519 
† HR 4521 EAS 
dress crosscutting national energy challenges by 
methods that include— 
(i) fostering collaboration and partner-
ships with researchers from the Federal 
Government, State governments, institu-
tions of higher education, federally funded 
research and development centers, industry, 
and nonprofit organizations for the re-
search, development, or commercialization 
of transformative energy and associated 
technologies; 
(ii) strengthening and sharing best 
practices relating to regional economic de-
velopment through scientific and energy in-
novation, including in partnership with an 
Individual Laboratory-Associated Founda-
tion; 
(iii) promoting new product develop-
ment that supports job creation; 
(iv) 
administering 
prize 
competi-
tions— 
(I) to accelerate private sector 
competition and investment; and 
(II) that complement the use of 
prize authority by the Department;
520 
† HR 4521 EAS 
(v) supporting programs that advance 
technology maturation, especially where 
there may be gaps in Federal or private 
funding in advancing a technology to de-
ployment or commercialization from the 
prototype stage to a commercial stage; and 
(vi) facilitating access to Department 
facilities, equipment, and human expertise 
to assist in tackling national challenges. 
(4) ACTIVITIES.— 
(A) 
STUDIES, 
COMPETITIONS, 
AND 
PROJECTS.—The Foundation may conduct and 
support studies, competitions, projects, and other 
activities that further the purposes of the Foun-
dation described in paragraph (3). 
(B) FELLOWSHIPS AND GRANTS.— 
(i) IN
GENERAL.—The Foundation 
may award fellowships and grants for ac-
tivities relating to research, development, 
demonstration, maturation, or commer-
cialization of energy and other Department- 
supported technologies. 
(ii) FORM OF AWARD.—A fellowship or 
grant under clause (i) may consist of a sti-
pend, health insurance benefits, funds for
521 
† HR 4521 EAS 
travel, and funds for other appropriate ex-
penses. 
(iii) SELECTION.—In selecting a re-
cipient for a fellowship or grant under 
clause (i), the Foundation— 
(I) shall make the selection based 
on the technical and commercialization 
merits of the proposed project of the 
potential recipient; and 
(II) may consult with a potential 
recipient regarding the ability of the 
potential recipient to carry out various 
projects that would further the pur-
poses of the Foundation described in 
paragraph (3). 
(iv) NATIONAL LABORATORIES.—A Na-
tional Laboratory that applies for or ac-
cepts an award under clause (i) shall not be 
considered to be engaging in a competitive 
process. 
(C) ACCESSING
FACILITIES
AND
EXPER-
TISE.—The Foundation may work with the De-
partment—
522 
† HR 4521 EAS 
(i) to leverage the capabilities and fa-
cilities of National Laboratories to commer-
cialize technology; and 
(ii) to assist with resources, including 
by providing information on the assets of 
each National Laboratory that may enable 
the deployment and commercialization of 
technology. 
(D) TRAINING AND EDUCATION.—The Foun-
dation may support programs that provide 
training to researchers, scientists, other relevant 
personnel at National Laboratories and institu-
tions of higher education, and previous or cur-
rent recipients of or applicants for Department 
funding to help demonstrate, deploy, and com-
mercialize federally funded technology. 
(E) MATURATION FUNDING.—The Founda-
tion shall support programs that provide matu-
ration funding to researchers to advance the 
technology of those researchers for the purpose of 
moving products from a prototype stage to a 
commercial stage. 
(F) 
STAKEHOLDER
ENGAGEMENT.—The 
Foundation shall convene, and may consult with, 
representatives from the Department, institutions
523 
† HR 4521 EAS 
of higher education, National Laboratories, the 
private sector, and commercialization organiza-
tions to develop programs for the purposes of the 
Foundation described in paragraph (3) and to 
advance the activities of the Foundation. 
(G) INDIVIDUAL
AND
FEDERAL
LABORA-
TORY-ASSOCIATED FOUNDATIONS.— 
(i) DEFINITION OF COVERED FOUNDA-
TION.—In this subparagraph, the term 
‘‘covered foundation’’ means each of the fol-
lowing: 
(I) An Individual Laboratory-As-
sociated Foundation. 
(II) A Federal Laboratory-Associ-
ated Foundation established pursuant 
to subsection (c)(1). 
(ii) SUPPORT.—The Foundation shall 
provide support to and collaborate with cov-
ered foundations. 
(iii) GUIDELINES AND TEMPLATES.— 
For the purpose of providing support under 
clause (ii), the Secretary shall establish sug-
gested guidelines and templates for covered 
foundations, including—
525 
† HR 4521 EAS 
workshops consistent with the purposes of 
the Foundation described in paragraph (3); 
(ii) to support and encourage the un-
derstanding and development of data that 
promotes the translation of technologies 
from the research stage, through the develop-
ment and maturation stage, and ending in 
the market stage; 
(iii) for writing, editing, printing, 
publishing, and vending books and other 
materials relating to research carried out 
under the Foundation and the Department; 
and 
(iv) to conduct other activities to carry 
out and support the purposes of the Foun-
dation described in paragraph (3). 
(I) EVALUATIONS.—The Foundation shall 
support the development of an evaluation meth-
odology, to be used as part of any program sup-
ported by the Foundation, that shall— 
(i) consist of qualitative and quan-
titative metrics; and 
(ii) include periodic third party eval-
uation of those programs and other activi-
ties of the Foundation.
526 
† HR 4521 EAS 
(J) 
COMMUNICATIONS.—The 
Foundation 
shall develop an expertise in communications to 
promote the work of grant and fellowship recipi-
ents under subparagraph (B), the commercializa-
tion successes of the Foundation, opportunities 
for partnership with the Foundation, and other 
activities. 
(K) SOLICITATION AND USE OF FUNDS.— 
The Foundation may solicit and accept gifts, 
grants, and other donations, establish accounts, 
and invest and expend funds in support of the 
activities and programs of the Foundation. 
(5) ADMINISTRATION.— 
(A) EXECUTIVE
DIRECTOR.—The Board 
shall hire an Executive Director of the Founda-
tion, who shall serve at the pleasure of the 
Board. 
(B) COMPENSATION.—The Executive Direc-
tor shall be compensated at a level not greater 
than the rate payable for level IV of the Execu-
tive Schedule under section 5315 of title 5, 
United States Code. 
(C) ADMINISTRATIVE CONTROL.—No mem-
ber of the Board, officer or employee of the Foun-
dation or of any program established by the
527 
† HR 4521 EAS 
Foundation, or participant in a program estab-
lished by the Foundation, shall exercise adminis-
trative control over any Federal employee. 
(D) STRATEGIC
PLAN.—Not later than 1 
year after the date of enactment of this Act, the 
Foundation shall submit to the Committee on 
Energy and Natural Resources of the Senate and 
the Committee on Science, Space, and Tech-
nology of the House of Representatives a stra-
tegic plan that contains— 
(i) a plan for the Foundation to be-
come financially self-sustaining in fiscal 
year 2023 and thereafter (except for the 
amounts provided each fiscal year under 
paragraph (12)(A)(iii)); 
(ii) a forecast of major crosscutting en-
ergy 
challenge 
opportunities, 
including 
short- and long-term objectives, identified by 
the Board, with input from communities 
representing the entities and areas of subject 
matter expertise, as applicable, described in 
paragraph (2)(B)(iii)(II); 
(iii) a description of the efforts that the 
Foundation will take to be transparent in
528 
† HR 4521 EAS 
the processes of the Foundation, including 
processes relating to— 
(I) grant awards, including selec-
tion, review, and notification; 
(II) communication of past, cur-
rent, and future research priorities; 
and 
(III) solicitation of and response 
to public input on the opportunities 
identified under clause (ii); 
(iv) a description of the financial goals 
and benchmarks of the Foundation for the 
following 10 years; and 
(v) a description of the efforts under-
taken by the Foundation to ensure max-
imum complementarity and minimum re-
dundancy with investments made by the 
Department. 
(E) ANNUAL
REPORT.—Not later than 1 
year after the date on which the Foundation is 
established, and every 2 years thereafter, the 
Foundation shall submit to the Committee on 
Energy and Natural Resources of the Senate, the 
Committee on Science, Space, and Technology of 
the House of Representatives, and the Secretary
529 
† HR 4521 EAS 
a report that, for the year covered by the re-
port— 
(i) describes the activities of the Foun-
dation and the progress of the Foundation 
in furthering the purposes of the Founda-
tion described in paragraph (3); 
(ii) provides a specific accounting of 
the source and use of all funds made avail-
able to the Foundation to carry out those 
activities to ensure transparency in the 
alignment of Department missions and 
policies with national security; 
(iii) describes how the results of the ac-
tivities of the Foundation could be incor-
porated into the procurement processes of 
the General Services Administration; and 
(iv) includes a summary of each eval-
uation conducted using the evaluation meth-
odology described in paragraph (4)(I). 
(F) EVALUATION
BY
COMPTROLLER
GEN-
ERAL.—Not later than 5 years after the date on 
which the Foundation is established, the Comp-
troller General of the United States shall submit 
to the Committee on Energy and Natural Re-
sources of the Senate and the Committee on
530 
† HR 4521 EAS 
Science, Space, and Technology of the House of 
Representatives— 
(i) an evaluation of— 
(I) the extent to which the Foun-
dation is achieving the mission of the 
Foundation; and 
(II) the operation of the Founda-
tion; and 
(ii) any recommendations on how the 
Foundation may be improved. 
(G) AUDITS.—The Foundation shall— 
(i) provide for annual audits of the fi-
nancial condition of the Foundation; and 
(ii) make the audits, and all other 
records, documents, and papers of the Foun-
dation, available to the Secretary and the 
Comptroller General of the United States 
for examination or audit. 
(H) 
SEPARATE
FUND
ACCOUNTS.—The 
Board shall ensure that any funds received under 
paragraph (12)(A) are held in a separate ac-
count from any other funds received by the 
Foundation. 
(I) INTEGRITY.—
531 
† HR 4521 EAS 
(i) IN GENERAL.—To ensure integrity 
in the operations of the Foundation, the 
Board shall develop and enforce procedures 
relating to standards of conduct, financial 
disclosure statements, conflicts of interest 
(including recusal and waiver rules), au-
dits, and any other matters determined ap-
propriate by the Board. 
(ii) FINANCIAL CONFLICTS OF INTER-
EST.—To mitigate conflicts of interest and 
risks from malign foreign influence, any in-
dividual who is an officer, employee, or 
member of the Board is prohibited from any 
participation in deliberations by the Foun-
dation of a matter that would directly or 
predictably affect any financial interest 
of— 
(I) the individual; 
(II) a relative (as defined in sec-
tion 109 of the Ethics in Government 
Act of 1978 (5 U.S.C. App.)) of that 
individual; or 
(III) a business organization or 
other entity in which the individual 
has an interest, including an organiza-
532 
† HR 4521 EAS 
tion or other entity with which the in-
dividual is negotiating employment. 
(J) LIABILITY.— 
(i) IN GENERAL.—The United States 
shall not be liable for any debts, defaults, 
acts, or omissions of— 
(I) the Foundation; 
(II) a Federal entity with respect 
to an agreement of that Federal entity 
with the Foundation; or 
(III) an Individual Laboratory- 
Associated Foundation with respect to 
an agreement of that Federal entity 
with the Foundation. 
(ii) FULL
FAITH
AND
CREDIT.—The 
full faith and credit of the United States 
shall not extend to any obligations of the 
Foundation. 
(K) NONAPPLICABILITY OF FACA.—The Fed-
eral Advisory Committee Act (5 U.S.C. App.) 
shall not apply to the Foundation or an Indi-
vidual Laboratory-Associated Foundation. 
(6) DEPARTMENT COLLABORATION.— 
(A) NATIONAL
LABORATORIES.—The Sec-
retary shall collaborate with the Foundation to
533 
† HR 4521 EAS 
develop a process to ensure collaboration and co-
ordination between the Department, the Founda-
tion, and National Laboratories— 
(i) to streamline contracting processes 
between National Laboratories and the 
Foundation, including by— 
(I) streamlining the ability of the 
Foundation to transfer equipment and 
funds to National Laboratories; 
(II) standardizing contract mech-
anisms to be used by the Foundation 
in engaging with National Labora-
tories; and 
(III) streamlining the ability of 
the Foundation to fund endowed posi-
tions at National Laboratories; 
(ii) to allow a National Laboratory or 
site of a National Laboratory— 
(I) to accept and perform work for 
the Foundation, consistent with pro-
vided resources, notwithstanding any 
other provision of law governing the 
administration, mission, use, or oper-
ations of the National Laboratory or 
site, as applicable; and
534 
† HR 4521 EAS 
(II) to perform that work on a 
basis equal to other missions at the Na-
tional Laboratory; and 
(iii) to permit the director of any Na-
tional Laboratory or site of a National Lab-
oratory to enter into a cooperative research 
and development agreement or negotiate a 
licensing agreement with the Foundation 
pursuant to section 12 of the Stevenson- 
Wydler Technology Innovation Act of 1980 
(15 U.S.C. 3710a). 
