8 TITLE IV—SPACE TECHNOLOGY 

9 SEC. 401. SBIR PHASE II FLEXIBILITY. 

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

11 is amended in subsection (cc) by striking ‘‘and the Depart12 ment of Education’’ and inserting ‘‘the Department of 

13 Education, and the National Aeronautics and Space Ad14 ministration’’. 

15 SEC. 402. LUNAR POWER PURCHASE AGREEMENT PRO16 GRAM. 

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

18 arrangement with an independent entity with appropriate 

19 expertise to conduct a study evaluating the feasibility of 

20 using power purchase agreements to facilitate the develop21 ment and deployment of lunar surface power. 

22 (b) CONTENTS.—The study conducted under sub23 section (a) may include the following: 


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1 (1) An identification of facilities and technical 

2 capabilities needed to support lunar surface power 

3 production. 

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

5 including the following: 

6 (A) Forecasted demand of both govern7 mental and nongovernmental users. 

8 (B) To support the following: 

9 (i) Near-term exploration activities. 

10 (ii) Long-duration activities. 

11 (3) Potential policy and legal issues associated 

12 with lunar power purchase agreements between pro13 viders and the United States Government, inter14 national partners, and other private sector entities. 

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

16 this section, the Administrator may consult with the fol17 lowing: 

18 (1) The Lunar Surface Innovation Consortium. 

19 (2) The Department of Energy, the Depart20 ment of Commerce, and other Federal agencies, as 

21 determined appropriate by the Administrator. 

22 (3) International partners. 

23 (4) Relevant private sector entities. 

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

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


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1 submit to the appropriate committees of Congress a report 

2 that includes the results of the study conducted pursuant 

3 to subsection (a). 

4 SEC. 403. CRYOGENIC FLUID VALVE TECHNOLOGY REVIEW. 

5 (a) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—It is the sense of Con6 gress that advancing cryogenic fluid valve technology 

7 would support the Administration’s efforts to improve 

8 cryogenic fluid management and improve space vehicle re9 liability and efficiency. 

10 (b) TECHNOLOGY AND RESEARCH REVIEW.— 

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

12 the date of the enactment of this Act, subject to the 

13 availability of appropriations, the Administrator 

14 shall seek to enter into an agreement with an inde15 pendent research and development center or other 

16 independent nonprofit organization, as determined 

17 appropriate by the Administrator, to conduct a re18 view of cryogenic fluid valve technology in accord19 ance with this section. 

20 (2) REVIEW AND ASSESSMENT.—In accordance 

21 with any agreement entered into pursuant to para22 graph (1), the center or organization referred to in 

23 such paragraph shall review recent advances in tech24 nologies related to cryogenic fluid valve use in space 

25 applications and assess opportunities to improve 


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1 such cryogenic fluid valve technologies. The review 

2 shall include an assessment of ongoing public and 

3 private sector research and development efforts to 

4 improve cryogenic fluid valve technologies, including 

5 support for research and development activities to 

6 advance materials engineering for cryogenic fluid 

7 valves. 

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

9 date of the enactment of this Act, in accordance with any 

10 agreement entered into pursuant to subsection (b)(1), the 

11 center or organization referred to in such subsection shall 

12 submit to the Administrator and the appropriate commit13 tees of Congress a report detailing the results of the review 

14 and assessment under subsection (b). 

15 SEC. 404. LUNAR COMMUNICATIONS. 

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

17 (1) Reliable communication and navigation ca18 pabilities are essential for sustainable human and 

19 robotic exploration of the Moon. 

20 (2) NASA’s LunaNet and LCRNS initiatives 

21 will enable critical cislunar communications and 

22 navigation infrastructure. 

23 (3) Fostering the development of commercial 

24 capabilities can accelerate the deployment of lunar 

25 communication and navigation services. 


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1 (b) ARCHITECTURE.— 

2 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Administrator shall de3 velop and maintain a robust and resilient architec4 ture for lunar communications and navigation to 

5 support the Administration’s human and robotic 

6 lunar exploration activities. As part of these efforts, 

7 the Administrator shall continue development and 

8 implementation of the LunaNet architecture and the 

9 LCRNS project. 

10 (2) OBJECTIVES.—In carrying out paragraph 

11 (1), the Administrator shall— 

12 (A) enable interoperable communications 

13 and navigation services for cislunar missions; 

14 (B) establish technical standards, con15 sistent with section 12(d) of the National Tech16 nology Transfer and Advancement Act of 1995 

17 (Public Law 104–113), protocols, and interface 

18 requirements, in cooperation with the private 

19 sector and other United States Government 

20 agencies and international partners, as nec21 essary, for cislunar communications and naviga22 tion services and systems; 

23 (C) support NASA’s Artemis program; 

24 (D) support NASA’s Science Mission Di25 rectorate missions; 


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1 (E) support NASA’s Space Operations 

2 Mission Directorate; 

3 (F) leverage NASA’s space technology re4 search, development, and demonstration activi5 ties; 

6 (G) enable the development and sustain7 able operations of commercial cislunar commu8 nication and navigation services by the United 

9 States private sector; 

10 (H) identify existing or potential customers 

11 for cislunar communications and navigation 

12 services other than the United States Govern13 ment; and 

14 (I) ensure that the long-term viability of 

15 such systems are not dependent upon continued 

16 Government market or other non-reimbursable 

17 government support and that private sector 

18 capital is at risk. 

19 (c) PROCUREMENT OF COMMERCIAL SERVICES.— 

20 (1) IN GENERAL.—In carrying out subsection 

21 (b), the Administrator shall, to the greatest extent 

22 practicable, procure cislunar communications and 

23 navigation services from commercial providers. 

24 (2) COMPETITION.—The Administrator shall 

25 use competitive procedures to the maximum extent 


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1 practicable when procuring cislunar communications 

2 and navigation services. 

3 (3) REPORT.—Not later than 180 days after 

4 the date of the enactment of this Act, the Adminis5 trator shall submit to Congress a report on NASA’s 

6 plans for procuring commercial lunar communica7 tions and navigation services. 

8 (d) DEFINITIONS.—In this subsection: 

9 (1) LUNANET.—The term ‘‘LunaNet’’ means 

10 NASA’s architecture for standardized lunar commu11 nications, navigation, and networking services. 

12 (2) LCRNS.—The term ‘‘LCRNS’’ means 

13 NASA’s Lunar Communications Relay and Naviga14 tion Systems project. 

15 TITLE V—AERONAUTICS 

16 SEC. 501. DEFINITIONS. 

17 In this title: 

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

19 ‘‘advanced air mobility’’ and ‘‘AAM’’ mean a trans20 portation system that is comprised of urban air mo21 bility and regional air mobility using manned or un22 manned aircraft. 

23 (2) ELIGIBLE INSTITUTION.—The term ‘‘eligi24 ble institution’’ means— 

25 (A) an institution of higher education; 


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1 (B) a nonprofit research institution; 

2 (C) a high school; or 

3 (D) a consortium of 2 or more entities de4 scribed in any of subparagraphs (A) through 

5 (C). 

6 (3) REGIONAL AIR MOBILITY.—The term ‘‘re7 gional air mobility’’ means the movement of pas8 sengers or property by air between 2 points using an 

9 airworthy aircraft that— 

10 (A) has advanced technologies, such as dis11 tributed propulsion, vertical takeoff and land12 ing, powered lift, nontraditional power systems, 

13 or autonomous technologies; 

14 (B) has a maximum takeoff weight of 

15 greater than 1,320 pounds; and 

16 (C) is not urban air mobility. 

17 (4) UNMANNED AIRCRAFT SYSTEM.—The term 

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

19 such term in section 44801 of title 49, United 

20 States Code. 

21 (5) URBAN AIR MOBILITY.—The term ‘‘urban 

22 air mobility’’ means the movement of passengers or 

23 property by air between 2 points in different cities 

24 or 2 points within the same city using an airworthy 

25 aircraft that— 


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1 (A) has advanced technologies, such as dis2 tributed propulsion, vertical takeoff and land3 ing, powered lift, nontraditional power systems, 

4 or autonomous technologies; and 

5 (B) has a maximum takeoff weight of 

6 greater than 1,320 pounds. 

7 (6) UTM.—The term ‘‘UTM’’ means an un8 manned aircraft system traffic management system 

9 or service. 

10 (7) X-PLANE.—The term ‘‘X-plane’’ means an 

11 experimental aircraft that is— 

12 (A) used to test and evaluate a new tech13 nology or aerodynamic concept; and 

14 (B) operated by NASA or the Department 

15 of Defense. 

16 SEC. 502. EXPERIMENTAL AIRCRAFT DEMONSTRATIONS. 

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

18 the enactment of this Act, the Administrator, in consulta19 tion with industry and academia, shall conduct a study 

20 of past and future administration of the experimental air21 craft demonstrator program. 

22 (b) FUTURE DEMONSTRATIONS.—The study under 

23 subsection (a) shall identify systems, capabilities, and 

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1 perimental aircraft demonstrator. Such systems, capabili2 ties, and technologies may include technological advance3 ments related to structures, aerodynamics, propulsion, 

4 controls, and autonomous capabilities. The study shall in5 clude a description of criteria and performance metrics 

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

7 or technology to be demonstrated on a future experimental 

8 aircraft demonstrator. 

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

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

11 from the Administration’s previous experimental aircraft 

12 demonstration projects over the last decade, including the 

13 projects set forth under section 10831 of the National 

14 Aeronautics and Space Administration Authorization Act 

15 of 2022 (Public Law 117–167). This assessment shall in16 clude— 

17 (1) a quantitative assessment of each experi18 mental aircraft demonstration project’s ability to 

19 meet cost, schedule and performance goals, as de20 fined at the time of project confirmation; 

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

22 or performance goals were changed or descoped; 

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

24 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 is 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 in the aviation auton6 omy as the National Airspace System evolves from trajec7 tory-based operations to collaborative and highly auto8 mated operations. 