(B) 
DEPARTMENT
LIAISONS.—The 
Sec-
retary shall appoint liaisons from across the De-
partment to collaborate and coordinate with the 
Foundation, including not less than 1 liaison 
from the Office of Technology Transitions, who 
shall ensure that the Foundation works in con-
junction with the Technology Commercialization 
Fund of the Department. 
(C) ADMINISTRATION.—The Secretary shall 
leverage appropriate arrangements, contracts, 
and directives to carry out the process developed 
under subparagraph (A).
535 
† HR 4521 EAS 
(7) NATIONAL SECURITY.—Nothing in this sub-
section exempts the Foundation from any national se-
curity policy of the Department. 
(8) SUPPORT
SERVICES.—The Secretary may 
provide facilities, utilities, and support services to the 
Foundation if it is determined by the Secretary to be 
advantageous to the research programs of the Depart-
ment. 
(9) ANTI-DEFICIENCY ACT.—Subsection (a)(1) of 
section 1341 of title 31, United States Code (com-
monly referred to as the ‘‘Anti-Deficiency Act’’), shall 
not apply to any Federal officer or employee carrying 
out any activity of the Foundation using funds of the 
Foundation. 
(10) PREEMPTION
OF
AUTHORITY.—This sub-
section shall not preempt any authority or responsi-
bility of the Secretary under any other provision of 
law. 
(11) TRANSFER FUNDS.—The Foundation may 
transfer funds to the Department, which shall be sub-
ject to all applicable Federal limitations relating to 
federally funded research. 
(12) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.— 
(A) IN GENERAL.—Of the amounts author-
ized to be appropriated under section 2117(a)—
536 
† HR 4521 EAS 
(i) not less than $1,500,000 shall be for 
the Secretary for fiscal year 2022 to estab-
lish the Foundation; 
(ii) not less than $30,000,000 shall be 
for the Foundation for fiscal year 2023 to 
carry out the activities of the Foundation; 
and 
(iii) not less than $3,000,000 shall be 
for the Foundation for fiscal year 2024, and 
each fiscal year thereafter, for administra-
tive and operational costs. 
(B) COST SHARE.—Funds made available 
under subparagraph (A)(ii) shall be required to 
be cost-shared by a partner of the Foundation 
other than the Department or a National Lab-
oratory. 
(c) NATIONAL ENERGY TECHNOLOGY LABORATORY-AS-
SOCIATED FOUNDATION.— 
(1) ESTABLISHMENT.— 
(A) IN
GENERAL.—Notwithstanding any 
other provision of law, the National Energy 
Technology Laboratory may establish, or enter 
into an agreement with a nonprofit organization 
to establish, a Federal Laboratory-Associated 
Foundation (referred to in this subsection as a
537 
† HR 4521 EAS 
‘‘Laboratory Foundation’’) to support the mis-
sion of the National Energy Technology Labora-
tory. 
(B) NOT AGENCY OR INSTRUMENTALITY.—A 
Laboratory Foundation shall not be an agency 
or instrumentality of the Federal Government. 
(C) GOVERNANCE STRUCTURE.—A Labora-
tory Foundation established under subparagraph 
(A) shall have a separate governance structure 
from, and shall be managed independently of, the 
National Energy Technology Laboratory. 
(2) ACTIVITIES.—Activities of a Laboratory 
Foundation may include— 
(A) conducting support studies, competi-
tions, projects, research, and other activities that 
further the purpose of the Laboratory Founda-
tion; 
(B) carrying out programs to foster collabo-
ration and partnership among researchers from 
the Federal Government, State governments, in-
stitutions of higher education, federally funded 
research and development centers, and industry 
and nonprofit organizations relating to the re-
search, development, and commercialization of 
federally supported technologies;
538 
† HR 4521 EAS 
(C) carrying out programs to leverage tech-
nologies to support new product development 
that supports regional economic development; 
(D) administering prize competitions— 
(i) to accelerate private sector competi-
tion and investment; and 
(ii) that complement the use of prize 
authority by the Department; 
(E) providing fellowships and grants to re-
search and development personnel at, or affili-
ated with, federally funded centers, in accordance 
with paragraph (3); 
(F) carrying out programs— 
(i) that allow scientists from foreign 
countries to serve in research capacities in 
the United States or other countries in asso-
ciation with the National Energy Tech-
nology Laboratory; 
(ii) that provide opportunities for em-
ployees of the National Energy Technology 
Laboratory to serve in research capacities 
in foreign countries; 
(iii) to conduct studies, projects, or re-
search in collaboration with national and 
international nonprofit and for-profit orga-
539 
† HR 4521 EAS 
nizations, which may include the provision 
of stipends, travel, and other support for 
personnel; 
(iv)(I) to hold forums, meetings, con-
ferences, courses, and training workshops 
that may include undergraduate, graduate, 
post-graduate, and post-doctoral accredited 
courses; and 
(II) for the accreditation of those 
courses by the Laboratory Foundation at 
the State and national level for college de-
grees or continuing education credits; 
(v) to support and encourage teachers 
and students of science at all levels of edu-
cation; 
(vi) to promote an understanding of 
science amongst the general public; 
(vii) for writing, editing, printing, 
publishing, and vending of relevant books 
and other materials; and 
(viii) for the conduct of other activities 
to carry out and support the purpose of the 
Laboratory Foundation; and 
(G) receiving, administering, soliciting, ac-
cepting, and using funds, gifts, devises, or be-
540 
† HR 4521 EAS 
quests, either absolutely or in trust of real or 
personal property or any income therefrom, or 
other interest or equity therein for the benefit of, 
or in connection with, the mission of the appli-
cable Federal laboratory, in accordance with 
paragraph (4). 
(3) FELLOWSHIPS AND GRANTS.— 
(A) SELECTION.—Recipients of fellowships 
and grants described in paragraph (2)(E) shall 
be selected— 
(i) by a Laboratory Foundation and 
the donors to a Laboratory Foundation; 
(ii) subject to the agreement of the head 
of the agency the mission of which is sup-
ported by a Laboratory Foundation; and 
(iii) in the case of a fellowship, based 
on the recommendation of the employees of 
the National Energy Technology Laboratory 
at which the fellow would serve. 
(B) EXPENSES.—Fellowships and grants 
described in paragraph (2)(E) may include sti-
pends, travel, health insurance, benefits, and 
other appropriate expenses. 
(4) GIFTS.—An amount of funds, a gift, a de-
vise, or a bequest described in paragraph (2)(G) may
541 
† HR 4521 EAS 
be accepted by a Laboratory Foundation regardless of 
whether it is encumbered, restricted, or subject to a 
beneficial interest of a private person if any current 
or future interest of the funds, gift, devise, or bequest 
is for the benefit of the research and development ac-
tivities of the National Energy Technology Labora-
tory. 
(5) OWNERSHIP BY FEDERAL GOVERNMENT.—A 
contribution, gift, or any other transfer made to or 
for the use of a Laboratory Foundation shall be re-
garded as a contribution, gift, or transfer to or for the 
use of the Federal Government. 
(6) LIABILITY.—The United States shall not be 
liable for any debts, defaults, acts, or omissions of a 
Laboratory Foundation. 
(7) TRANSFER OF FUNDS.—Notwithstanding any 
other provision of law, a Laboratory Foundation may 
transfer funds to the National Energy Technology 
Laboratory and the National Energy Technology Lab-
oratory may accept that transfer of funds. 
(8) OTHER
LAWS.—This subsection shall not 
alter or supersede any other provision of law gov-
erning the authority, scope, establishment, or use of 
nonprofit organizations by a Federal agency.
542 
† HR 4521 EAS 
TITLE VI—SPACE MATTERS 
Subtitle A—SPACE Act 
SEC. 2601. SHORT TITLE. 
This subtitle may be cited as the ‘‘Space Preservation 
and Conjunction Emergency Act of 2021’’ or the ‘‘SPACE 
Act of 2021’’. 
SEC. 2602. SENSE OF CONGRESS. 
It is the sense of Congress that— 
(1) the increasingly congested nature of the space 
environment requires immediate action to address the 
threat of collisions between spacecraft and orbital de-
bris; 
(2) such collisions threaten the billions of dollars 
of existing United States and allied spacecraft, in-
cluding the International Space Station, and endan-
ger the future usability of space; 
(3) the provision of accurate and timely notice 
to commercial satellite operators with respect to po-
tential conjunctions enhances safety; 
(4) a 2020 National Academies for Public Ad-
ministration study identified the Department of Com-
merce as the preferred Federal agency to manage, 
process, and disseminate space situational awareness 
data to commercial satellite operators; and
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† HR 4521 EAS 
(5) given the growing space economy, elevating 
the Office of Space Commerce within the Department 
of Commerce may enhance the ability of the Office of 
Space Commerce— 
(A) to promote space safety through future 
space situational awareness and space traffic 
management efforts; and 
(B) to coordinate with other Federal agen-
cies and foreign entities. 
SEC. 2603. DEFINITIONS. 
In this subtitle: 
(1) CENTER.—The term ‘‘Center’’ means a Cen-
ter of Excellence for Space Situational Awareness es-
tablished under section 2605. 
(2) INSTITUTION OF HIGHER EDUCATION.—The 
term ‘‘institution of higher education’’ has the mean-
ing given the term in section 101 of the Higher Edu-
cation Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1001). 
(3) ORBITAL DEBRIS.—The term ‘‘orbital debris’’ 
means any space object that— 
(A) remains in orbit; and 
(B) no longer serves any useful function or 
purpose. 
(4) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means 
the Secretary of Commerce.
544 
† HR 4521 EAS 
(5) SPACE
OBJECT.—The term ‘‘space object’’ 
means any object launched into space or created in 
space by humans. 
(6) SPACE SITUATIONAL AWARENESS.—The term 
‘‘space situational awareness’’ means— 
(A) the identification and characterization 
of space objects and orbital debris; and 
(B) the understanding of the manner in 
which space objects and orbital debris behave in 
space. 
SEC. 2604. SPACE SITUATIONAL AWARENESS DATA, INFOR-
MATION, AND SERVICES: PROVISION TO NON- 
UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT ENTITIES. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Chapter 507 of title 51, United 
States Code, is amended by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘§ 50704. Space situational awareness data, informa-
tion, and services: provision to non-United 
States Government entities 
‘‘(a) SPACE SITUATIONAL AWARENESS PROGRAM.— 
‘‘(1) REQUIREMENT.—Pursuant to the authority 
provided in section 50702, the Director of Space Com-
merce, in coordination with appropriate entities 
within the Department of Commerce and the heads of 
other relevant Federal agencies—
545 
† HR 4521 EAS 
‘‘(A) shall carry out a program to improve 
the collection, processing, and dissemination of 
space situational awareness data, information, 
and services; 
‘‘(B) subject to paragraph (2), may provide 
such data, information, and services to 1 or more 
eligible entities described in subsection (b); 
‘‘(C) may obtain such data, information, 
and services from 1 or more such eligible entities; 
and 
‘‘(D) not later than 180 days after the date 
of the enactment of this section, shall obtain data 
or services from 1 or more United States com-
mercial entities, to be stored in an open-architec-
ture data repository that uses commercially 
available cloud-based computing platforms and 
other analytic or visualization capabilities. 
‘‘(2) TYPE OF INFORMATION PROVIDED.— 
‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—Data and information 
provided to eligible entities under paragraph 
(1)(B) shall be safety-related and unclassified. 
‘‘(B) NATIONAL SECURITY.—The Secretary 
of Commerce, in consultation with the Secretary 
of Defense and the heads of other relevant Fed-
eral agencies, shall develop a policy to determine
546 
† HR 4521 EAS 
the type of information that may be provided 
under paragraph (1) without compromising the 
national security interests of the United States. 