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

10 collaboration with the Administrator of Federal Aviation 

11 Administration, the heads of other relevant Federal agen12 cies, and appropriate representatives of academia and in13 dustry, to continue its research activities in the following: 

14 (1) Sky for All, which seeks to establish a re15 search and development framework supporting na16 tional strategic planning for a holistic airspace eco17 system to meet future needs of increasingly complex 

18 airspace operations. 

19 (2) Uncrewed Aerial Vehicle Traffic Manage20 ment (UTM), addressing prototype technologies and 

21 developing a concept of operations for integrated 

22 UAS traffic management. This research considers— 

23 (A) Mixed Airspace environments with in24 creasingly automated technologies; 

25 (B) dynamic geofencing; 

26 (C) congestion management; 


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1 (D) terrain avoidance to enable safe, effi2 cient low-altitude operations; and 

3 (E) accelerating capabilities used to re4 spond to public emergencies. 

5 (3) Airspace and operations research of autono6 mous vehicles in the national airspace system, in7 cluding autonomy flight research and demonstra8 tions by utilizing test ranges established under sec9 tion 44803, of title 49, United States Code, or exist10 ing Federal and nonfederal test ranges and testbeds 

11 to advance autonomous aircraft technology architec12 ture, beyond visual line of sight airspace operations 

13 in the mixed airspace environment with safety man14 agement system capabilities, balancing human-ma15 chine interactions for safer, more efficient flight for 

16 advanced air mobility and emerging autonomous air17 craft for cargo and passenger market. 

18 (4) Supply chain management, including devel19 opment of analysis and modeling capability and 

20 identify strategic gaps in the aerospace supply chain, 

21 including for Advanced Air Mobility. 

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

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

24 the appropriate committees of Congress on the progress 


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1 of the research under subsection (b) and activities related 

2 to technology demonstration and technology transfer. 

3 SEC. 506. ADVANCED CAPABILITIES FOR EMERGENCY RE4 SPONSE OPERATIONS. 

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

6 NASA-developed tools and technologies to conduct re7 search and development activities under the Advanced Ca8 pabilities for Emergency Response Operations (ACERO) 

9 program to improve aerial responses to wildfires. 

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

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

12 (1) Advanced aircraft technologies and airspace 

13 management efforts to assist in the management, 

14 deconfliction, and coordination of aerial assets dur15 ing wildfire response efforts. 

16 (2) Information sharing and real-time data ex17 change for wildfire response teams. 

18 (3) Development of an interoperable platform to 

19 provide situational awareness of aerial assets during 

20 wildfire response. 

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

22 operations, which may involve Federal, State, and 

23 local government agencies, to enable coordination of 

24 aerial activities for wildfire response. 


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

2 the Administrator— 

3 (1) may coordinate and collaborate with other 

4 Federal, State, and local government agencies, re5 gional organizations, and commercial partners and 

6 academic institutions involved in wildfire manage7 ment; and 

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

9 consult with the heads of other Federal departments 

10 and agencies to avoid duplication of activities. 

11 (d) PROHIBITION.— 

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

13 subsection, the Administrator may not procure an 

14 unmanned aircraft system to conduct activities de15 scribed in this section if such unmanned aircraft sys16 tem is manufactured or assembled by a covered for17 eign entity. 

18 (2) EXEMPTION.—The Administrator may 

19 waive the prohibition under paragraph (1) on a case20 by-case basis if the Administrator— 

21 (A) determines that the procurement of an 

22 unmanned aircraft system is— 

23 (i) in the national interest of the 

24 United States; and 


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1 (ii) necessary for the sole purpose of 

2 improving aerial responses to wildfires; and 

3 (B) notifies the Committee on Science, 

4 Space, and Technology of the House of Rep5 resentatives and the Committee on Commerce, 

6 Science, and Transportation of the Senate not 

7 later than 30 days after a determination in the 

8 affirmative under subparagraph (A). 

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

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

11 thereafter until December 31, 2029, the Administrator 

12 shall submit to the Committee on Science, Space and 

13 Technology of the House of Representatives and the Com14 mittee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the 

15 Senate a report describing the activities, including results, 

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

17 at minimum, shall contain the following: 

18 (1) A description of any research and develop19 ment activities. 

20 (2) A description of the Administrator’s activi21 ties pursuant to subsection (c). 

22 (3) An assessment of the effectiveness of such 

23 activities in preventing injuries and loss of life, pro24 tecting property, and reducing economic damage. 


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1 (4) An identification of any topics related to 

2 improvement of aerial responses to wildfires that 

3 could benefit from further research. 

4 (5) A description of any continuing efforts 

5 under this section. 

6 (6) Any other information determined appro7 priate by the Administrator. 

8 (f) DEFINITION.—In this section: 

9 (1) COVERED FOREIGN ENTITY.—The term 

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

11 term in section 1832 of the National Defense Au12 thorization Act for Fiscal Year 2024 (Public Law 

13 118–31). 

14 (2) UNMANNED AIRCRAFT SYSTEM.—The term 

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

16 such term in section 44801 of title 49, United 

17 States Code. 

18 SEC. 507. HYDROGEN AVIATION. 

19 (a) IN GENERAL.—Subject to the availability of ap20 propriations for such purpose, and taking into consider21 ation the strategy developed under and research conducted 

22 pursuant to section 1019 of the FAA Reauthorization Act 

23 of 2024 (Public Law 118–63), the Administrator shall 

24 carry out a research program on the emerging tech25 nologies related to hydrogen aviation. 


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1 (b) OBJECTIVES.—The research under subsection (a) 

2 may include the following: 

3 (1) Safety and feasibility of onboard aircraft 

4 hydrogen cryocompression and storage. 

5 (2) Cryogenic storage cycling materials and sys6 tem longevity. 

7 (3) Liquid hydrogen pumps for long term use. 

8 (4) Compact lightweight liquid hydrogen gas 

9 compressors, and tank level sensors for liquid hydro10 gen. 

11 (c) 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. 

11 (3) To explore the use of 3D additive manufac12 tured parts. 

13 (4) Acquisition or using through loan, sharing, 

14 or other agreements, as appropriate, Department of 

15 Defense aircraft to support NASA’s research and 

16 mission support activities, as required. 

17 SEC. 509. COLLABORATION WITH ACADEMIA. 

18 It is the sense of Congress that— 

19 (1) colleges and universities are hubs of re20 search and innovation, with expertise in various 

21 fields of science and aeronautics; 

22 (2) collaborating with academia allows NASA to 

23 access cutting-edge research and expertise that can 

24 further enable advancement in aeronautics research 


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1 and technology and address complex aeronautical 

2 challenges; 

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

4 development program can inspire the next genera5 tion to pursue education and careers in science, 

6 technology, engineering, and mathematics, including 

7 aeronautics; and 

8 (4) opportunities for students to participate in 

9 NASA-supported academic research and develop10 ment projects, such as the University Leadership 

11 Initiative, the University Students Research Chal12 lenge, and related aeronautic projects and competi13 tions, contributes to training the next generation 

14 and developing the aeronautics workforce to support 

15 continued United States leadership and economic 

16 growth in civil aeronautics and aviation. 

17 SEC. 510. NATIONAL STUDENT UNMANNED AIRCRAFT SYS18 TEMS COMPETITION PROGRAM. 

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

20 national pilot program to carry out unmanned aircraft sys21 tems technology competitions for students at the high 

22 school and undergraduate level (in this section referred to 

23 as ‘‘competitions’’) in which students shall compete to de24 sign, create, and demonstrate an unmanned aircraft sys25 tem. 


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1 (b) COMPETITION ADMINISTRATION.—The Adminis2 trator shall award, on a merit-reviewed, competitive basis, 

3 a grant to a nonprofit organization, an institution of high4 er education, or a consortium thereof, to administer the 

5 pilot program under subsection (a) (in this section re6 ferred to as the ‘‘competition administrator’’). 

7 (c) AWARD CRITERIA.—The Administrator shall en8 sure that the award decision made under subsection (b) 

9 take into account the extent to which the nonprofit organi10 zation, institution of higher education, or consortium 

11 thereof— 

12 (1) identifies a plan for engaging eligible insti13 tutions from diverse geographic areas, including 

14 poor, rural, and Tribal communities; and 

15 (2) identifies a plan for connecting science, 

16 technology, engineering, and medicine (STEM) ac17 tivities to Administration missions and centers. 

18 (d) COMPETITION ADMINISTRATOR RESPONSIBIL19 ITIES.—In carrying out the pilot program, the competition 

20 administrator shall be responsible for the following: 

21 (1) Awarding grants to nonprofit organizations, 

22 institutions of higher educations, or a consortium 

23 thereof on a merit-reviewed, competitive basis to 

24 host individual competitions. 


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1 (2) Developing STEM curriculum to be utilized 

2 by the competition awardees to help students make 

3 the connection between such curriculum and the de4 sign, construction, and demonstration of unmanned 

5 aircraft systems. 

6 (3) Developing such curriculum to assist stu7 dents in making real-world connections to STEM 

8 content and educating students on the relevance and 

9 significance of STEM careers. 

10 (4) Ensuring competition awardees are sup11 porting the activities specified in subsection (f). 

12 (5) Conducting performance evaluations of com13 petitions, including data collection, on the following: 

14 (A) The number of students engaged. 

15 (B) Geographic and institutional diversity 

16 of participating schools and institutions of high17 er education. 

18 (6) Any other activities the Administrator finds 

19 necessary to ensure the competitions are successful. 