‘‘(b) ELIGIBLE ENTITY DESCRIBED.—An eligible enti-
ty described in this subsection is any non-United States 
Government entity, including— 
‘‘(1) a State; 
‘‘(2) a political subdivision of a State; 
‘‘(3) a United States commercial entity; 
‘‘(4) the government of a foreign country; and 
‘‘(5) a foreign commercial entity. 
‘‘(c) PUBLIC SERVICES.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of Commerce 
shall designate a basic level of space situational 
awareness data, information, and services to be pro-
vided at no charge to 1 or more eligible entities de-
scribed in subsection (b), which shall include public 
services, free of charge, such as— 
‘‘(A) a public catalog of tracked space ob-
jects; 
‘‘(B) emergency conjunction notifications; 
and 
‘‘(C) any other data or services the Director 
of Space Commerce considers appropriate.
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† HR 4521 EAS 
‘‘(2) LIMITATION.—The Secretary of Commerce 
may only provide data or services under paragraph 
(1)(C) that compete with products offered by United 
States commercial entities if the provision of such 
data or services is required to address a threat to 
space safety. 
‘‘(d) ADVANCED SERVICES.—The Secretary of Com-
merce may undertake activities to promote the development 
of advanced space situational awareness data, information, 
and services to foster the growth of a global space safety 
industry. 
‘‘(e) PROCEDURES.—The Secretary of Commerce shall 
establish procedures by which the authority under this sec-
tion shall be carried out. 
‘‘(f) IMMUNITY.—The United States, any agency or in-
strumentality thereof, and any individual, firm, corpora-
tion, or other person acting for the United States shall be 
immune from any suit in any court for any cause of action 
arising from the provision or receipt of space situational 
awareness data, information, or services, whether or not 
provided in accordance with this section, or any related ac-
tion or omission.
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† HR 4521 EAS 
‘‘§ 50705. Authorization of appropriations 
‘‘There is authorized to be appropriated to the Sec-
retary of Commerce to carry out this chapter $15,000,000 
for fiscal year 2021.’’. 
(b) TECHNICAL AND CONFORMING AMENDMENT.—The 
table of sections for chapter 507 of title 51, United States 
Code, is amended by inserting after the item relating to 
section 50703 the following: 
‘‘50704. Space situational awareness data, information, and services: provision to 
non-United States Government entities. 
‘‘50705. Authorization of appropriations.’’. 
SEC. 2605. CENTERS OF EXCELLENCE FOR SPACE SITUA-
TIONAL AWARENESS. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Subject to appropriations, the Sec-
retary shall award grants to eligible entities to establish 1 
or more Centers of Excellence for Space Situational Aware-
ness to advance scientific, technological, transdisciplinary, 
and policy research in space situational awareness. 
(b) PURPOSES.—Each Center shall— 
(1) conduct transdisciplinary research, develop-
ment, and demonstration projects related to detecting, 
tracking, identifying, characterizing, modeling, and 
minimizing space safety, security, and sustainability 
risks to improve— 
(A) space situational awareness and the de-
velopment of open-architecture resources for im-
proved space safety, security, and sustainability;
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† HR 4521 EAS 
(1) IN
GENERAL.—To be eligible for a grant 
under this section, an entity shall be a consortium led 
by— 
(A) an institution of higher education; or 
(B) a nonprofit organization. 
(2) MEMBERSHIP OF CONSORTIUM.—The consor-
tium referred to in paragraph (1) may include 1 or 
more— 
(A) commercial entities; 
(B) Federal laboratories, including Depart-
ment of Defense research laboratories; and 
(C) other institutions of higher education or 
nonprofit organizations. 
(d) CONSIDERATIONS.—In awarding grants under this 
section, the Secretary shall consider, at a minimum— 
(1) the potential of a proposed Center— 
(A) to improve the science and technology of 
space situational awareness; and 
(B) to reduce the amount of space safety, se-
curity, and sustainability risks; and 
(2) the commitment of financial support, advice, 
participation, and other contributions from non-Fed-
eral sources. 
(e) GRANT PERIOD.—A grant awarded under this sec-
tion shall be awarded for a period of 5 years.
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(f) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There is 
authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section 
$20,000,000. 
Subtitle B—National Aeronautics 
and Space Administration Au-
thorization Act 
SEC. 2611. SHORT TITLE. 
This subtitle may be cited as the ‘‘National Aero-
nautics and Space Administration Authorization Act of 
2021’’. 
SEC. 2612. DEFINITIONS. 
In this subtitle: 
(1) ADMINISTRATION.—The term ‘‘Administra-
tion’’ means the National Aeronautics and Space Ad-
ministration. 
(2) 
ADMINISTRATOR.—The 
term 
‘‘Adminis-
trator’’ means the Administrator of the National Aer-
onautics and Space Administration. 
(3) APPROPRIATE COMMITTEES OF CONGRESS.— 
Except as otherwise expressly provided, the term ‘‘ap-
propriate committees of Congress’’ means— 
(A) the Committee on Commerce, Science, 
and Transportation of the Senate; and 
(B) the Committee on Science, Space, and 
Technology of the House of Representatives.
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(4) CISLUNAR
SPACE.—The term ‘‘cislunar 
space’’ means the region of space beyond low-Earth 
orbit out to and including the region around the sur-
face of the Moon. 
(5) DEEP SPACE.—The term ‘‘deep space’’ means 
the region of space beyond low-Earth orbit, including 
cislunar space. 
(6) DEVELOPMENT
COST.—The term ‘‘develop-
ment cost’’ has the meaning given the term in section 
30104 of title 51, United States Code. 
(7) ISS.—The term ‘‘ISS’’ means the Inter-
national Space Station. 
(8) ISS MANAGEMENT ENTITY.—The term ‘‘ISS 
management entity’’ means the organization with 
which the Administrator has entered into a coopera-
tive agreement under section 504(a) of the National 
Aeronautics and Space Administration Authorization 
Act of 2010 (42 U.S.C. 18354(a)). 
(9) NASA.—The term ‘‘NASA’’ means the Na-
tional Aeronautics and Space Administration. 
(10) ORION.—The term ‘‘Orion’’ means the mul-
tipurpose crew vehicle described in section 303 of the 
National Aeronautics and Space Administration Au-
thorization Act of 2010 (42 U.S.C. 18323).
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(11) OSTP.—The term ‘‘OSTP’’ means the Of-
fice of Science and Technology Policy. 
(12) SPACE LAUNCH SYSTEM.—The term ‘‘Space 
Launch System’’ means the Space Launch System 
authorized under section 302 of the National Aero-
nautics and Space Administration Act of 2010 (42 
U.S.C. 18322). 
PART I—AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS 
SEC. 2613. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS. 
There are authorized to be appropriated to the Admin-
istration for fiscal year 2021 $23,495,000,000 as follows: 
(1) For Exploration, $6,706,400,000. 
(2) For Space Operations, $3,988,200,000. 
(3) For Science, $7,274,700,000. 
(4) For Aeronautics, $828,700,000. 
(5) For Space Technology, $1,206,000,000. 
(6) For Science, Technology, Engineering, and 
Mathematics Engagement, $120,000,000. 
(7) For Safety, Security, and Mission Services, 
$2,936,500,000. 
(8) For Construction and Environmental Com-
pliance and Restoration, $390,300,000. 
(9) For Inspector General, $44,200,000.
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† HR 4521 EAS 
PART II—HUMAN SPACEFLIGHT AND 
EXPLORATION 
SEC. 2614. COMPETITIVENESS WITHIN THE HUMAN LAND-
ING SYSTEM PROGRAM. 
(a) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—It is the sense of Congress 
that— 
(1) advances in space technology and space ex-
ploration capabilities ensure the long-term techno-
logical preeminence, economic competitiveness, STEM 
workforce development, and national security of the 
United States; 
(2) the development of technologies that enable 
human exploration of the lunar surface and other ce-
lestial bodies is critical to the space industrial base 
of the United States; 
(3) commercial entities in the United States have 
made significant investment and progress toward the 
development of human-class lunar landers; 
(4) NASA developed the Artemis program— 
(A) to fulfill the goal of landing United 
States astronauts, including the first woman and 
the next man, on the Moon; and 
(B) to collaborate with commercial and 
international partners to establish sustainable 
lunar exploration by 2028;
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(5) in carrying out the Artemis program, the 
Administrator should ensure that the entire Artemis 
program is inclusive and representative of all people 
of the United States, including women and minori-
ties; and 
(6) maintaining multiple technically credible 
providers within NASA commercial programs is a 
best practice that reduces programmatic risk. 
(b) STATEMENT OF POLICY.—It shall be the policy of 
the United States— 
(1) to bolster the domestic space technology in-
dustrial base, using existing tools and authorities, 
particularly in areas central to competition between 
the United States and the People’s Republic of China; 
and 
(2) to mitigate threats and minimize challenges 
to the superiority of the United States in space tech-
nology, including lunar infrastructure and lander ca-
pabilities. 
(c) HUMAN LANDING SYSTEM PROGRAM.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 60 days after 
the date of the enactment of this division, the Admin-
istrator shall maintain competitiveness within the 
human landing system program by funding design,
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development, testing, and evaluation for not fewer 
than 2 entities. 
(2) 
REQUIREMENTS.—In 
carrying 
out 
the 
human landing system program referred to in para-
graph (1), the Administrator shall, to the extent prac-
ticable— 
(A) encourage reusability and sustainability 
of systems developed; and 
(B) offer existing capabilities and assets of 
NASA centers to support such partnerships. 
(3) BRIEFING.—Not later than 60 days after the 
date of the enactment of this division, the Adminis-
trator shall provide to the appropriate committees of 
Congress a briefing on the implementation of para-
graph (1). 
(4) AUTHORIZATION
OF
APPROPRIATIONS.—In 
addition to amounts otherwise appropriated for the 
Artemis program, for fiscal years 2021 through 2025, 
there 
is 
authorized 
to 
be 
appropriated 
$10,032,000,000 to NASA to carry out the human 
landing system program. 
(5) SAVINGS.—The Administrator shall not, in 
order to comply with the obligations referred to in 
paragraph (1), modify, terminate, or rescind any se-
lection decisions or awards made under the human
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† HR 4521 EAS 
landing system program that were announced prior 
to the date of enactment of this division. 
(d) APPROPRIATE COMMITTEES OF CONGRESS DE-
FINED.—In this section, the term ‘‘appropriate committees 
of Congress’’ means— 
(1) the Committee on Commerce, Science, and 
Transportation and the Committee on Appropriations 
of the Senate; and 
(2) the Committee on Science, Space, and Tech-
nology and the Committee on Appropriations of the 
House of Representatives. 
SEC. 2615. SPACE LAUNCH SYSTEM CONFIGURATIONS. 
(a) MOBILE LAUNCH PLATFORM.—The Administrator 
is authorized to maintain 2 operational mobile launch plat-
forms to enable the launch of multiple configurations of the 
Space Launch System. 
(b) EXPLORATION UPPER STAGE.—To meet the capa-
bility requirements under section 302(c)(2) of the National 
Aeronautics and Space Administration Authorization Act 
of 2010 (42 U.S.C. 18322(c)(2)), the Administrator shall 
continue development of the Exploration Upper Stage for 
the Space Launch System with a scheduled availability suf-
ficient for use on the third launch of the Space Launch Sys-
tem.
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(c) BRIEFING.—Not later than 90 days after the date 
of the enactment of this division, the Administrator shall 
brief the appropriate committees of Congress on the develop-
ment and scheduled availability of the Exploration Upper 
Stage for the third launch of the Space Launch System. 
(d) MAIN PROPULSION TEST ARTICLE.—To meet the 
requirements under section 302(c)(3) of the National Aero-
nautics and Space Administration Authorization Act of 
2010 (42 U.S.C. 18322(c)(3)), the Administrator shall— 
(1) immediately on completion of the first full- 
duration integrated core stage test of the Space 
Launch System, initiate development of a main pro-
pulsion test article for the integrated core stage pro-
pulsion elements of the Space Launch System, con-
sistent with cost and schedule constraints, particu-
larly for long-lead propulsion hardware needed for 
flight; 
(2) not later than 180 days after the date of the 
enactment of this division, submit to the appropriate 
committees of Congress a detailed plan for the devel-
opment and operation of such main propulsion test 
article; and 
(3) use existing capabilities of NASA centers for 
the design, manufacture, and operation of the main 
propulsion test article.