20 (e) ADDITIONAL CONSIDERATIONS.—In awarding 

21 grants in subsection (d), the competition administrator 

22 shall consider applications that include a partnership with 

23 the State’s space grant program under chapter 403 of title 

24 51, United States Code. 


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

2 pilot program under subsection (a), the competition ad3 ministrator shall ensure competitions occurring at both 

4 the high school and undergraduate levels— 

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

6 demonstrate an unmanned aircraft system; 

7 (2) allow students to compete with other teams 

8 in the performance of the constructed unmanned air9 craft system; 

10 (3) connect to relevant missions and NASA 

11 Center activities of the Administration; 

12 (4) connect relevant STEM curriculum to the 

13 design, construction, and demonstration of un14 manned aircraft systems; 

15 (5) support activities designed to help students 

16 make real-world connections to STEM content and 

17 educate students on the relevance and significance of 

18 STEM careers; 

19 (6) are geographically dispersed in order to 

20 serve a broad student population, including students 

21 in rural and underserved communities; and 

22 (7) encourage, to the greatest extent prac23 ticable, the participation of students from groups 

24 historically underrepresented in STEM. 


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

2 months after the end of the pilot program under sub3 section (a), the Administrator shall submit to the appro4 priate committees of Congress a report describing the ac5 complishments, lessons learned, any challenges in the im6 plementation of the pilot program, and recommendations 

7 for whether to continue the pilot program. 

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 TITLE VI—SCIENCE 

4 SEC. 601. MAINTAINING A BALANCED SCIENCE PORTFOLIO. 

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

6 sense of Congress that— 

7 (1) a balanced and adequately funded set of ac8 tivities consisting of research and analysis grant pro9 grams, technology development, suborbital research 

10 activities, and small, medium, and large space mis11 sions, contributes to a robust and productive science 

12 program and serves as a catalyst for innovation and 

13 discovery; and 

14 (2) the Administrator should set NASA sci15 entific priorities by following the recommendations 

16 and guidance provided by the scientific community 

17 through the National Academies of Sciences, Engi18 neering, and Medicine decadal surveys. 

19 (b) POLICY.—Congress reaffirms the policy of the 

20 United States set forth in section 501(c) of the National 

21 Aeronautics and Space Administration Transition Author22 ization Act of 2017 (Public Law 115–10; 51 U.S.C. 20302 

23 note), which states, ‘‘It is the policy of the United States 

24 to ensure, to the extent practicable, a steady cadence of 

25 large, medium, and small science missions’’. 


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1 SEC. 602. EVALUATION OF SCIENCE MISSION COST-CAPS. 

2 (a) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—It is the sense of Con3 gress that— 

4 (1) NASA science missions address compelling 

5 scientific questions prioritized by the National Acad6 emies decadal surveys, and often such missions ex7 ceed expectations in terms of performance, longevity, 

8 and scientific impact; 

9 (2) the Administrator should continue to pursue 

10 an ambitious science program while also seeking to 

11 avoid excessive cost growth, and which has the po12 tential to affect the balance across the Science port13 folio and within the Science Divisions; 

14 (3) audits by the NASA Inspector General and 

15 the Government Accountability Office have reported 

16 that early cost estimates for missions in the prelimi17 nary phases of conception and development are im18 mature and unreliable, and the cost of a mission 

19 typically is not well-understood until the project is 

20 further along in the development process; 

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

22 cost estimates is a challenge for budget planning 

23 and has the potential to affect other missions in the 

24 Science Mission Directorate portfolio, including 

25 through delays to future mission solicitations; and 


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1 (5) relying on early cost estimates made prior 

2 to preliminary design review for science missions 

3 which then experience such cost growth may 

4 disincentivize program and cost discipline moving 

5 forward. 

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

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

8 shall transmit to the appropriate committees of Congress 

9 a review of NASA practices related to assessment and 

10 management of science missions subject to cost-caps. The 

11 review shall— 

12 (1) assess current cost-cap values and deter13 mine whether existing cost-cap amounts are appro14 priate for different classes of missions; 

15 (2) consider the effectiveness of cost-caps in 

16 maintaining a varied and balanced portfolio of mis17 sion types within the Science Mission Directorate; 

18 (3) describe the information NASA requires as 

19 part of a proposal submission related to project cost 

20 estimates and proposal compliance with cost caps, 

21 and assess whether such required information pro22 vides sufficient insight or confidence in the esti23 mates; 


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1 (4) consider NASA processes for assessing pro2 posed cost estimates and accuracy of such assess3 ments for past projects; and 

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

5 and ending on the date of the enactment of this 

6 Act— 

7 (A) a list of— 

8 (i) missions for which costs have ex9 ceeded the associated cost cap; and 

10 (ii) reason the mission costs exceeded 

11 the cost-cap; 

12 (B) an assessment of NASA’s role in pre13 dicting, preventing, or managing mission cost 

14 increases; and 

15 (C) a description of the impact of in16 creased mission costs beyond the cost-caps on— 

17 (i) the missions for which the cost-cap 

18 has been breached; and 

19 (ii) other missions within the applica20 ble division and within the Science Mission 

21 Directorate. 

22 SEC. 603. REEXAMINATION OF DECADAL SURVEYS. 

23 Title 51, United States Code, is amended— 


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1 (1) in section 20305(c) by inserting ‘‘, signifi2 cant changes to the NASA budget’’ after ‘‘growth’’; 

3 and 

4 (2) in section 30503(a), by adding at the end 

5 the following: ‘‘Such review shall include an assess6 ment of whether the prioritization of research and 

7 programmatic areas in the decadal survey should be 

8 reconsidered to account for significant changes to 

9 the NASA budget, if any.’’. 

10 SEC. 604. ASSESSMENT OF SCIENCE MISSION EXTENSIONS. 

11 Section 30504(a)(2) of title 51, United States Code, 

12 is amended after ‘‘the start of future missions’’ by adding 

13 ‘‘or impacts ongoing operations of other missions within 

14 the division of the Science Mission Directorate.’’. 

15 SEC. 605. LANDSAT. 

16 Not later than 180 days after the date of enactment 

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

18 the appropriate committees of Congress— 

19 (1) describing the Administrator’s efforts to 

20 comply with the requirements outlined in section 

21 60134 of title 51, United States Code; 

22 (2) assessing what aspects of Landsat NEXT 

23 or any other Landsat observations— 

24 (A) can be provided by private sector data25 buys or service procurements; and 


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1 (B) could— 

2 (i) meet associated science require3 ments while maintaining or exceeding the 

4 quality, integrity, and continuity of the 

5 Landsat observational capabilities and per6 formance, including requirements nec7 essary to ensure high-quality calibrated 

8 data continuity and traceability with the 

9 50-year Landsat data record; and 

10 (ii) comply with nondiscriminatory 

11 availability of unenhanced data and public 

12 archiving of data pursuant to section 

13 60141 and 60142 of title 51, United 

14 States Code, and all other relevant federal 

15 laws, regulations, and policies related to 

16 open science and data accessibility; 

17 (3) any potential tradeoffs or other impacts of 

18 subparagraph (A) or (B) that could reduce the ben19 efit of Landsat data for scientific and applied uses 

20 or reduce the Federal Government’s ability to make 

21 such data available for the widest possible use; and 

22 (4) recommendations and opportunities for the 

23 Federal Government to— 

24 (A) adjust science requirements to better 

25 reflect commercially available solutions without 


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1 reducing quality, integrity, and continuity of 

2 data; 

3 (B) comply with section 60141 and 60142 

4 of title 51, United States Code while also pro5 tecting the proprietary data and competitive6 ness of the commercial providers; 

7 (C) mitigate any potential tradeoffs or im8 pacts identified under paragraph (3); and 

9 (D) otherwise accommodate private sector 

10 data-buys or service procurements to further 

11 compliance with section 60134 of title 51, 

12 United States Code. 

13 SEC. 606. PRIVATE EARTH OBSERVATION DATA. 

14 (a) AMENDMENTS.—Section 18371 of title 42, 

15 United States Code, is amended— 

16 (1) by redesignating the contents of section 

17 18371 as subsection (a); 

18 (2) by inserting after subsection (a), as redesig19 nated, the following: 

20 ‘‘(b) In updating the civil Earth observation strategic 

21 implementation plan pursuant to subsection (a), the Di22 rector of the Office of Science and Technology Policy shall 

23 consider commercial Earth observation data, as appro24 priate, that can be purchased or accessed by the Federal 

25 Government to meet Earth observation requirements.’’. 


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1 (b) GOVERNMENT ACCOUNTABILITY OFFICE RE2 PORT.—Not later than 12 months after the release of the 

3 next civil Earth observation strategic implementation plan 

4 update under section 18371(a) of title 42, United States 

5 Code, the Comptroller General shall report to the appro6 priate committees of Congress an assessment of the Direc7 tor of the Office of Science and Technology Policy’s imple8 mentation of 18371(b) of title 42, United States Code, 

9 as amended. 

10 SEC. 607. COMMERCIAL SATELLITE DATA. 

11 (a) FINDINGS.—Congress makes the following find12 ings: 

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

14 Code, states that the goal for the Earth Science pro15 gram of the National Aeronautics and Space Admin16 istration (referred to in this section as ‘‘NASA’’) 

17 shall be to pursue a program of Earth observations, 

18 research, and applications activities to better under19 stand the Earth, how it supports life, and how 

20 human activities affect its ability to do so in the fu21 ture. 

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

23 Code, states that the Administrator of NASA shall, 

24 to the extent possible and while satisfying the sci25 entific or educational requirements of NASA, and 


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1 where appropriate, of other Federal agencies and 

2 scientific researchers, acquire, where cost effective, 

3 space-based and airborne commercial Earth remote 

4 sensing data, services, distribution, and applications 

5 from a commercial provider. 