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† HR 4521 EAS 
SEC. 2616. ADVANCED SPACESUITS. 
(a) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—It is the sense of Congress 
that next-generation advanced spacesuits are a critical tech-
nology for human space exploration and use of low-Earth 
orbit, cislunar space, the surface of the Moon, and Mars. 
(b) DEVELOPMENT PLAN.—The Administrator shall 
establish a detailed plan for the development and manufac-
ture of advanced spacesuits, consistent with the deep space 
exploration goals and timetables of NASA. 
(c) DIVERSE ASTRONAUT CORPS.—The Administrator 
shall ensure that spacesuits developed and manufactured 
after the date of the enactment of this division are capable 
of accommodating a wide range of sizes of astronauts so 
as to meet the needs of the diverse NASA astronaut corps. 
(d) ISS USE.—Throughout the operational life of the 
ISS, the Administrator should fully use the ISS for testing 
advanced spacesuits. 
(e) PRIOR INVESTMENTS.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—In developing an advanced 
spacesuit, the Administrator shall, to the maximum 
extent practicable, partner with industry-proven 
spacesuit design, development, and manufacturing 
suppliers and leverage prior and existing investments 
in advanced spacesuit technologies and existing capa-
bilities at NASA centers to maximize the benefits of 
such investments and technologies.
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† HR 4521 EAS 
(2) AGREEMENTS WITH PRIVATE ENTITIES.—In 
carrying out this subsection, the Administrator may 
enter into 1 or more agreements with 1 or more pri-
vate entities for the manufacture of advanced 
spacesuits, as the Administrator considers appro-
priate. 
(f) BRIEFING.—Not later than 180 days after the date 
of the enactment of this division, and semiannually there-
after until NASA procures advanced spacesuits under this 
section, the Administrator shall brief the appropriate com-
mittees of Congress on the development plan in subsection 
(b). 
SEC. 2617. ACQUISITION OF DOMESTIC SPACE TRANSPOR-
TATION AND LOGISTICS RESUPPLY SERVICES. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Except as provided in subsection 
(b), the Administrator shall not enter into any contract 
with a person or entity that proposes to use, or will use, 
a foreign launch provider for a commercial service to pro-
vide space transportation or logistics resupply for— 
(1) the ISS; or 
(2) any Government-owned or Government-fund-
ed platform in Earth orbit or cislunar space, on the 
lunar surface, or elsewhere in space. 
(b) EXCEPTION.—The Administrator may enter into 
a contract with a person or an entity that proposes to use,
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† HR 4521 EAS 
or will use, a foreign launch provider for a commercial serv-
ice to carry out an activity described in subsection (a) if— 
(1) a domestic vehicle or service is unavailable; 
or 
(2) the launch vehicle or service is a contribution 
by a partner to an international no-exchange-of-funds 
collaborative effort. 
(c) RULE OF CONSTRUCTION.—Nothing in this section 
shall be construed to prohibit the Administrator from enter-
ing into 1 or more no-exchange-of-funds collaborative agree-
ments with an international partner in support of the deep 
space exploration plan of NASA. 
SEC. 2618. ROCKET ENGINE TEST INFRASTRUCTURE. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—The Administrator shall continue 
to carry out a program to modernize rocket propulsion test 
infrastructure at NASA facilities— 
(1) to increase capabilities; 
(2) to enhance safety; 
(3) to support propulsion development and test-
ing; and 
(4) to foster the improvement of Government and 
commercial space transportation and exploration. 
(b) PROJECTS.—Projects funded under the program 
described in subsection (a) may include—
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† HR 4521 EAS 
(1) infrastructure and other facilities and sys-
tems relating to rocket propulsion test stands and 
rocket propulsion testing; 
(2) enhancements to test facility capacity and 
flexibility; and 
(3) such other projects as the Administrator con-
siders appropriate to meet the goals described in that 
subsection. 
(c) REQUIREMENTS.—In carrying out the program 
under subsection (a), the Administrator shall— 
(1) prioritize investments in projects that en-
hance test and flight certification capabilities for 
large thrust-level atmospheric and altitude engines 
and engine systems, and multi-engine integrated test 
capabilities; 
(2) continue to make underutilized test facilities 
available for commercial use on a reimbursable basis; 
and 
(3) ensure that no project carried out under this 
program adversely impacts, delays, or defers testing 
or other activities associated with facilities used for 
Government programs, including— 
(A) the Space Launch System and the Ex-
ploration Upper Stage of the Space Launch Sys-
tem;
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† HR 4521 EAS 
(B) in-space propulsion to support explo-
ration missions; or 
(C) nuclear propulsion testing. 
(d) RULE OF CONSTRUCTION.—Nothing in this section 
shall preclude a NASA program, including the Space 
Launch System and the Exploration Upper Stage of the 
Space Launch System, from using the modernized test in-
frastructure developed under this section. 
(e) WORKING CAPITAL FUND STUDY.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 180 days after 
the date of the enactment of this division, the Admin-
istrator shall submit to the appropriate committees of 
Congress a report on the use of the authority under 
section 30102 of title 51, United States Code, to pro-
mote increased use of NASA rocket propulsion test in-
frastructure for research, development, testing, and 
evaluation activities by other Federal agencies, firms, 
associations, corporations, and educational institu-
tions. 
(2) MATTERS TO BE INCLUDED.—The report re-
quired by paragraph (1) shall include the following: 
(A) An assessment of prior use, if any, of 
the authority under section 30102 of title 51, 
United States Code, to improve testing infra-
structure.
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† HR 4521 EAS 
(B) An analysis of any barrier to imple-
mentation of such authority for the purpose of 
promoting increased use of NASA rocket propul-
sion test infrastructure. 
SEC. 2619. PEARL RIVER MAINTENANCE. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—The Administrator shall coordinate 
with the Chief of the Army Corps of Engineers to ensure 
the continued navigability of the Pearl River and Little 
Lake channels sufficient to support NASA barge operations 
surrounding Stennis Space Center and the Michoud Assem-
bly Facility. 
(b) REPORT TO CONGRESS.—Not later than 180 days 
after the date of the enactment of this division, the Adminis-
trator shall submit to the appropriate committees of Con-
gress a report on efforts under subsection (a). 
(c) APPROPRIATE COMMITTEES
OF CONGRESS DE-
FINED.—In this section, the term ‘‘appropriate committees 
of Congress’’ means— 
(1) the Committee on Commerce, Science, and 
Transportation, the Committee on Environment and 
Public Works, and the Committee on Appropriations 
of the Senate; and 
(2) the Committee on Science, Space, and Tech-
nology, the Committee on Transportation and Infra-
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† HR 4521 EAS 
structure, and the Committee on Appropriations of 
the House of Representatives. 
SEC. 2620. VALUE OF INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION AND 
CAPABILITIES IN LOW-EARTH ORBIT. 
(a) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—It is the sense of Congress 
that— 
(1) it is in the national and economic security 
interests of the United States to maintain a contin-
uous human presence in low-Earth orbit; 
(2) low-Earth orbit should be used as a test bed 
to advance human space exploration and scientific 
discoveries; and 
(3) the ISS is a critical component of economic, 
commercial, and industrial development in low-Earth 
orbit. 
(b) HUMAN PRESENCE REQUIREMENT.—The United 
States shall continuously maintain the capability for a con-
tinuous human presence in low-Earth orbit through and be-
yond the useful life of the ISS. 
SEC. 2621. EXTENSION AND MODIFICATION RELATING TO 
INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION. 
(a) POLICY.—Section 501(a) of the National Aero-
nautics and Space Administration Authorization Act of 
2010 (42 U.S.C. 18351(a)) is amended by striking ‘‘2024’’ 
and inserting ‘‘2030’’.
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† HR 4521 EAS 
(b) MAINTENANCE OF UNITED STATES SEGMENT AND 
ASSURANCE OF CONTINUED OPERATIONS.—Section 503(a) 
of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration Au-
thorization Act of 2010 (42 U.S.C. 18353(a)) is amended 
by striking ‘‘September 30, 2024’’ and inserting ‘‘September 
30, 2030’’. 
(c) RESEARCH CAPACITY ALLOCATION AND INTEGRA-
TION OF RESEARCH PAYLOADS.—Section 504(d) of the Na-
tional Aeronautics and Space Administration Authoriza-
tion Act of 2010 (42 U.S.C. 18354(d)) is amended— 
(1) in paragraph (1), in the first sentence— 
(A) by striking ‘‘As soon as practicable’’ 
and all that follows through ‘‘2011,’’ and insert-
ing ‘‘The’’; and 
(B) by striking ‘‘September 30, 2024’’ and 
inserting ‘‘September 30, 2030’’; and 
(2) in paragraph (2), in the third sentence, by 
striking ‘‘September 30, 2024’’ and inserting ‘‘Sep-
tember 30, 2030’’. 
(d) MAINTENANCE OF USE.—Section 70907 of title 51, 
United States Code, is amended— 
(1) in the section heading, by striking ‘‘2024’’ 
and inserting ‘‘2030’’; 
(2) in subsection (a), by striking ‘‘September 30, 
2024’’ and inserting ‘‘September 30, 2030’’; and
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† HR 4521 EAS 
(3) in subsection (b)(3), by striking ‘‘September 
30, 2024’’ and inserting ‘‘September 30, 2030’’. 
(e) TRANSITION PLAN REPORTS.—Section 50111(c)(2) 
of title 51, United States Code is amended— 
(1) in the matter preceding subparagraph (A), 
by striking ‘‘2023’’ and inserting ‘‘2028’’; and 
(2) in subparagraph (J), by striking ‘‘2028’’ and 
inserting ‘‘2030’’. 
(f) ELIMINATION OF INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION 
NATIONAL LABORATORY ADVISORY COMMITTEE.—Section 
70906 of title 51, United States Code, is repealed. 
(g) CONFORMING AMENDMENTS.—Chapter 709 of title 
51, United States Code, is amended— 
(1) by redesignating section 70907 as section 
70906; and 
(2) in the table of sections for the chapter, by 
striking the items relating to sections 70906 and 
70907 and inserting the following: 
‘‘70906. Maintaining use through at least 2030.’’. 
SEC. 2622. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE ACTIVITIES ON 
INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 180 days after the 
date of the enactment of this division, the Secretary of De-
fense shall— 
(1) identify and review each activity, program, 
and project of the Department of Defense completed,
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† HR 4521 EAS 
being carried out, or planned to be carried out on the 
ISS as of the date of the review; and 
(2) provide to the appropriate committees of 
Congress a briefing that describes the results of the re-
view. 
(b) APPROPRIATE COMMITTEES OF CONGRESS DE-
FINED.—In this section, the term ‘‘appropriate committees 
of Congress’’ means— 
(1) the Committee on Armed Services, the Com-
mittee on Appropriations, and the Committee on 
Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate; 
and 
(2) the Committee on Armed Services, the Com-
mittee on Appropriations, and the Committee on 
Science, Space, and Technology of the House of Rep-
resentatives. 
SEC. 2623. COMMERCIAL DEVELOPMENT IN LOW-EARTH 
ORBIT. 
(a) STATEMENT OF POLICY.—It is the policy of the 
United States to encourage the development of a thriving 
and robust United States commercial sector in low-Earth 
orbit. 
(b) PREFERENCE FOR UNITED STATES COMMERCIAL 
PRODUCTS AND SERVICES.—The Administrator shall con-
tinue to increase the use of assets, products, and services
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† HR 4521 EAS 
of private entities in the United States to fulfill the low- 
Earth orbit requirements of the Administration. 
(c) NONCOMPETITION.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—Except as provided in para-
graph (2), the Administrator may not offer to a for-
eign person or a foreign government a spaceflight 
product or service relating to the ISS, if a com-
parable spaceflight product or service, as applicable, 
is offered by a private entity in the United States. 
(2) EXCEPTION.—The Administrator may offer a 
spaceflight product or service relating to the ISS to 
the government of a country that is a signatory to the 
Agreement Among the Government of Canada, Gov-
ernments of Member States of the European Space 
Agency, the Government of Japan, the Government of 
the Russian Federation, and the Government of the 
United States of America Concerning Cooperation on 
the Civil International Space Station, signed at 
Washington January 29, 1998, and entered into force 
on March 27, 2001 (TIAS 12927), including an inter-
national partner astronaut (as defined in section 
50902 of title 51, United States Code) that is spon-
sored by the government of such a country. 