6 (3) The Administrator of NASA established the 

7 Commercial SmallSat Data Acquisition Pilot Pro8 gram in 2019 to identify, validate, and acquire from 

9 commercial sources data that support the Earth 

10 science research and application goals. 

11 (4) The Administrator of NASA has— 

12 (A) determined that the pilot program de13 scribed in paragraph (3) has been a success, as 

14 described in the final evaluation entitled ‘‘Com15 mercial SmallSat Data Acquisition Program 

16 Pilot Evaluation Report’’ issued in 2020; 

17 (B) established a formal process for evalu18 ating and onboarding new commercial vendors 

19 in such pilot program; 

20 (C) increased the number of commercial 

21 vendors and commercial data products available 

22 through such pilot program; and 

23 (D) expanded procurement arrangements 

24 with commercial vendors to broaden user access 

25 to provide commercial Earth remote sensing 


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1 data and imagery to federally funded research2 ers. 

3 (b) COMMERCIAL SATELLITE DATA ACQUISITION

4 PROGRAM.— 

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

6 United States Code, is amended by adding at the 

7 end the following: 

8 ‘‘§ 60307. Commercial satellite data acquisition pro9 gram 

10 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—The Administrator shall estab11 lish within the Earth Science Division of the Science Mis12 sion Directorate a program to acquire and disseminate 

13 cost-effective and appropriate commercial Earth remote 

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

15 operational, and educational requirements of the Adminis16 tration, and where appropriate, of other Federal agencies 

17 and scientific researchers to augment or complement the 

18 suite of Earth observations acquired by the Administra19 tion, other United States Government agencies, and inter20 national partners. 

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

22 terms and conditions of commercial Earth remote sensing 

23 data and imagery acquisitions under the program de24 scribed in subsection (a) shall not prevent— 


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1 ‘‘(1) the publication of commercial data or im2 agery for scientific purposes; or 

3 ‘‘(2) the publication of information that is de4 rived from, incorporates, or enhances the original 

5 commercial data or imagery of a vendor. 

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

7 under this section, the Administrator may— 

8 ‘‘(1) procure the commercial Earth remote 

9 sensing data and imagery from commercial vendors 

10 to advance scientific research and applications in ac11 cordance with subsection (a); 

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

13 and conditions to allow for the use of procured com14 mercial Earth remote sensing data and imagery by 

15 individuals other than NASA-funded users, con16 sistent with the goals of the program; and 

17 ‘‘(3) as practicable, procure commercial Earth 

18 remote sensing data and imagery from commercial 

19 vendors to support— 

20 ‘‘(A) nonscientific applications; and 

21 ‘‘(B) nonmilitary activities of Federal 

22 agencies. 

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

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1 sections (a) and (c) shall, to the maximum extent prac2 ticable, be procured from United States vendors. 

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

4 date of the enactment of this section and annually there5 after, the Administrator shall submit to the Committee on 

6 Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate and 

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

8 House of Representatives a report that includes the fol9 lowing information regarding the agreements, vendors, li10 cense terms, and uses of commercial Earth remote sensing 

11 data and imagery under this section: 

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

13 of all agreements that are providing commercial 

14 Earth remote sensing data and imagery to NASA as 

15 of the date of the report. 

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

17 agreements that have provided commercial Earth re18 mote sensing data and imagery to NASA during the 

19 reporting period. 

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

21 and conditions for each such vendor. 

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

23 such agreement is advancing scientific research and 

24 applications, including priorities recommended by 


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1 the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, 

2 and Medicine decadal surveys. 

3 ‘‘(4) Information specifying whether the Admin4 istrator has entered into an agreement with a com5 mercial vendor or a Federal agency that permits the 

6 use of data and imagery by Federal Government em7 ployees, contractors, or non-Federal users.’’. 

8 (2) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The table of con9 tents for chapter 603 of title 51, United States 

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

11 new item: 

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

12 SEC. 608. GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSION MEASUREMENTS. 

13 (a) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—It is the sense of Con14 gress that— 

15 (1) observation and measurement of greenhouse 

16 gases such as carbon dioxide and methane are of 

17 critical importance to understand the sources of 

18 these emissions; 

19 (2) additional tools can improve the precise de20 tection of methane leaks from natural gas lines and 

21 production facilities to reduce economic losses and to 

22 reduce unintentional release of this potent green23 house gas; 


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1 (3) observation of such gases is best accom2 plished with a combination of space-based and 

3 ground-based instruments; 

4 (4) in 2022, NASA cancelled the Geostationary 

5 Carbon Cycle Observatory, a competitively selected, 

6 Principal Investigator-led instrument under develop7 ment that is designed to make space-based observa8 tions of greenhouse gases, including carbon dioxide, 

9 carbon monoxide, and methane, as well as vegetation 

10 health over the western hemisphere from geo11 synchronous orbit; and 

12 (5) in 2023, the Geostationary Carbon Cycle 

13 Observatory PI-led project team delivered an 

14 unvalidated instrument assembly and flight spares to 

15 NASA as part of the project closeout activities. 

16 (b) HARDWARE.— 

17 (1) The Administrator shall assess the hard18 ware and, to the maximum extent practicable, seek 

19 to validate the instrument delivered to the Adminis20 tration under the contract for the development of 

21 GeoCarb, which shall include an assessment of capa22 bilities of the delivered hardware, including potential 

23 repurposed uses or science contributions. 

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

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1 port to the appropriate committees of Congress re2 garding the results of the assessment conducted pur3 suant to paragraph (1) and if appropriate based on 

4 the assessment, a list of potential launch opportuni5 ties, including cost and schedule associated with 

6 such opportunities. 

7 (c) STRATEGY.— 

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

9 the date of the enactment of this Act, the Adminis10 trator, in consultation with the National Oceanic 

11 and Atmospheric Administration, the National Insti12 tute of Standards and Technology, and other rel13 evant agencies, shall enter into an agreement with 

14 the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, 

15 and Medicine to develop a science-based strategy to 

16 assess and evaluate the use of present and future 

17 greenhouse gas monitoring and detection capabili18 ties, including ground-based, airborne, and space19 based sensors and integration of data relating to 

20 such monitoring and detection from other indicators, 

21 to detect large methane emission events (commonly 

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

23 (2) REQUIREMENTS.—The strategy described in 

24 subsection (a) shall include the following elements: 


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1 (A) Development of a proposed definition 

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

3 (B) Examination of whether and how cur4 rent and planned Federal greenhouse gas moni5 toring and detection capabilities may be lever6 aged to monitor and detect methane super7 emitters, and identify key gaps in such capabili8 ties. 

9 (C) Examination of the effectiveness of the 

10 U.S. Greenhouse Gas Center and Greenhouse 

11 Gas Monitoring and Measurement Interagency 

12 Working Group in facilitating interagency col13 laboration for greenhouse gas monitoring and 

14 detection, data standards, stewardship, and 

15 data integration, including activities related to 

16 monitoring and detecting methane super17 emitters. 

18 (D) Examination of actions taken by Fed19 eral agencies and departments in response to 

20 the National Strategy to Advance an Integrated 

21 U.S. Greenhouse Gas Measurement, Moni22 toring, and Information System, including 

23 progress towards pathways to enhance the sci24 entific and operational value of information re25 garding methane super-emitters. 


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1 (E) Consideration of options for the Fed2 eral Government to partner with nongovern3 mental entities, including State and local gov4 ernments, academia, nonprofit organizations, 

5 commercial industry, and international organi6 zations, to effectively leverage greenhouse gas 

7 monitoring and detection capabilities to monitor 

8 and detect methane super-emitters. 

9 (F) Consideration of options for the Fed10 eral Government to validate and verify tech11 nologies and data developed or collects by non12 governmental entities, academia, nonprofit or13 ganizations, commercial industry, and inter14 national organizations related to monitoring 

15 and detecting methane super-emitters. 

16 (G) Recommendations regarding the activi17 ties under subparagraphs (A) through (F), as 

18 appropriate. 

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

20 the strategy described in subsection (a) to inform the plan21 ning of research and development activities regarding 

22 greenhouse gas monitoring and detection, including meth23 ane super-emitters. 

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

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1 istrator and the National Academies of Sciences, Engi2 neering, and Medicine under subsection (a), the National 

3 Academies shall submit to the Administrator, the Com4 mittee on Science, Space, and Technology of the House 

5 of Representatives, and the Committee on Commerce, 

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

7 strategy described in subsection (a). 

8 (f) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 

9 (1) GREENHOUSE GAS MONITORING AND DE10 TECTION.—The term ‘‘greenhouse gas monitoring 

11 and detection’’ means the direct observation, from 

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

13 pertaining to, greenhouse gas emissions and levels. 

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

15 mean the Geostationary Carbon Cycle Observatory. 

16 SEC. 609. NASA DATA FOR AGRICULTURAL APPLICATIONS. 

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

18 (1) NASA has decades of experience in space19 based scientific Earth observations and measure20 ments, including data, trends and modeling. 

21 (2) NASA Earth science data, which includes 

22 data on precipitation, temperature, 

23 evapotranspiration, soil moisture, and vegetation 

24 health, has been used to inform the decisionmaking 

25 of agricultural producers and aid. 


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1 (3) NASA applies its scientific data and models 

2 to inform and support the agricultural community 

3 and engages in innovative collaborations such as the 

4 NASA Acres and NASA Harvest agricultural con5 sortia. 

6 (4) NASA uses space-based Earth observations 

7 and science and applications to support farmers in 

8 efforts to conserve water and other resources, im9 prove farm management and crop yield, and facili10 tate the stability of the national food supply. 