(d) SHORT-DURATION COMMERCIAL MISSIONS.—To 
provide opportunities for additional transport of astronauts
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† HR 4521 EAS 
to the ISS and help establish a commercial market in low- 
Earth orbit, the Administrator may permit short-duration 
missions to the ISS for commercial passengers on a fully 
or partially reimbursable basis. 
(e) PROGRAM AUTHORIZATION.— 
(1) ESTABLISHMENT.—The Administrator shall 
establish a low-Earth orbit commercial development 
program to encourage the fullest commercial use and 
development of space by private entities in the United 
States. 
(2) ELEMENTS.—The program established under 
paragraph (1) shall, to the maximum extent prac-
ticable, include activities— 
(A) to stimulate demand for— 
(i) space-based commercial research, 
development, and manufacturing; 
(ii) spaceflight products and services; 
and 
(iii) human spaceflight products and 
services in low-Earth orbit; 
(B) to improve the capability of the ISS to 
accommodate commercial users; and 
(C) subject to paragraph (3), to foster the 
development of commercial space stations and 
habitats.
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† HR 4521 EAS 
(3) COMMERCIAL
SPACE
STATIONS
AND
HABI-
TATS.— 
(A) PRIORITY.—With respect to an activity 
to develop a commercial space station or habitat, 
the Administrator shall give priority to an activ-
ity for which a private entity provides a signifi-
cant share of the cost to develop and operate the 
activity. 
(B) REPORT.—Not later than 30 days after 
the date that an award or agreement is made to 
carry out an activity to develop a commercial 
space station or habitat, the Administrator shall 
submit to the appropriate committees of Congress 
a report on the development of the commercial 
space station or habitat, as applicable, that in-
cludes— 
(i) a business plan that describes the 
manner in which the project will— 
(I) meet the future requirements 
of NASA for low-Earth orbit human 
space-flight services; and 
(II) fulfill the cost-share funding 
prioritization under subparagraph (A); 
and
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† HR 4521 EAS 
(ii) a review of the viability of the 
operational business case, including— 
(I) the level of expected Govern-
ment participation; 
(II) a list of anticipated non-
governmental an international cus-
tomers and associated contributions; 
and 
(III) an assessment of long-term 
sustainability for the nongovernmental 
customers, including an independent 
assessment of the viability of the mar-
ket for such commercial services or 
products. 
SEC. 2624. MAINTAINING A NATIONAL LABORATORY IN 
SPACE. 
(a) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—It is the sense of Congress 
that— 
(1) the United States segment of the Inter-
national Space Station (as defined in section 70905 
of title 51, United States Code), which is designated 
as a national laboratory under section 70905(b) of 
title 51, United States Code— 
(A) benefits the scientific community and 
promotes commerce in space;
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† HR 4521 EAS 
(B) fosters stronger relationships among 
NASA and other Federal agencies, the private 
sector, and research groups and universities; 
(C) advances science, technology, engineer-
ing, and mathematics education through use of 
the unique microgravity environment; and 
(D) advances human knowledge and inter-
national cooperation; 
(2) after the ISS is decommissioned, the United 
States should maintain a national microgravity lab-
oratory in space; 
(3) in maintaining a national microgravity lab-
oratory in space, the United States should make ap-
propriate accommodations for different types of own-
ership and operation arrangements for the ISS and 
future space stations; 
(4) to the maximum extent practicable, a na-
tional microgravity laboratory in space should be 
maintained in cooperation with international space 
partners; and 
(5) NASA should continue to support funda-
mental science research on future platforms in low- 
Earth orbit and cislunar space, orbital and suborbital 
flights, drop towers, and other microgravity testing 
environments.
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† HR 4521 EAS 
(b) REPORT.—The Administrator, in coordination 
with the National Space Council and other Federal agencies 
as the Administrator considers appropriate, shall issue a 
report detailing the feasibility of establishing a micro-
gravity national laboratory federally funded research and 
development center to carry out activities relating to the 
study and use of in-space conditions. 
SEC. 2625. INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION NATIONAL LAB-
ORATORY; 
PROPERTY 
RIGHTS 
IN 
INVEN-
TIONS. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Subchapter III of chapter 201 of 
title 51, United States Code, is amended by adding at the 
end the following: 
‘‘§ 20150. Property rights in designated inventions 
‘‘(a) 
EXCLUSIVE
PROPERTY
RIGHTS.—Notwith-
standing section 3710a of title 15, chapter 18 of title 35, 
section 20135, or any other provision of law, a designated 
invention shall be the exclusive property of a user, and shall 
not be subject to a Government-purpose license, if— 
‘‘(1)(A) the Administration is reimbursed under 
the terms of the contract for the full cost of a con-
tribution by the Federal Government of the use of 
Federal facilities, equipment, materials, proprietary 
information of the Federal Government, or services of 
a Federal employee during working hours, including
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† HR 4521 EAS 
the cost for the Administration to carry out its re-
sponsibilities under paragraphs (1) and (4) of section 
504(d) of the National Aeronautics and Space Ad-
ministration Authorization Act of 2010 (42 U.S.C. 
18354(d)); 
‘‘(B) Federal funds are not transferred to the 
user under the contract; and 
‘‘(C) the designated invention was made (as de-
fined in section 20135(a))— 
‘‘(i) solely by the user; or 
‘‘(ii)(I) by the user with the services of a 
Federal employee under the terms of the contract; 
and 
‘‘(II) the Administration is reimbursed for 
such services under subparagraph (B); or 
‘‘(2) the Administrator determines that the rel-
evant field of commercial endeavor is sufficiently im-
mature that granting exclusive property rights to the 
user is necessary to help bolster demand for products 
and services produced on crewed or crew-tended space 
stations. 
‘‘(b) NOTIFICATION TO CONGRESS.—On completion of 
a determination made under paragraph (2), the Adminis-
trator shall submit to the appropriate committees of Con-
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gress a notification of the determination that includes a 
written justification. 
‘‘(c) PUBLIC AVAILABILITY.—A determination or part 
of such determination under paragraph (1) shall be made 
available to the public on request, as required under section 
552 of title 5, United States Code (commonly referred to 
as the ‘Freedom of Information Act’). 
‘‘(d) RULE OF CONSTRUCTION.—Nothing in this sec-
tion may be construed to affect the rights of the Federal 
Government, including property rights in inventions, under 
any contract, except in the case of a written contract with 
the Administration or the ISS management entity for the 
performance of a designated activity. 
‘‘(e) DEFINITIONS.—In this section— 
‘‘(1) CONTRACT.—The term ‘contract’ has the 
meaning giving the term in section 20135(a). 
‘‘(2) DESIGNATED
ACTIVITY.—The term ‘des-
ignated activity’ means any non-NASA scientific use 
of the ISS national laboratory as described in section 
504 of the National Aeronautics and Space Adminis-
tration Authorization Act of 2010 (42 U.S.C. 18354). 
‘‘(3) DESIGNATED
INVENTION.—The term ‘des-
ignated invention’ means any invention, product, or 
service conceived or first reduced to practice by any 
person in the performance of a designated activity
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† HR 4521 EAS 
under a written contract with the Administration or 
the ISS management entity. 
‘‘(4) FULL COST.—The term ‘full cost’ means the 
cost of transporting materials or passengers to and 
from the ISS, including any power needs, the disposal 
of mass, crew member time, stowage, power on the 
ISS, data downlink, crew consumables, and life sup-
port. 
‘‘(5) 
GOVERNMENT-PURPOSE
LICENSE.—The 
term ‘Government-purpose license’ means the reserva-
tion by the Federal Government of an irrevocable, 
nonexclusive, nontransferable, royalty-free license for 
the use of an invention throughout the world by or on 
behalf of the United States or any foreign government 
pursuant to a treaty or agreement with the United 
States. 
‘‘(6) ISS MANAGEMENT ENTITY.—The term ‘ISS 
management entity’ means the organization with 
which the Administrator enters into a cooperative 
agreement under section 504(a) of the National Aero-
nautics and Space Administration Authorization Act 
of 2010 (42 U.S.C. 18354(a)). 
‘‘(7) USER.—The term ‘user’ means a person, in-
cluding a nonprofit organization or small business 
firm (as such terms are defined in section 201 of title
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† HR 4521 EAS 
35), or class of persons that enters into a written con-
tract with the Administration or the ISS manage-
ment entity for the performance of designated activi-
ties.’’. 
(b) CONFORMING AMENDMENT.—The table of sections 
for chapter 201 of title 51, United States Code, is amended 
by inserting after the item relating to section 20149 the fol-
lowing: 
‘‘20150. Property rights in designated inventions.’’. 
SEC. 2626. DATA FIRST PRODUCED DURING NON-NASA SCI-
ENTIFIC USE OF THE ISS NATIONAL LABORA-
TORY. 
(a) DATA RIGHTS.—Subchapter III of chapter 201 of 
title 51, United States Code, as amended by section 2626, 
is further amended by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘§ 20151. Data rights 
‘‘(a) NON-NASA SCIENTIFIC USE OF THE ISS NA-
TIONAL LABORATORY.—The Federal Government may not 
use or reproduce, or disclose outside of the Government, any 
data first produced in the performance of a designated ac-
tivity under a written contract with the Administration or 
the ISS management entity, unless— 
‘‘(1) otherwise agreed under the terms of the con-
tract with the Administration or the ISS manage-
ment entity, as applicable;
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† HR 4521 EAS 
‘‘(2) the designated activity is carried out with 
Federal funds; 
‘‘(3) disclosure is required by law; 
‘‘(4) the Federal Government has rights in the 
data under another Federal contract, grant, coopera-
tive agreement, or other transaction; or 
‘‘(5) the data is— 
‘‘(A) otherwise lawfully acquired or inde-
pendently developed by the Federal Government; 
‘‘(B) related to the health and safety of per-
sonnel on the ISS; or 
‘‘(C) essential to the performance of work by 
the ISS management entity or NASA personnel. 
‘‘(b) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 
‘‘(1) CONTRACT.—The term ‘contract’ has the 
meaning given the term under section 20135(a). 
‘‘(2) DATA.— 
‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—The term ‘data’ means 
recorded information, regardless of form or the 
media on which it may be recorded. 
‘‘(B) INCLUSIONS.—The term ‘data’ in-
cludes technical data and computer software. 
‘‘(C) EXCLUSIONS.—The term ‘data’ does 
not include information incidental to contract 
administration, such as financial, administra-
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† HR 4521 EAS 
tive, cost or pricing, or management informa-
tion. 
‘‘(3) DESIGNATED
ACTIVITY.—The term ‘des-
ignated activity’ has the meaning given the term in 
section 20150. 
‘‘(4) ISS MANAGEMENT ENTITY.—The term ‘ISS 
management entity’ has the meaning given the term 
in section 20150.’’. 
(b) SPECIAL HANDLING OF TRADE SECRETS OR CON-
FIDENTIAL INFORMATION.—Section 20131(b)(2) of title 51, 
United States Code, is amended to read as follows: 
‘‘(2) INFORMATION DESCRIBED.— 
‘‘(A) ACTIVITIES UNDER AGREEMENT.—In-
formation referred to in paragraph (1) is infor-
mation that— 
‘‘(i) results from activities conducted 
under an agreement entered into under sub-
sections (e) and (f) of section 20113; and 
‘‘(ii) would be a trade secret or com-
mercial or financial information that is 
privileged or confidential within the mean-
ing of section 552(b)(4) of title 5 if the in-
formation had been obtained from a non- 
Federal party participating in such an 
agreement.
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‘‘(B) CERTAIN DATA.—Information referred 
to in paragraph (1) includes data (as defined in 
section 20151) that— 
‘‘(i) was first produced by the Admin-
istration in the performance of any des-
ignated activity (as defined in section 
20150); and 
‘‘(ii) would be a trade secret or com-
mercial or financial information that is 
privileged or confidential within the mean-
ing of section 552(b)(4) of title 5 if the data 
had been obtained from a non-Federal 
party.’’. 
(c) CONFORMING AMENDMENT.—The table of sections 
for chapter 201 of title 51, United States Code, as amended 
by section 2626, is further amended by inserting after the 
item relating to section 20150 the following: 
‘‘20151. Data rights.’’. 
SEC. 2627. PAYMENTS RECEIVED FOR COMMERCIAL SPACE- 
ENABLED PRODUCTION ON THE ISS. 
(a) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—It is the sense of Congress 
that— 
(1) the Administrator should determine a thresh-
old for NASA to recover the costs of supporting the 
commercial development of products or services 
aboard the ISS, through the negotiation of agree-
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ments, similar to agreements made by other Federal 
agencies that support private sector innovation; and 
(2) the amount of such costs that to be recovered 
or profits collected through such agreements should be 
applied by the Administrator through a tiered proc-
ess, taking into consideration the relative maturity 
and profitability of the applicable product or service. 
(b) IN GENERAL.—Subchapter III of chapter 201 of 
title 51, United States Code, as amended by section 2627, 
is further amended by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘§ 20152. Payments received for commercial space-en-
able production 
‘‘(a) ANNUAL REVIEW.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than one year after 
the date of the enactment of this section, and annu-
ally thereafter, the Administrator shall review the 
profitability of any partnership with a private entity 
under a contract in which the Administrator— 
‘‘(A) permits the use of the ISS by such pri-
vate entities to produce a commercial product or 
service; and 
‘‘(B) provides the total unreimbursed cost of 
a contribution by the Federal Government for the 
use of Federal facilities, equipment, materials, 
proprietary information of the Federal Govern-
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† HR 4521 EAS 
ment, or services of a Federal employee during 
working hours, including the cost for the Admin-
istration to carry out its responsibilities under 
paragraphs (1) and (4) of section 504(d) of the 
National Aeronautics and Space Administration 
Authorization Act of 2010 (42 U.S.C. 18354(d)). 
‘‘(2) NEGOTIATION OF REIMBURSEMENTS.—Sub-
ject to the review described in paragraph (1), the Ad-
ministrator shall seek to enter into an agreement to 
negotiate reimbursements for payments received, or 
portions of profits created, by any mature, profitable 
private entity described in that paragraph, as appro-
priate, through a tiered process that reflects the prof-
itability of the relevant product or service. 
‘‘(3) USE OF FUNDS.—Amounts received by the 
Administrator in accordance with an agreement 
under paragraph (2) shall be used by the Adminis-
trator in the following order of priority: 
‘‘(A) To defray the operating cost of the 
ISS. 
‘‘(B) To develop, implement, or operate fu-
ture low-Earth orbit platforms or capabilities. 
‘‘(C) To develop, implement, or operate fu-
ture human deep space platforms or capabilities.
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‘‘(D) Any other costs the Administrator con-
siders appropriate. 
‘‘(4) REPORT.—On completion of the first an-
nual review under paragraph (1), and annually 
thereafter, the Administrator shall submit to the ap-
propriate committees of Congress a report that in-
cludes a description of the results of the annual re-
view, any agreement entered into under this section, 
and the amounts recouped or obtained under any 
such agreement. 
‘‘(b) LICENSING AND ASSIGNMENT OF INVENTIONS.— 
Notwithstanding sections 3710a and 3710c of title 15 and 
any other provision of law, after payment in accordance 
with subsection (A)(i) of such section 3710c(a)(1)(A)(i) to 
the inventors who have directly assigned to the Federal Gov-
ernment their interests in an invention under a written 
contract with the Administration or the ISS management 
entity for the performance of a designated activity, the bal-
ance of any royalty or other payment received by the Ad-
ministrator or the ISS management entity from licensing 
and assignment of such invention shall be paid by the Ad-
ministrator or the ISS management entity, as applicable, 
to the Space Exploration Fund. 
‘‘(c) SPACE EXPLORATION FUND.—
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† HR 4521 EAS 
‘‘(1) ESTABLISHMENT.—There is established in 
the Treasury of the United States a fund, to be known 
as the ‘Space Exploration Fund’ (referred to in this 
subsection as the ‘Fund’), to be administered by the 
Administrator. 
‘‘(2) USE OF FUND.—The Fund shall be avail-
able to carry out activities described in subsection 
(a)(3). 
‘‘(3) DEPOSITS.—There shall be deposited in the 
Fund— 
‘‘(A) amounts appropriated to the Fund; 
‘‘(B) fees and royalties collected by the Ad-
ministrator or the ISS management entity under 
subsections (a) and (b); and 
‘‘(C) donations or contributions designated 
to support authorized activities. 
‘‘(4) RULE OF CONSTRUCTION.—Amounts avail-
able to the Administrator under this subsection shall 
be— 
‘‘(A) in addition to amounts otherwise 
made available for the purpose described in 
paragraph (2); and 
‘‘(B) available for a period of 5 years, to the 
extent and in the amounts provided in annual 
appropriation Acts.
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† HR 4521 EAS 
‘‘(d) DEFINITIONS.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—In this section, any term 
used in this section that is also used in section 20150 
shall have the meaning given the term in that section. 
‘‘(2) 
APPROPRIATE
COMMITTEES
OF
CON-
GRESS.—The term ‘appropriate committees of Con-
gress’ means— 
‘‘(A) the Committee on Commerce, Science, 
and Transportation and the Committee on Ap-
propriations of the Senate; and 
‘‘(B) the Committee on Science, Space, and 
Technology and the Committee on Appropria-
tions of the House of Representatives.’’. 
(c) CONFORMING AMENDMENT.—The table of sections 
for chapter 201 of title 51, United States Code, as amended 
by section and 2626, is further amended by inserting after 
the item relating to section 20151 the following: 
‘‘20152. Payments received for commercial space-enabled production.’’. 
SEC. 2628. STEPPING STONE APPROACH TO EXPLORATION. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Section 70504 of title 51, United 
States Code, is amended to read as follows: 
‘‘§ 70504. Stepping stone approach to exploration 
‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—The Administrator, in sustainable 
steps, may conduct missions to intermediate destinations, 
such as the Moon, in accordance with section 20302(b), and 
on a timetable determined by the availability of funding,
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† HR 4521 EAS 
in order to achieve the objective of human exploration of 
Mars specified in section 202(b)(5) of the National Aero-
nautics and Space Administration Authorization Act of 
2010 (42 U.S.C. 18312(b)(5)), if the Administrator— 
‘‘(1) determines that each such mission dem-
onstrates or advances a technology or operational con-
cept that will enable human missions to Mars; and 
‘‘(2) incorporates each such mission into the 
human exploration roadmap under section 432 of the 
National Aeronautics and Space Administration 
Transition Authorization Act of 2017 (Public Law 
115–10; 51 U.S.C. 20302 note). 
‘‘(b) CISLUNAR SPACE EXPLORATION ACTIVITIES.—In 
conducting a mission under subsection (a), the Adminis-
trator shall— 
‘‘(1) use a combination of launches of the Space 
Launch System and space transportation services 
from United States commercial providers, as appro-
priate, for the mission; 
‘‘(2) plan for not fewer than 1 Space Launch 
System launch annually beginning after the first suc-
cessful crewed launch of Orion on the Space Launch 
System; and 
‘‘(3) establish an outpost in orbit around the 
Moon that—
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† HR 4521 EAS 
‘‘(A) demonstrates technologies, systems, 
and operational concepts directly applicable to 
the space vehicle that will be used to transport 
humans to Mars; 
‘‘(B) has the capability for periodic human 
habitation; and 
‘‘(C) can function as a point of departure, 
return, or staging for Administration or non-
governmental or international partner missions 
to multiple locations on the lunar surface or 
other destinations. 
‘‘(c) COST-EFFECTIVENESS.—To maximize the cost-ef-
fectiveness of the long-term space exploration and utiliza-
tion activities of the United States, the Administrator shall 
take all necessary steps, including engaging nongovern-
mental and international partners, to ensure that activities 
in the Administration’s human space exploration program 
are balanced in order to help meet the requirements of fu-
ture exploration and utilization activities leading to human 
habitation on the surface of Mars. 
‘‘(d) COMPLETION.—Within budgetary considerations, 
once an exploration-related project enters its development 
phase, the Administrator shall seek, to the maximum extent 
practicable, to complete that project without undue delay.
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† HR 4521 EAS 
‘‘(e) INTERNATIONAL PARTICIPATION.—To achieve the 
goal of successfully conducting a crewed mission to the sur-
face of Mars, the Administrator shall invite the partners 
in the ISS program and other nations, as appropriate, to 
participate in an international initiative under the leader-
ship of the United States.’’. 
(b) DEFINITION OF CISLUNAR SPACE.—Section 10101 
of title 51, United States Code, is amended by adding at 
the end the following: 
‘‘(3) CISLUNAR
SPACE.—The term ‘cislunar 
space’ means the region of space beyond low-Earth 
orbit out to and including the region around the sur-
face of the Moon.’’. 
(c) TECHNICAL
AND CONFORMING AMENDMENTS.— 
Section 3 of the National Aeronautics and Space Adminis-
tration Authorization Act of 2010 (42 U.S.C. 18302) is 
amended by striking paragraphs (2) and (3) and inserting 
the following: 
‘‘(2) 
APPROPRIATE
COMMITTEES
OF
CON-
GRESS.—The term ‘appropriate committees of Con-
gress’ means— 
‘‘(A) the Committee on Commerce, Science, 
and Transportation of the Senate; and 
‘‘(B) the Committee on Science, Space, and 
Technology of the House of Representatives.
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† HR 4521 EAS 
‘‘(3) CISLUNAR
SPACE.—The term ‘cislunar 
space’ means the region of space beyond low-Earth 
orbit out to and including the region around the sur-
face of the Moon.’’. 
SEC. 
2629. 
TECHNICAL 
AMENDMENTS 
RELATING 
TO 
ARTEMIS MISSIONS. 
(a) Section 421 of the National Aeronautics and Space 
Administration Authorization Act of 2017 (Public Law 
115–10; 51 U.S.C. 20301 note) is amended— 
(1) in subsection (c)(3)— 
(A) by striking ‘‘EM–1’’ and inserting 
‘‘Artemis I’’; 
(B) by striking ‘‘EM–2’’ and inserting 
‘‘Artemis II’’; and 
(C) by striking ‘‘EM–3’’ and inserting 
‘‘Artemis III’’; and 
(2) in subsection (f)(3), by striking ‘‘EM–3’’ and 
inserting ‘‘Artemis III’’. 
(b) Section 432(b) of the National Aeronautics and 
Space Administration Authorization Act of 2017 (Public 
Law 115–10; 51 U.S.C. 20302 note) is amended— 
(1) in paragraph (3)(D)— 
(A) by striking ‘‘EM–1’’ and inserting 
‘‘Artemis I’’; and
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(B) by striking ‘‘EM–2’’ and inserting 
‘‘Artemis II’’; and 
(2) in paragraph (4)(C), by striking ‘‘EM–3’’ 
and inserting ‘‘Artemis III’’. 
PART III—SCIENCE 
SEC. 2631. SCIENCE PRIORITIES. 
(a) SENSE OF CONGRESS ON SCIENCE PORTFOLIO.— 
Congress reaffirms the sense of Congress that— 
(1) a balanced and adequately funded set of ac-
tivities, consisting of research and analysis grant pro-
grams, technology development, suborbital research 
activities, and small, medium, and large space mis-
sions, contributes to a robust and productive science 
program and serves as a catalyst for innovation and 
discovery; and 
(2) the Administrator should set science prior-
ities by following the guidance provided by the sci-
entific community through the decadal surveys of the 
National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and 
Medicine. 
(b) NATIONAL ACADEMIES DECADAL SURVEYS.—Sec-
tion 20305(c) of title 51, United States Code, is amended— 
(1) by striking ‘‘The Administrator shall’’ and 
inserting the following:
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† HR 4521 EAS 
‘‘(1) REEXAMINATION
OF
PRIORITIES
BY
NA-
TIONAL ACADEMIES.—The Administrator shall’’; and 
(2) by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(2) REEXAMINATION OF PRIORITIES BY ADMIN-
ISTRATOR.—If the Administrator decides to reexam-
ine the applicability of the priorities of the decadal 
surveys to the missions and activities of the Adminis-
tration due to scientific discoveries or external factors, 
the Administrator shall consult with the relevant com-
mittees of the National Academies.’’. 
SEC. 2632. LUNAR DISCOVERY PROGRAM. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—The Administrator may carry out 
a program to conduct lunar science research, including mis-
sions to the surface of the Moon, that materially contributes 
to the objective described in section 20102(d)(1) of title 51, 
United States Code. 