11 (5) NASA’s upcoming Earth System Observ12 atory will benefit the agricultural community by im13 proving observations critical for measuring and un14 derstanding cropland conditions, water availability, 

15 early onset crop disease, soil moisture, and other 

16 crop and rangeland management indicators. 

17 (6) Increased engagement between NASA and 

18 the agricultural community can support agricultural 

19 producers, bolster the national food supply, and im20 prove agricultural research, science, and technology. 

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

22 partner with other relevant Federal agencies, as prac23 ticable, to disseminate water, soil, vegetation, land-use, 

24 and other relevant NASA Earth observation and science 

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1 tural producers. Such partnerships may include activities 

2 such as— 

3 (1) continuing the leverage NASA Earth 

4 science water data and information to enable effi5 cient use of resources, inform irrigation decisions, 

6 and support local innovation and control of water 

7 management; 

8 (2) supporting agriculture decisionmaking by 

9 increasing the accessibility and useability of NASA 

10 Earth science data, information, and tools relevant 

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

12 other environmental factors on agricultural produc13 tion; or 

14 (3) making available NASA earth science meas15 urements and data to advance precision agricultural 

16 capabilities relevant to the needs and requirements 

17 of agriculture producers. 

18 (c) COMMERCIAL.—In conducting the activities in 

19 subsection (b), the Administrator shall ensure that 

20 NASA’s provision of such Earth science data, information 

21 and tools does not compete with United States private sec22 tor commercial providers. 

23 (d) APPLICATION OF SPACE-BASED DATA.—The Ad24 ministrator shall further the goal for the NASA’s Earth 

25 science and applications program of securing practical 


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1 benefits for society, as set forth in section 60501 of title 

2 51, United States Code, by continuing to collaborate with 

3 relevant federal agencies to develop mechanisms to transi4 tion, as appropriate, relevant NASA Earth science re5 search findings, data, information, models, and capabili6 ties to operational governmental and private sector entities 

7 focused on addressing the needs of the agricultural user 

8 community. 

9 (e) PARTNERING.—In carrying out subsections (b) 

10 and (d), NASA shall, to the extent practicable and in col11 laboration with other relevant Federal agencies, where ap12 propriate, continue to engage State and local government 

13 agencies, institutions of higher education, agriculture pro14 ducer organizations, and other relevant stakeholder and 

15 user communities from the public and private sectors to 

16 improve dissemination of NASA Earth science data, infor17 mation, and tools relevant to the needs of agricultural pro18 ducers and the agriculture industry, in accordance with 

19 the goal for the Administration’s Earth science and appli20 cations program set forth in section 60501 of title 51, 

21 United States Code, and relevant recommendations of the 

22 most recent decadal survey on Earth science and applica23 tions from space. 


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1 SEC. 610. PLANETARY SCIENCE PORTFOLIO. 

2 (a) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—It is the sense of Con3 gress that— 

4 (1) planetary science missions advance the sci5 entific understanding of the solar system and the 

6 place of humans in it while also advancing the de7 sign and operations of spacecraft and robotic engi8 neering; and 

9 (2) Discovery, New Frontiers, and Flagship 

10 programs allow NASA to fund a range of missions 

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

12 balance across these mission classes allows for a 

13 broad scope of discoveries and scientific advances. 

14 (b)(1) MISSION PRIORITIES REAFFIRMATION.—Con15 gress reaffirms the direction in section 502(b)(1) of the 

16 National Aeronautics and Space Administration Transi17 tion Authorization Act of 2017 (Public Law 115–10; 51 

18 U.S.C. 20302 note) that, in accordance with the priorities 

19 established in the most recent Planetary Science Decadal 

20 Survey, The Administrator shall ensure, to the greatest 

21 extent possible, the completion of a balanced set of Dis22 covery, New Frontiers, and Flagship missions at the ca23 dence recommended by the most recent Planetary Science 

24 Decadal Survey. 

25 (2) ADJUSTMENTS.—Consistent with the set of mis26 sions described in paragraph (1), and while maintaining 


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1 the continuity of scientific data and steady development 

2 of capabilities and technologies, the Administrator may 

3 seek, if necessary, adjustments to mission priorities, 

4 schedule, and scope in light of changing budget projec5 tions. 

6 (c) PLANETARY MISSION CADENCE.—Beginning in 

7 fiscal year 2026, the Administrator should seek, to the 

8 maximum extent practicable, to maintain a launch cadence 

9 of 36 months for missions in the Discovery Program and 

10 60 months for the New Frontiers Program. 

11 SEC. 611. PLANETARY DEFENSE. 

12 (a) Section 18387 of title 41, United States Code, 

13 is amended in subsection (b) by striking ‘‘implement be14 fore September 30, 2012,’’ and inserting ‘‘, in coordina15 tion with the NASA Administrator, maintain and regu16 larly update’’. 

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

18 (1) in section 71103— 

19 (A) in the section heading, by striking 

20 ‘‘Developing policy and recom21 mending’’ and inserting ‘‘Policy on near22 Earth objects and’’ 

23 (B) by striking ‘‘Within 2 years after Oc24 tober 15, 2008, the’’ and inserting ‘‘The’’; 


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

2 coordination with the Administrator, maintain 

3 and regularly update’’; 

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

5 (E) in paragraph (2), by striking ‘‘rec6 ommend’’ and inserting ‘‘recommendations 

7 for’’; and 

8 (2) in chapter 711— 

9 (A) by adding the following: 

10 ‘‘SEC. 71105. PLANETARY DEFENSE COORDINATION OFFICE. 

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

12 National Aeronautics and Space Administration Author13 ization Act of 2022 (Public Law 117–167), the Adminis14 trator shall maintain an office within the Planetary 

15 Science Division of the Science Mission Directorate to be 

16 known as the ‘Planetary Defense Coordination Office’. 

17 ‘‘(b) RESPONSIBILITIES.—Consistent with the direc18 tion in section 10825 of the National Aeronautics and 

19 Space Administration Authorization Act of 2022 (Public 

20 Law 117–167) the Planetary Defense Coordination Office 

21 under subsection (a) shall— 

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

23 survey threats posed by near-Earth objects equal to 

24 or grater than 140 meters in diameter, as required 

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


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1 and Space Administration Authorization Act of 2005 

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

3 71101 note prec.); 

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

5 hazardous near-Earth objects, issue warnings of the 

6 effects of potential impacts of such objects, and in7 vestigate strategies and technologies for mitigating 

8 the potential impacts of such objects; and 

9 ‘‘(3) assist in coordinating government planning 

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

11 objects.’’. 

12 (B) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The table of 

13 contents for chapter 711 of title 51, United 

14 States Code, is amended by adding at the end 

15 the following new item: 

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

16 SEC. 612. LUNAR DISCOVERY AND EXPLORATION. 

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

18 out, within the Science Mission Directorate, a program to 

19 accomplish science objectives for the Moon, with an orga20 nizational structure that aligns responsibility, authority, 

21 and accountability, as recommended by the most recent 

22 decadal survey for planetary science and astrobiology. 

23 (b) OBJECTIVES AND REQUIREMENTS.—In carrying 

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

25 direct the Science Mission Directorate, in consultation 


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1 with the Exploration Systems Development Mission Direc2 torate and the Space Technology Mission Directorate, to 

3 define high-priority lunar science objectives informed by 

4 decadal and other scientific consensus recommendations, 

5 and related requirements of an integrated Artemis science 

6 strategy for human and robotic missions to the Moon. 

7 (c) INSTRUMENTATION.—The program in subsection 

8 (a) should assess the need for and facilitate the develop9 ment of instrumentation to support the scientific explo10 ration of the Moon. 

11 SEC. 613. COMMERCIAL LUNAR PAYLOAD SERVICES. 

12 (a) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—It is the sense of Con13 gress that— 

14 (1) the Administrator’s encouragement and 

15 support for commercial services for lunar surface de16 livery capabilities and other related services serves 

17 the national interest; and 

18 (2) commercial providers benefit from an ap19 proach that places low-cost, noncritical instruments 

20 on initial deliveries using small- and medium-size 

21 landers before proceeding to larger landers for more 

22 complex payloads. 

23 (b) COMMERCIAL LUNAR PAYLOAD SERVICES.—The 

24 Administrator is authorized to establish a Commercial 

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1 sion Directorate for the purposes of procuring, from one 

2 or more United States private sector commercial service 

3 providers, as defined in section 203(c) of this Act, services 

4 for delivery of NASA science payloads, and the payloads 

5 of other NASA mission directorates, as appropriate and 

6 practicable, to the lunar surface. 

7 (c) RELATIONSHIP TO OTHER MISSION DIREC8 TORATES.—A Mission Directorate outside of the Science 

9 Mission Directorate that seeks to obtain commercial lunar 

10 payload services under the program established in sub11 section (b) shall provide funding for— 

12 (1) any payload, instrument or other item spon13 sored by the Mission Directorate for delivery 

14 through the program; and 

15 (2) the cost of the commercial lunar payload 

16 services obtained by the Science Mission Directorate 

17 on behalf of the outside Mission Directorate. 

18 (d) IMPLEMENTATION.—In implementing any such 

19 activities pursuant to subsection (b), the Administrator 

20 shall— 

21 (1) conduct updated market research on the 

22 commercial lunar economy and identify any changes 

23 since the last market analysis; 


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

2 contribution to the commercial lunar delivery mar3 ket; 

4 (3) based on such needs identified in paragraph 

5 (2), assess the effectiveness of the task order ap6 proach in advancing commercial development of 

7 lunar delivery services, including an assessment of 

8 the appropriate number of providers necessary to 

9 support NASA commercial lunar delivery needs, and 

10 identify any challenges and recommendations for im11 provement; and 

12 (4) strengthen procedures related to the selec13 tion, manifesting, interfaces, and requirements of 

14 payloads and other relevant factors that could con15 tribute to minimizing future NASA-directed changes 

16 to projects following commercial lunar payload serv17 ice contract awards. 

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

19 from the date of the enactment of this Act, the Adminis20 trator shall, informed by the activities conducted under 

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

22 with clear leadership authority and responsibility for the 

23 program authorized in subsection (b). 

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

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


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1 brief the appropriate committees of Congress on the imple2 mentation of the management plan in subsection (d). 

3 (g) COORDINATION.—The Administrator shall ensure 

4 coordination between Science Mission Directorate, other 

5 Mission Directorates, and the Moon to Mars Program on 

6 the administration of the program in subsection (b) to en7 sure alignment of goals for lunar delivery services. 

8 SEC. 614. PLANETARY AND LUNAR OPERATIONS. 

9 (a) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—It is the sense of Con10 gress that— 

11 (1) existing NASA lunar and Martian orbital 

12 missions are operating well beyond their planned 

13 mission lifespans; 

14 (2) the United States relies on these aging mis15 sions for observations, communications relay, and 

16 other operations to support critical NASA missions; 

17 and 

18 (3) the United States plans to increase its ac19 tivities on and around both the Moon and Mars in 

20 coming years. 

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

22 to ensure continuity of operations and sufficient observa23 tional and operational capabilities on and around the 

24 Moon and Mars necessary to continue to enable a robust 

25 science program and human exploration program for the 


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1 Moon and Mars well into the future. Such plan shall con2 sider opportunities to engage both private and inter3 national partners in future operations. 

4 SEC. 615. MARS SAMPLE RETURN. 

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

6 to the availability of appropriations, lead a Mars Sample 

7 Return program to enable the return to Earth of scientif8 ically-selected samples from the surface of Mars for study 

9 in terrestrial laboratories, consistent with the rec10 ommendations of the National Academies decadal surveys 

11 for planetary science. 

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

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

14 necessary to— 

15 (1) Sustain United States leadership in the sci16 entific exploration of Mars; 

17 (2) maintain NASA capabilities to land and op18 erate robotic spacecraft on the surface of Mars; 

19 (3) preserve the unique and long-term institu20 tional expertise related to operations on the Martian 

21 surface; and 

22 (4) maintain a balanced and robust planetary 

23 science division portfolio within current budget levels 

24 without significant increases. 


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1 (c) IMPLEMENTATION PLAN.—The Administrator 

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

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

4 appropriate committees of Congress a plan and timeline 

5 for the implementation of a Mars Sample Return program 

6 pursuant to this section with the goal of enabling the high7 est scientific return for the resources invested. Such plan 

8 shall include a design and mission architecture and estab9 lish realistic cost and schedule estimates to enable such 

10 goal. 

11 SEC. 616. HUBBLE SPACE TELESCOPE SERVICING. 

12 Not later than 90 days from the date of the enact13 ment of this Act, the Administrator shall submit a report 

14 to the appropriate committees of Congress that includes 

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

16 five years regarding the technical feasibility of using pri17 vate sector capabilities to extend science operations of or 

18 safely reboost the Hubble Space Telescope. 

19 SEC. 617. GREAT OBSERVATORIES MISSION AND TECH20 NOLOGY MATURATION. 

21 (a) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—It is the sense of Con22 gress that— 

23 (1) Space-based telescopes known as NASA’s 

24 Great Observatories have enabled major scientific 

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1 ciplines and have significantly furthered our under2 standing of the universe and the stars and galaxies 

3 within; 

4 (2) NASA has previously faced challenges in 

5 meeting cost and schedule requirements for major 

6 Astrophysics missions, including the James Webb 

7 Space Telescope; and 

8 (3) the Astrophysics division would benefit from 

9 a focused effort to mature large-scale space-based 

10 mission concepts and technologies prior to ultimate 

11 implementation. 

12 (b) ESTABLISHMENT.—The Administrator may es13 tablish, within an Astrophysics program, a Great Observ14 atories Mission and Technology Maturation project (re15 ferred to in this section as a ‘‘Project’’) to mature the 

16 large-scale space-based mission concepts and technologies 

17 needed for a future mission within the program, as in18 formed by the recommendations of the most recent 

19 decadal survey in astronomy and astrophysics. 

20 (c) ACTIVITIES.—A project established under sub21 section (b) shall inform the design and development of fu22 ture large-scale space-based missions within an Astro23 physics program by conducting activities which may in24 clude— 


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1 (1) assessing the appropriate scope for any fu2 ture mission; 

3 (2) determining the range of capabilities and 

4 technology readiness of such capabilities needed for 

5 a mission; 

6 (3) informing the development and maturation 

7 of science and technologies needed for such mission; 

8 and 

9 (4) assessing technology readiness to inform 

10 mission planning. 

11 (d) COSTS.—The independent life-cycle cost estimate 

12 conducted under section 30307 of title 51, United States 

13 Code, as amended by this Act, for a large-scale space14 based mission resulting from successful completion of a 

15 Project established under subsection (b) shall include an 

16 accounting of all costs spent on maturation of the mission 

17 through such Project. 

18 (e) REPORT.—Starting on February 1, 2025, and 

19 continuing annually thereafter, the Administrator shall 

20 submit to the appropriate committees of Congress a report 

21 on the progress and impacts of any Projects established 

22 under subsection (b) within Astrophysics programs. 

23 SEC. 618. NANCY GRACE ROMAN TELESCOPE. 

24 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Administrator shall continue 

25 development of the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope 


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1 as directed in subsection 10823(b) of the National Aero2 nautics and Space Administration Authorization Act of 

3 2022 (Public Law 117–167). 

4 (b) NOTIFICATION.—The Administrator shall notify 

5 the appropriate committees of Congress if the amount of 

6 life-cycle funding for the Nancy Grace Roman Space Tele7 scope program exceeds $4,000,000,000. 

8 (c) INTERNATIONAL PARTNERSHIPS.—NASA shall 

9 solicit international participation on the Nancy Grace 

10 Roman Space Telescope program to increase scientific re11 turn and maximize investment. 

12 SEC. 619. CHANDRA X-RAY OBSERVATORY. 

13 The Administrator shall, to the greatest extent prac14 ticable, take no action to reduce or otherwise preclude con15 tinuation of the science operations of the Chandra X-Ray 

16 Telescope prior to the completion and consideration of the 

17 earlier of the next triennial review of mission extensions 

18 for the Astrophysics division conducted pursuant to sec19 tion 30504 of title 51, United States Code, or NASA’s 

20 ongoing operations paradigm change review. 

21 SEC. 620. HELIOPHYSICS RESEARCH. 

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

24 (1) NASA heliophysics research advances the 

25 scientific understanding of the Sun, its impact on 


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1 the Earth and near-Earth environment, and the 

2 Sun’s interactions with other bodies in the solar sys3 tem, the interplanetary medium, and the interstellar 

4 medium; 

5 (2) fundamental science supported by the 

6 Heliophysics division is critical to improving space 

7 weather observations forecasting capabilities, which 

8 contribute to— 

9 (A) fortifying national security and other 

10 critically important space-based and ground11 based assets; 

12 (B) improving the resilience of the Na13 tion’s energy infrastructure; and 

14 (C) protecting human health in space; and 

15 (3) the Heliophysics Division should continue to 

16 maximize the scientific return on investment of its 

17 portfolio through maintaining a balanced portfolio 

18 that includes research and analysis, including multi19 disciplinary research initiatives, technology develop20 ment, space-based missions and suborbital flight 

21 projects that include both directed and strategic mis22 sions and principal investigator-led, competitively so23 licited missions, informed by the science priorities 

24 and guidance of the most recent decadal survey in 

25 solar and space physics. 


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1 (b) PROGRAM MANAGEMENT.—The Administrator 

2 shall— 

3 (1) maintain an Explorer Announcement of Op4 portunity cadence of two year and shall alternate be5 tween small and mid-sized missions; 

6 (2) enable a regular selection of Missions of Op7 portunity; 

8 (3) restructure the Solar Terrestrial Probes 

9 program as a cost-capped competitively selected line 

10 of moderate-scale principal investigator led missions; 

11 and 

12 (4) request information regarding commercial 

13 services potentially able to continue or improve 

14 heliophysics research efforts. 

15 SEC. 621. STUDY ON COMMERCIAL SPACE WEATHER DATA. 

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

17 the Administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmos18 pheric Administration, shall conduct a study of whether 

19 commercially-available data could advance space weather 

20 research. 

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

22 (1) an assessment of commercial capabilities 

23 useable and commercial data suitable to obtain space 

24 weather data that meets or exceeds the science and 


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1 technical standards and requirements of the Admin2 istration, including— 

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

4 generated by commercial providers; 

5 (B) commercially available small space6 craft; 

7 (C) opportunities for hosted NASA pay8 loads on commercial spacecraft; and 

9 (D) commercial solutions for data proc10 essing applicable to space weather science; 

11 (2) recommendations and opportunities for the 

12 Federal Government to adjust science requirements 

13 to better reflect commercially available solutions for 

14 space weather data without reducing quality of data 

15 or to otherwise accommodate private sector data16 buys or service procurements; and 

17 (3) options, where appropriate, for potential 

18 partnerships or use of NASA prize authority and 

19 competitions, as appropriate and practicable, to ob20 tain access to such data identified in paragraph (1) 

21 that— 

22 (A) meet or exceed the science and tech23 nical standards and requirements of the Admin24 istration; 


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1 (B) may fill gaps or supplement NASA 

2 space-based heliophysics observations and meas3 urement for advancing space weather research; 

4 and 

5 (C) are not duplicative of activities con6 ducted pursuant to chapter 606 of title 51, 

7 United States Code. 

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

9 of enactment of this Act, the Administrator shall transmit 

10 a report to the appropriate committees of Congress con11 taining the results of the study provided under subsection 

12 (a). 