(b) COMMERCIAL LANDERS.—In carrying out the pro-
gram under subsection (a), the Administrator shall procure 
the services of commercial landers developed primarily by 
United States industry to land science payloads of all class-
es on the lunar surface. 
(c) LUNAR SCIENCE RESEARCH.—The Administrator 
shall ensure that lunar science research carried out under 
subsection (a) is consistent with recommendations made by
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† HR 4521 EAS 
the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Med-
icine. 
(d) LUNAR POLAR VOLATILES.—In carrying out the 
program under subsection (a), the Administrator shall, at 
the earliest opportunity, consider mission proposals to 
evaluate the potential of lunar polar volatiles to contribute 
to sustainable lunar exploration. 
SEC. 2633. SEARCH FOR LIFE. 
(a) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—It is the sense of Congress 
that— 
(1) the report entitled ‘‘An Astrobiology Strategy 
for the Search for Life in the Universe’’ published by 
the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and 
Medicine outlines the key scientific questions and 
methods for fulfilling the objective of NASA to search 
for the origin, evolution, distribution, and future of 
life in the universe; and 
(2) the interaction of lifeforms with their envi-
ronment, a central focus of astrobiology research, is a 
topic of broad significance to life sciences research in 
space and on Earth. 
(b) PROGRAM CONTINUATION.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—The Administrator shall con-
tinue to implement a collaborative, multidisciplinary 
science and technology development program to search
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† HR 4521 EAS 
for proof of the existence or historical existence of life 
beyond Earth in support of the objective described in 
section 20102(d)(10) of title 51, United States Code. 
(2) ELEMENT.—The program under paragraph 
(1) shall include activities relating to astronomy, bi-
ology, geology, and planetary science. 
(3) COORDINATION WITH LIFE SCIENCES PRO-
GRAM.—In carrying out the program under para-
graph (1), the Administrator shall coordinate efforts 
with the life sciences program of the Administration. 
(4) TECHNOSIGNATURES.—In carrying out the 
program under paragraph (1), the Administrator 
shall support activities to search for and analyze 
technosignatures. 
(5) INSTRUMENTATION
AND
SENSOR
TECH-
NOLOGY.—In carrying out the program under para-
graph (1), the Administrator may strategically invest 
in the development of new instrumentation and sensor 
technology. 
SEC. 2634. JAMES WEBB SPACE TELESCOPE. 
(a) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—It is the sense of Congress 
that— 
(1) the James Webb Space Telescope will be the 
next premier observatory in space and has great po-
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† HR 4521 EAS 
tential to further scientific study and assist scientists 
in making new discoveries in the field of astronomy; 
(2) the James Webb Space Telescope was devel-
oped as an ambitious project with a scope that was 
not fully defined at inception and with risk that was 
not fully known or understood; 
(3) despite the major technology development and 
innovation that was needed to construct the James 
Webb Space Telescope, major negative impacts to the 
cost and schedule of the James Webb Space Telescope 
resulted from poor program management and poor 
contractor performance; 
(4) the Administrator should take into account 
the lessons learned from the cost and schedule issues 
relating to the development of the James Webb Space 
Telescope in making decisions regarding the scope of 
and the technologies needed for future scientific mis-
sions; and 
(5) in selecting future scientific missions, the Ad-
ministrator should take into account the impact that 
large programs that overrun cost and schedule esti-
mates may have on other NASA programs in earlier 
phases of development. 
(b) PROJECT
CONTINUATION.—The Administrator 
shall continue—
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† HR 4521 EAS 
(1) to closely track the cost and schedule per-
formance of the James Webb Space Telescope project; 
and 
(2) to improve the reliability of cost estimates 
and contractor performance data throughout the re-
maining development of the James Webb Space Tele-
scope. 
(c) REVISED ESTIMATE.—Due to delays to the James 
Webb Space Telescope project resulting from the COVID– 
19 pandemic, the Administrator shall provide to Con-
gress— 
(1) an estimate of any increase to program de-
velopment costs, if such costs are anticipated to exceed 
$8,802,700,000; and 
(2) an estimate for a revised launch date. 
SEC. 2635. NANCY GRACE ROMAN SPACE TELESCOPE. 
(a) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—It is the sense of Congress 
that— 
(1) major growth in the cost of astrophysics flag-
ship-class missions has impacted the overall portfolio 
balance of the Science Mission Directorate; and 
(2) the Administrator should continue to develop 
the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope with a de-
velopment cost of not more than $3,200,000,000.
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† HR 4521 EAS 
(b) PROJECT
CONTINUATION.—The Administrator 
shall continue to develop the Nancy Grace Roman Space 
Telescope to meet the objectives outlined in the 2010 decadal 
survey on astronomy and astrophysics of the National 
Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine in a 
manner that maximizes scientific productivity based on the 
resources invested. 
SEC. 2636. STUDY ON SATELLITE SERVICING FOR SCIENCE 
MISSIONS. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—The Administrator shall conduct a 
study on the feasibility of using in-space robotic refueling, 
repair, or refurbishment capabilities to extend the useful life 
of telescopes and other science missions that are operational 
or in development as of the date of the enactment of this 
Act. 
(b) ELEMENTS.—The study conducted under sub-
section (a) shall include the following: 
(1) An identification of the technologies and in- 
space testing required to demonstrate the in-space 
robotic refueling, repair, or refurbishment capabilities 
described in that subsection. 
(2) The projected cost of using such capabilities, 
including the cost of extended operations for science 
missions described in that subsection.
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† HR 4521 EAS 
(c) BRIEFING.—Not later than 1 year after the date 
of the enactment of this division, the Administrator shall 
provide to the appropriate committees of Congress a brief-
ing on the results of the study conducted under subsection 
(a). 
(d) PUBLIC AVAILABILITY.—Not later than 30 days 
after the Administrator provides the briefing under sub-
section (c), the Administrator shall make the study con-
ducted under subsection (a) available to the public. 
SEC. 2637. EARTH SCIENCE MISSIONS AND PROGRAMS. 
(a) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—It is the sense of Congress 
that the Earth Science Division of NASA plays an impor-
tant role in national efforts— 
(1) to collect and use Earth observations in serv-
ice to society; and 
(2) to understand global change. 
(b) EARTH SCIENCE MISSIONS AND PROGRAMS.—With 
respect to the missions and programs of the Earth Science 
Division, the Administrator shall, to the maximum extent 
practicable, follow the recommendations and guidance pro-
vided by the scientific community through the decadal sur-
vey for Earth science and applications from space of the 
National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medi-
cine, including—
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† HR 4521 EAS 
(1) the science priorities described in such sur-
vey; 
(2) the execution of the series of existing or pre-
viously planned observations (commonly known as the 
‘‘program of record’’); and 
(3) the development of a range of missions of all 
classes, including opportunities for principal investi-
gator-led, competitively selected missions. 
SEC. 2638. LIFE SCIENCE AND PHYSICAL SCIENCE RE-
SEARCH. 
(a) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—It is the sense of Congress 
that— 
(1) the 2011 decadal survey on biological and 
physical sciences in space identifies— 
(A) many areas in which fundamental sci-
entific research is needed to efficiently advance 
the range of human activities in space, from the 
first stages of exploration to eventual economic 
development; and 
(B) many areas of basic and applied sci-
entific research that could use the microgravity, 
radiation, and other aspects of the spaceflight en-
vironment to answer fundamental scientific ques-
tions;
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† HR 4521 EAS 
(2) given the central role of life science and phys-
ical science research in developing the future of space 
exploration, NASA should continue to invest strategi-
cally in such research to maintain United States 
leadership in space exploration; and 
(3) such research remains important to the objec-
tives of NASA with respect to long-duration deep 
space human exploration to the Moon and Mars. 
(b) PROGRAM CONTINUATION.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—In support of the goals de-
scribed in section 20302 of title 51, United States 
Code, the Administrator shall continue to implement 
a collaborative, multidisciplinary life science and 
physical science fundamental research program— 
(A) to build a scientific foundation for the 
exploration and development of space; 
(B) to investigate the mechanisms of 
changes to biological systems and physical sys-
tems, and the environments of those systems in 
space, including the effects of long-duration expo-
sure to deep space-related environmental factors 
on those systems; 
(C) to understand the effects of combined 
deep space radiation and altered gravity levels
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† HR 4521 EAS 
on biological systems so as to inform the develop-
ment and testing of potential countermeasures; 
(D) to understand physical phenomena in 
reduced gravity that affect design and perform-
ance of enabling technologies necessary for the 
space exploration program; 
(E) to provide scientific opportunities to 
educate, train, and develop the next generation of 
researchers and engineers; and 
(F) to provide state-of-the-art data reposi-
tories and curation of large multi-data sets to 
enable comparative research analyses. 
(2) ELEMENTS.—The program under paragraph 
(1) shall— 
(A) include fundamental research relating 
to life science, space bioscience, and physical 
science; and 
(B) maximize intra-agency and interagency 
partnerships to advance space exploration, sci-
entific knowledge, and benefits to Earth. 
(3) USE OF FACILITIES.—In carrying out the 
program under paragraph (1), the Administrator 
may use ground-based, air-based, and space-based fa-
cilities in low-Earth orbit and beyond low-Earth 
orbit.
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SEC. 2639. SCIENCE MISSIONS TO MARS. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—The Administrator shall conduct 1 
or more science missions to Mars to enable the selection of 
1 or more sites for human landing. 
(b) SAMPLE
PROGRAM.—The Administrator may 
carry out a program— 
(1) to collect samples from the surface of Mars; 
and 
(2) to return such samples to Earth for scientific 
analysis. 
(c) USE OF EXISTING CAPABILITIES AND ASSETS.— 
In carrying out this section, the Administrator shall, to the 
maximum extent practicable, use existing capabilities and 
assets of NASA centers. 
SEC. 2640. PLANETARY DEFENSE COORDINATION OFFICE. 
(a) FINDINGS.—Congress makes the following findings: 
(1) Near-Earth objects remain a threat to the 
United States. 
(2) Section 321(d)(1) of the National Aero-
nautics and Space Administration Authorization Act 
of 2005 (Public Law 109–155; 119 Stat. 2922; 51 
U.S.C. 71101 note prec.) established a requirement 
that the Administrator plan, develop, and implement 
a Near-Earth Object Survey program to detect, track, 
catalogue, and characterize the physical characteris-
tics of near-Earth objects equal to or greater than 140
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meters in diameter in order to assess the threat of 
such near-Earth objects to the Earth, with the goal of 
90-percent completion of the catalogue of such near- 
Earth objects by December 30, 2020. 
(3) The current planetary defense strategy of 
NASA acknowledges that such goal will not be met. 
(4) The report of the National Academies of 
Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine entitled ‘‘Find-
ing Hazardous Asteroids Using Infrared and Visible 
Wavelength Telescopes’’ issued in 2019 states that— 
(A) NASA cannot accomplish such goal 
with currently available assets; 
(B) NASA should develop and launch a 
dedicated space-based infrared survey telescope to 
meet the requirements of section 321(d)(1) of the 
National Aeronautics and Space Administration 
Authorization Act of 2005 (Public Law 109–155; 
119 Stat. 2922; 51 U.S.C. 71101 note prec.); and 
(C) the early detection of potentially haz-
ardous near-Earth objects enabled by a space- 
based infrared survey telescope is important to 
enable deflection of a dangerous asteroid. 
(b) ESTABLISHMENT OF PLANETARY DEFENSE CO-
ORDINATION OFFICE.—
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† HR 4521 EAS 
(1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 90 days after 
the date of the enactment of this division, the Admin-
istrator shall establish an office within the Planetary 
Science Division of the Science Mission Directorate, 
to be known as the ‘‘Planetary Defense Coordination 
Office’’, to plan, develop, and implement a program 
to survey threats posed by near-Earth objects equal to 
or greater than 140 meters in diameter, as required 
by section 321(d)(1) of the National Aeronautics and 
Space Administration Authorization Act of 2005 
(Public Law 109–155; 119 Stat. 2922; 51 U.S.C. 
71101 note prec.). 
(2) ACTIVITIES.—The Administrator shall— 
(A) develop and, not later than September 
30, 2025, launch a space-based infrared survey 
telescope that is capable of detecting near-Earth 
objects equal to or greater than 140 meters in di-
ameter, with preference given to planetary mis-
sions selected by the Administrator as of the date 
of the enactment of this division to pursue con-
cept design studies relating to the development of 
a space-based infrared survey telescope; 
(B) identify, track, and characterize poten-
tially hazardous near-Earth objects and issue
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warnings of the effects of potential impacts of 
such objects; and 
(C) assist in coordinating Government 
planning for response to a potential impact of a 
near-Earth object. 