13 SEC. 622. GEOSPACE DYNAMICS CONSTELLATION. 

14 (a) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—It is the sense of Con15 gress that the Geospace Dynamics Constellation mission 

16 could enable scientific discoveries that will transform un17 derstanding of the processes that govern the dynamics of 

18 the Earth’s upper atmospheric envelope that surrounds 

19 and protects the planet. 

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

21 2024, The Administrator shall transmit to the appropriate 

22 committees of Congress a report including— 

23 (1) the schedule and budget profile to launch 

24 the Geospace Dynamics Constellation mission by the 


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1 end of the decade to fulfill the recommendations of 

2 the heliophysics decadal survey; 

3 (2) challenges in execution of the Geospace Dy4 namics Constellation mission; and 

5 (3) consideration of whether there is a techno6 logically feasible commercially-available alternative 

7 to obtain similar data, and the associated costs. 

8 TITLE VII—STEM EDUCATION 

9 SEC. 701. NATIONAL SPACE GRANT COLLEGE AND FELLOW10 SHIP PROGRAM. 

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

12 amended— 

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

14 and (e); 

15 (2) in section 40304— 

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

17 the following: 

18 ‘‘(c) SOLICITATIONS.— 

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

20 issue a solicitation from space grant consortia for 

21 the award of grants or contracts under this section 

22 at the conclusion of the award cycle for fiscal Year 

23 2020 to 2024. The Administrator shall implement 

24 the allocation guidance from section 40304(e) during 

25 each fiscal year covered by the award cycle. 


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

2 grant consortium that seeks a grant or contract 

3 under this section shall submit, on behalf of such 

4 space grant consortium, an application to the Ad5 ministrator at such time and in such manner and 

6 accompanied by such information as the Adminis7 trator may require. 

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

9 1 or more multi-year grants or contracts, disbursed 

10 in annual installments, to the lead institution of an 

11 eligible space grant consortium of— 

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

13 States; 

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

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

16 and 

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

18 following: 

19 ‘‘(e) ALLOCATION OF FUNDING.— 

20 ‘‘(1) PROGRAM IMPLEMENTATION.— 

21 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—To carry out the pur22 poses set forth in section 40301 of this title, 

23 each fiscal year, of the funds appropriated for 

24 this program of that fiscal year, the AdminisVerDate Sep 11 2014 20:46 Sep 09, 2024 Jkt 049200 PO 00000 Frm 00102 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H8958.IH H8958

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1 trator shall allocate not less than 85 percent 

2 among eligible space grant consortia as follows: 

3 ‘‘(i) The space grant consortia identi4 fied in paragraph 40304(c)(3) shall each 

5 receive an equal share. 

6 ‘‘(ii) The territories of Guam and the 

7 U.S. Virgin Islands shall each receive 

8 funds equal to one-fifth of the share for 

9 each space grant consortium. 

10 ‘‘(2) PROGRAM ADMINISTRATION.— 

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

12 the funds made available for the National Space 

13 Grant College and Fellowship Program, the Ad14 ministrator shall allocate not more than 10 per15 cent for the administration of the program. 

16 ‘‘(B) COSTS COVERED.—The funds allo17 cated under paragraph (1)(A) of this section 

18 shall cover all costs of the Administration asso19 ciated with the administration of the National 

20 Space Grant College and Fellowship Program, 

21 including— 

22 ‘‘(i) direct costs to the program, in23 cluding costs relating to support services 

24 and civil service salaries and benefits; 


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1 ‘‘(ii) indirect general and administra2 tive costs of centers and facilities of the 

3 Administration; and 

4 ‘‘(iii) indirect general and administra5 tive costs of the Administration head6 quarters. 

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

8 year, of the funds made available for the National 

9 Space Grant College and Fellowship program, the 

10 Administrator shall allocate not more than 5 percent 

11 to lead institutions of Space Grant Consortia for 

12 grants to carry out innovative approaches and pro13 grams to further science and education relating to 

14 the missions of the Administration pursuant to sub15 section (b).’’. 

16 (b) REVIEW.—The Administrator shall make ar17 rangements for an independent external review of the Na18 tional Space Grant College and Fellowship Program to— 

19 (1) evaluate its management, accomplishments, 

20 approach to funding allocation as described in sec21 tion 40303(e) of title 51, United States Code, and 

22 responsiveness to the purposes and goals defined in 

23 chapter 403 of title 51, United States Code; and 

24 (2) propose any statutory updates that may be 

25 needed to implement recommendations of the review. 


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

2 date of enactment of this Act, the Administrator shall 

3 transmit a report on the independent external review of 

4 the National Space Grant College and Fellowship Pro5 gram described in subsection (a) to the Committee on 

6 Science, Space, and Technology of the House of Rep7 resentatives and the Committee on Commerce, Science, 

8 and Transportation of the Senate. 

9 TITLE VIII—POLICY/NASA 

10 SEC. 801. MAJOR PROGRAMS. 

11 Section 30104 of title 51, United States Code, is 

12 amended in subsection (a)(1) by striking ‘‘7120.5E, dated 

13 August 14, 2012’’ and inserting ‘‘7120.5F, dated August 

14 3, 2021’’. 

15 SEC. 802. NASA ADVISORY COUNCIL. 

16 Section 20113(g) of title 51, United States Code, is 

17 amended by adding ‘‘and Congress’’ after ‘‘advice to the 

18 Administration’’. 

19 SEC. 803. NASA ASSESSMENT OF EARLY COST ESTIMATES. 

20 Not later than 12 months after the date of the enact21 ment of this Act, the Comptroller General shall transmit 

22 to the appropriate committees of Congress a review of the 

23 development, application, and assessment of early cost es24 timates made prior to preliminary design review for NASA 

25 missions. The review shall include— 


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1 (1) an assessment of the processes that NASA 

2 uses to— 

3 (A) form early-stage cost estimates; 

4 (B) evaluate costs associated with pro5 posals for missions; and 

6 (C) monitor and manage estimates 

7 throughout execution of program; 

8 (2) an assessment of any other relevant proc9 esses that NASA uses to estimate the costs of mis10 sions, including directed and competitively selected, 

11 principal-investigator-led Science Mission Direc12 torate missions, during the early phases of mission 

13 development, prior to setting an Agency Baseline 

14 Commitment, and NASA’s application of such cost 

15 estimates in the management of its programs; 

16 (3) for the period starting on January 1, 2000, 

17 and ending on the date of the enactment of this Act, 

18 a list of— 

19 (A) missions costing over $250,000,000 

20 and the associated cost estimate at proposal; 

21 (B) changes to the cost estimates from for22 mulation to implementation to final cost; 

23 (C) patterns in factors contributing to 

24 changes in cost estimates; and 


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1 (D) lessons learned from missions with ac2 curate cost estimates; and 

3 (4) any such recommendations that the Comp4 troller General determines are appropriate. 

5 SEC. 804. INDEPENDENT COST ESTIMATE. 

6 Section 30307 of title 51, United States Code, is 

7 amended— 

8 (1) in the section heading, by striking ‘‘anal9 ysis’’ and inserting ‘‘estimate’’; and 

10 (2) in subsection (b)— 

11 (A) by striking ‘‘Before any funds may be 

12 obligated for implementation’’ and inserting 

13 ‘‘After the Administrator completes the prelimi14 nary design review’’; 

15 (B) by striking ‘‘analysis’’ and inserting 

16 ‘‘estimate’’; and 

17 (C) by inserting after the first sentence, 

18 ‘‘No funds may be obligated for implementation 

19 of the project before the Administrator reports 

20 the results of the life-cycle cost estimate to 

21 Congress.’’. 

22 SEC. 805. OFFICE OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY POLICY 

23 REPORT. 

24 Not later than January 1, 2025, and annually there25 after, the Office of Technology, Policy, and Strategy shall 


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1 prepare and submit to the appropriate committees of Con2 gress a report describing the efforts of the Office during 

3 the previous calendar year and priorities of the Office for 

4 the upcoming calendar year, as practicable. 

5 SEC. 806. NATIONAL SPACE ADVISORY COMMITTEE. 

6 Section 121 of the National Aeronautics and Space 

7 Administration Authorization Act, Fiscal Year 1991 (Pub8 lic Law 101–611; 51 U.S.C. 20111 note) is amended— 

9 (1) in the section heading, by striking ‘‘USERS’ 

10 ADVISORY GROUP’’ and inserting ‘‘NATIONAL

11 SPACE ADVISORY COMMITTEE’’; 

12 (2) by striking ‘‘Users’ Advisory Group’’ in 

13 each place that it appears and inserting ‘‘National 

14 Space Advisory Committee’’: and 

15 (3) by adding the following after subsection (b): 

16 ‘‘(c) ANNUAL REPORT.—The Committee shall submit 

17 an annual report to the Administrator and to Congress 

18 describing the activities and recommendations of the Com19 mittee.’’. 

20 SEC. 807. AUTHORIZATION FOR THE TRANSFER TO NASA OF 

21 FUNDS FROM OTHER AGENCIES FOR SCI22 ENTIFIC OR ENGINEERING RESEARCH OR 

23 EDUCATION. 

24 (a) IN GENERAL.—Subsection (f) of section 20113 

25 of title 51, United States Code, is amended— 


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1 (1) by striking ‘‘In the performance of its func2 tions’’ and inserting the following: 

3 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—In the performance of its 

4 functions’’; and 

5 (2) by adding at the end the following new 

6 paragraph: 

7 ‘‘(2) TREATMENT.—Funds available to any de8 partment or agency of the Federal Government for 

9 scientific or engineering research or education, or 

10 the provision of facilities therefor, shall, subject to 

11 the approval of the head of such department or 

12 agency or as delegated pursuant to such depart13 ment’s or agency’s regulation, be available for trans14 fer, in whole or in part, to the Administration for 

15 such use as is consistent with the purposes for which 

16 such funds were appropriated. Funds so transferred 

17 shall be merged with the appropriation to which 

18 transferred, except that such transferred funds shall 

19 be limited to the awarding of grants or cooperative 

20 agreements for scientific or engineering research or 

21 education.’’. 

22 (b) ANNUAL INFORMATION ON FUNDS TRANS23 FERRED.— 

24 (1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than two years 

25 after the date of the enactment of this section, the 


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1 Administrator shall include in the annual budget 

2 justification materials of the Administration, as sub3 mitted to Congress with the President’s budget re4 quest under section 1105 of title 31, United States 

5 Code, information describing the activities conducted 

6 under subsection (f) of section 20113 of title 51, 

7 United States Code (as amended by subsection (a)), 

8 during the immediately preceding fiscal year. 

9 (2) CONTENTS.—The information referred to in 

10 paragraph (1) shall contain a description of each 

11 transfer of funds under the authority provided for in 

12 paragraph (2) of subsection (f) of section 20113 of 

13 title 51, United States Code (as added and amend14 ed, respectively, by this section), during the imme15 diately preceding fiscal year, including the following: 

16 (A) An identification of the department or 

17 agency of the Federal Government from which 

18 such funds were transferred. 

19 (B) The total amount of funds so trans20 ferred, disaggregated by each such department 

21 or agency. 

22 (C) The purposes for which such funds 

23 were appropriated to each agency or depart24 ment. 


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1 (D) The program or activity of the Admin2 istration to which such funds were made avail3 able by each such transfer. 

4 (E) The purposes of each such administra5 tion program or activity, and the amount of 

6 funding appropriated to the Administration for 

7 such purposes. 

8 (c) REPORT.—Not later than three years after the 

9 date of enactment of the section, the Administrator of the 

10 Administration shall submit to the Committee on Science, 

11 Space, and Technology of the House of Representatives 

12 and the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transpor13 tation of the Senate a report that includes the following: 

14 (1) A summary of the value of the authority 

15 provided for in paragraph (2) of subsection (f) of 

16 section 209113 of title 51, United States Code (as 

17 added and amended, respectively, by this section), 

18 including the extent to which such authority has 

19 benefited the Administration and its ability to meet 

20 its needs, achieve its mission, or more effectively 

21 conduct interagency collaborations. 

22 (2) An identification of any barriers or chal23 lenges to implementing such authority, or otherwise 

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1 tive agreements by the administration with other 

2 Federal departments and agencies to advance the 

3 missions of each such department and agency. 

4 SEC. 808. PROCEDURE FOR LAUNCH SERVICES RISK MITI5 GATION. 

6 (a) ASSESSMENT.—The Administrator shall enter 

7 into an arrangement for an independent external assess8 ment of the effectiveness and efficiency of NASA’s ap9 proach towards launch services risk mitigation in the Ad10 ministration’s Procedural Requirements 8610.7D. 

11 (b) REPORT.—Not later than 180 days from the date 

12 of enactment of this Act, the Administrator shall submit 

13 to the appropriate committees of Congress the following: 

14 (1) The report of the assessment conducted 

15 under subsection (a). 

16 (2) NASA response to the findings of the re17 port, if any. 

18 SEC. 809. REPORT ON MERITS AND OPTIONS FOR ESTAB19 LISHING AN INSTITUTE RELATING TO SPACE 

20 RESOURCES. 

21 (a) REPORT.—Not later than 180 days after the date 

22 of the enactment of this Act, the Administrator and Sec23 retary shall jointly submit to the appropriate congressional 

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1 vance the objectives of NASA and the Department in 

2 maintaining United States preeminence in space. Such ob3 jectives shall include the following: 

4 (1) Identifying, developing, and distributing 

5 space resources, including by encouraging the devel6 opment of foundational science and technology. 

7 (2) Reducing the technological risks associated 

8 with identifying, developing, and distributing space 

9 resources. 

10 (3) Research to maximize the responsible use of 

11 space resources. 

12 (4) Developing options for using space re13 sources to— 

14 (A) support current and future space ar15 chitectures, programs, and missions; and 

16 (B) enable such architectures, programs, 

17 and missions that would not otherwise be pos18 sible. 

19 (b) ADDITIONAL MATTERS.—The report required 

20 under subsection (a) shall also include the following as21 sessments of the Administrator and the Secretary: 

22 (1) Whether a virtual or physical institute relat23 ing to space resources is most cost effective and ap24 propriate. 


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1 (2) Whether partnering with institutions of 

2 higher education and the aerospace industry, and 

3 the extractive industry as appropriate, would be ef4 fective in increasing information available to the in5 stitute with respect to advancing the objectives de6 scribed in subsection (a). 

7 (c) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 

8 (1) DEPARTMENT.—The term ‘‘Department’’ 

9 means the Department of Commerce. 

10 (2) EXTRACTIVE INDUSTRY.—The term ‘‘ex11 tractive industry’’ means companies and individuals 

12 involved in the processes of extracting, including 

13 mining, quarrying, drilling, and dredging, raw, nat14 ural materials or energy sources. 

15 (3) INSTITUTE OF HIGHER EDUCATION.—The 

16 term ‘‘institution of higher education’’ has the 

17 meaning given such term in section 101(a) of the 

18 Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1001(a)). 

19 (4) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means 

20 the Secretary of Commerce. 

21 (5) SPACE RESOURCE.— 

22 (A) IN GENERAL.—The term ‘‘space re23 source’’ means an abiotic resource in situ in 

24 outer space. 


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1 (B) INCLUSIONS.—The term ‘‘space re2 source’’ includes a raw, natural material or en3 ergy source. 

4 SEC. 810. REPORTS TO CONGRESS. 

5 Section 20116 of title 51, United States Code, is 

6 amended— 

7 (1) in subsection (a)— 

8 (A) by inserting ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—’’ 

9 after ‘‘PRESIDENTIAL REPORT.—’’; and 

10 (B) by redesignating paragraphs (1) and 

11 (2) as subparagraphs (A) and (B); 

12 (2) in subsection (b)— 

13 (A) by redesignating subsection (b) as 

14 paragraph (2); and 

15 (B) in paragraph (2), as so redesignated, 

16 by striking ‘‘section’’ and inserting ‘‘sub17 section’’; 

18 (3) in subsection (c)— 

19 (A) by redesignating subsection (c) as 

20 paragraph (3); and 

21 (B) in paragraph (3), as so redesignated, 

22 by striking ‘‘section’’ and inserting ‘‘sub23 section’’; and 

24 (4) by inserting at the end the following: 


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1 ‘‘(b) CONGRESSIONAL REPORTS AND NOTICES.—Any 

2 report or notice provided to Congress by NASA shall be 

3 provided to the Committee on Science, Space, and Tech4 nology of the House of Representatives and the Committee 

5 on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate, 

6 concurrently with its delivery to any other Committee or 

7 office. 

8 ‘‘(c) REPORTS ON INTERNATIONAL AGREEMENTS.— 

9 If the United States becomes a signatory to an inter10 national agreement concerning outer space activities, the 

11 Administrator shall provide to the Committee on Science, 

12 Space, and Technology of the House of Representatives 

13 and the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transpor14 tation of the Senate a report containing a copy of such 

15 agreement.’’. 

16 SEC. 811. ADVANCEMENT OF PRIVATE SECTOR HUMAN 

17 SPACE ACTIVITIES. 

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

19 (1) Private space activities are increasing and 

20 expanding, and contribute to United States sci21 entific, economic, and strategic leadership in space. 

22 (2) According to section 217(a) of the National 

23 Aeronautics and Space Administration Authorization 

24 Act, Fiscal Year 1989, ‘‘the extension of human life 

25 beyond Earth’s atmosphere, leading ultimately to 


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1 the establishment of space settlements, will fulfill the 

2 purposes of advancing science, exploration, and de3 velopment and will enhance the general welfare’’. 

4 (3) Other countries are investing in and ex5 panding national space activities. 

6 (4) Continued advancement of commercial 

7 space activities can reduce the cost of space access. 

8 (5) NASA partnerships with United States 

9 commercial entities, including in NASA’s robotic and 

10 human exploration of the Moon under the Artemis 

11 program, in accordance with the Moon to Mars Pro12 gram under section 10811 of the National Aero13 nautics and Space Administration Authorization Act 

14 (Public Law 117–167), and provide opportunities to 

15 gain important lessons learned on nongovernmental 

16 activities in cislunar space and on the surface of the 

17 Moon that can inform future evolution of commer18 cial activities in cislunar space and on the lunar sur19 face, as appropriation, and the development of pol20 icy, legal, regulatory matters necessary to support 

21 such commercial endeavors. 

22 (6) As a leading organization for space explo23 ration and activities, and a significant partner in 

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1 bilities to foster the competitive and innovative de2 velopment of such activities. 

3 (b) AMENDMENT.—Section 20102(c) of title 51, 

4 United States code is amended by striking subsection (c) 

5 and inserting the following: 

6 ‘‘(c) UNITED STATES PRIVATE SECTOR USE OF AND

7 HUMAN PRESENCE IN SPACE.—Congress declares that 

8 the general welfare of the United States requires that the 

9 Administration seek and encourage, to the maximum ex10 tent possible, the fullest commercial use of space, includ11 ing by facilitating the expansion of the United States pri12 vate sector use of and human presence in Earth orbit, 

13 cislunar space, and beyond.’’. 

Æ 


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