(c) ANNUAL REPORT.—Section 321(f) of the National 
Aeronautics and Space Administration Authorization Act 
of 2005 (Public Law 109–155; 119 Stat. 2922; 51 U.S.C. 
71101 note prec.) is amended to read as follows: 
‘‘(f) ANNUAL REPORT.—Not later than 180 days after 
the date of the enactment of the National Aeronautics and 
Space Administration Authorization Act of 2021, and an-
nually thereafter through 90-percent completion of the cata-
logue required by subsection (d)(1), the Administrator shall 
submit to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Trans-
portation of the Senate and the Committee on Science, 
Space, and Technology of the House of Representatives a 
report that includes the following: 
‘‘(1) A summary of all activities carried out by 
the Planetary Defense Coordination Office established 
under section 2640(b)(1) of the National Aeronautics 
and Space Administration Authorization Act of 2021 
since the date of enactment of that Act. 
‘‘(2) A description of the progress with respect to 
the design, development, and launch of the space-
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based infrared survey telescope required by section 
2640 (b)(2)(A) of the National Aeronautics and Space 
Administration Authorization Act of 2021. 
‘‘(3) An assessment of the progress toward meet-
ing the requirements of subsection (d)(1). 
‘‘(4) A description of the status of efforts to co-
ordinate planetary defense activities in response to a 
threat posed by a near-Earth object with other Fed-
eral agencies since the date of enactment of the Na-
tional Aeronautics and Space Administration Author-
ization Act of 2021. 
‘‘(5) A description of the status of efforts to co-
ordinate and cooperate with other countries to dis-
cover hazardous asteroids and comets, plan a mitiga-
tion strategy, and implement that strategy in the 
event of the discovery of an object on a likely collision 
course with Earth. 
‘‘(6) A summary of expenditures for all activities 
carried out by the Planetary Defense Coordination 
Office since the date of enactment of the National Aer-
onautics and Space Administration Authorization 
Act of 2021.’’. 
(d) LIMITATION ON USE OF FUNDS.—None of the 
amounts authorized to be appropriated by this subtitle for 
a fiscal year may be obligated or expended for the Office
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of the Administrator during the last 3 months of that fiscal 
year unless the Administrator submits the report for that 
fiscal year required by section 321(f) of the National Aero-
nautics and Space Administration Authorization Act of 
2005 (Public Law 109–155; 119 Stat. 2922; 51 U.S.C. 
71101 note prec.). 
(e) NEAR-EARTH OBJECT DEFINED.—In this section, 
the term ‘‘near-Earth object’’ means an asteroid or comet 
with a perihelion distance of less than 1.3 Astronomical 
Units from the Sun. 
SEC. 2641. SUBORBITAL SCIENCE FLIGHTS. 
(a) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—It is the sense of Congress 
that commercially available suborbital flight platforms en-
able low-cost access to a microgravity environment to ad-
vance science and train scientists and engineers under the 
Suborbital Research Program established under section 
802(c) of the National Aeronautics and Space Administra-
tion Authorization Act of 2010 (42 U.S.C. 18382(c)). 
(b) REPORT.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 270 days after 
the date of the enactment of this division, the Admin-
istrator shall submit to the appropriate committees of 
Congress a report evaluating the manner in which 
suborbital flight platforms can contribute to meeting 
the science objectives of NASA for the Science Mission
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Directorate and the Human Exploration and Oper-
ations Mission Directorate. 
(2) CONTENTS.—The report required by para-
graph (1) shall include the following: 
(A) An assessment of the advantages of sub-
orbital flight platforms to meet science objectives. 
(B) An evaluation of the challenges to great-
er use of commercial suborbital flight platforms 
for science purposes. 
(C) An analysis of whether commercial sub-
orbital flight platforms can provide low-cost 
flight opportunities to test lunar and Mars 
science payloads. 
SEC. 2642. EARTH SCIENCE DATA AND OBSERVATIONS. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—The Administrator shall to the 
maximum extent practicable, make available to the public 
in an easily accessible electronic database all data (includ-
ing metadata, documentation, models, data processing 
methods, images, and research results) of the missions and 
programs of the Earth Science Division of the Administra-
tion, or any successor division. 
(b) OPEN DATA PROGRAM.—In carrying out sub-
section (a), the Administrator shall establish and continue 
to operate an open data program that—
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(1) is consistent with the greatest degree of inter-
activity, interoperability, and accessibility; and 
(2) enables outside communities, including the 
research and applications community, private indus-
try, academia, and the general public, to effectively 
collaborate in areas important to— 
(A) studying the Earth system and improv-
ing the prediction of Earth system change; and 
(B) improving model development, data as-
similation techniques, systems architecture inte-
gration, and computational efficiencies; and 
(3) meets basic end-user requirements for run-
ning on public computers and networks located out-
side of secure Administration information and tech-
nology systems. 
(c) HOSTING.—The program under subsection (b) shall 
use, as appropriate and cost-effective, innovative strategies 
and methods for hosting and management of part or all 
of the program, including cloud-based computing capabili-
ties. 
(d) RULE OF CONSTRUCTION.—Nothing in this section 
shall be interpreted to require the Administrator to release 
classified, proprietary, or otherwise restricted information 
that would be harmful to the national security of the United 
States.
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SEC. 2643. SENSE OF CONGRESS ON SMALL SATELLITE 
SCIENCE. 
It is the sense of Congress that— 
(1) small satellites— 
(A) are increasingly robust, effective, and 
affordable platforms for carrying out space 
science missions; 
(B) can work in tandem with or augment 
larger NASA spacecraft to support high-priority 
science missions of NASA; and 
(C) are cost effective solutions that may 
allow NASA to continue collecting legacy obser-
vations while developing next-generation science 
missions; and 
(2) NASA should continue to support small sat-
ellite research, development, technologies, and pro-
grams, including technologies for compact and light-
weight instrumentation for small satellites. 
SEC. 2644. SENSE OF CONGRESS ON COMMERCIAL SPACE 
SERVICES. 
It is the sense of Congress that— 
(1) the Administration should explore partner-
ships with the commercial space industry for space 
science missions in and beyond Earth orbit, including 
partnerships relating to payload and instrument 
hosting and commercially available datasets; and
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† HR 4521 EAS 
(2) such partnerships could result in increased 
mission cadence, technology advancement, and cost 
savings for the Administration. 
SEC. 2645. PROCEDURES FOR IDENTIFYING AND ADDRESS-
ING ALLEGED VIOLATIONS OF SCIENTIFIC IN-
TEGRITY POLICY. 
Not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment 
of this division, the Administrator shall develop and docu-
ment procedures for identifying and addressing alleged vio-
lations of the scientific integrity policy of NASA. 
PART IV—AERONAUTICS 
SEC. 2646. SHORT TITLE. 
This part may be cited as the ‘‘Aeronautics Innovation 
Act’’. 
SEC. 2647. DEFINITIONS. 
In this part: 
(1) AERONAUTICS STRATEGIC IMPLEMENTATION 
PLAN.—The term ‘‘Aeronautics Strategic Implementa-
tion Plan’’ means the Aeronautics Strategic Imple-
mentation Plan issued by the Aeronautics Research 
Mission Directorate. 
(2) UNMANNED AIRCRAFT; UNMANNED AIRCRAFT 
SYSTEM.—The terms ‘‘unmanned aircraft’’ and ‘‘un-
manned aircraft system’’ have the meanings given
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those terms in section 44801 of title 49, United States 
Code. 
(3) X-PLANE.—The term ‘‘X-plane’’ means an 
experimental aircraft that is— 
(A) used to test and evaluate a new tech-
nology or aerodynamic concept; and 
(B) operated by NASA or the Department 
of Defense. 
SEC. 2648. EXPERIMENTAL AIRCRAFT PROJECTS. 
(a) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—It is the sense of Congress 
that— 
(1) developing high-risk, precompetitive aero-
space technologies for which there is not yet a profit 
rationale is a fundamental role of NASA; 
(2) large-scale piloted flight test experimentation 
and validation are necessary for— 
(A) transitioning new technologies and ma-
terials, including associated manufacturing proc-
esses, for general aviation, commercial aviation, 
and military aeronautics use; and 
(B) capturing the full extent of benefits 
from investments made by the Aeronautics Re-
search Mission Directorate in priority programs 
called for in—
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(i) the National Aeronautics Research 
and Development Plan issued by the Na-
tional Science and Technology Council in 
February 2010; 
(ii) the NASA 2014 Strategic Plan; 
(iii) the Aeronautics Strategic Imple-
mentation Plan; and 
(iv) any updates to the programs 
called for in the plans described in clauses 
(i) through (iii); 
(3) a level of funding that adequately supports 
large-scale piloted flight test experimentation and val-
idation, including related infrastructure, should be 
ensured over a sustained period of time to restore the 
capacity of NASA— 
(A) to see legacy priority programs through 
to completion; and 
(B) to achieve national economic and secu-
rity objectives; and 
(4) NASA should not be directly involved in the 
Type Certification of aircraft for current and future 
scheduled commercial air service under part 121 or 
135 of title 14, Code of Federal Regulations, that 
would result in reductions in crew augmentation or 
single pilot or autonomously operated aircraft.
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† HR 4521 EAS 
(b) STATEMENT OF POLICY.—It is the policy of the 
United States— 
(1) to maintain world leadership in— 
(A) military and civilian aeronautical 
science and technology; 
(B) global air power projection; and 
(C) aerospace industrialization; and 
(2) to maintain as a fundamental objective of 
NASA aeronautics research the steady progression 
and expansion of flight research and capabilities, in-
cluding the science and technology of critical under-
lying disciplines and competencies, such as— 
(A) computational-based analytical and 
predictive tools and methodologies; 
(B) aerothermodynamics; 
(C) propulsion; 
(D) advanced materials and manufacturing 
processes; 
(E) high-temperature structures and mate-
rials; and 
(F) guidance, navigation, and flight con-
trols. 
(c) ESTABLISHMENT AND CONTINUATION OF X-PLANE 
PROJECTS.—
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† HR 4521 EAS 
(1) IN GENERAL.—The Administrator shall es-
tablish or continue to implement, in a manner that 
is consistent with the roadmap for supersonic aero-
nautics research and development required by section 
604(b) of the National Aeronautics and Space Admin-
istration Transition Authorization Act of 2017 (Pub-
lic Law 115–10; 131 Stat. 55), the following projects: 
(A) A low-boom supersonic aircraft project 
to demonstrate supersonic aircraft designs and 
technologies that— 
(i) reduce sonic boom noise; and 
(ii) assist the Administrator of the 
Federal Aviation Administration in ena-
bling— 
(I) the safe commercial deploy-
ment of civil supersonic aircraft tech-
nology; and 
(II) the safe and efficient oper-
ation of civil supersonic aircraft. 
(B) A subsonic flight demonstrator aircraft 
project to advance high-aspect-ratio, thin-wing 
aircraft designs and to integrate propulsion, 
composites, and other technologies that enable 
significant increases in energy efficiency and re-
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† HR 4521 EAS 
duced life-cycle emissions in the aviation system 
while reducing noise and emissions. 
(C) A series of large-scale X-plane dem-
onstrators that are— 
(i) developed sequentially or in par-
allel; and 
(ii) each based on a set of new configu-
ration concepts or technologies determined 
by the Administrator to demonstrate— 
(I) aircraft and propulsion con-
cepts and technologies and related ad-
vances in alternative propulsion and 
energy; and 
(II) flight propulsion concepts 
and technologies. 
(2) ELEMENTS.—For each project under para-
graph (1), the Administrator shall— 
(A) include the development of X-planes and 
all necessary supporting flight test assets; 
(B) pursue a robust technology maturation 
and flight test validation effort; 
(C) improve necessary facilities, flight test-
ing capabilities, and computational tools to sup-
port the project;
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(D) award any primary contracts for de-
sign, procurement, and manufacturing to United 
States persons, consistent with international ob-
ligations and commitments; 
(E) coordinate research and flight test dem-
onstration activities with other Federal agencies 
and the United States aviation community, as 
the Administrator considers appropriate; and 
(F) ensure that the project is aligned with 
the Aeronautics Strategic Implementation Plan 
and any updates to the Aeronautics Strategic 
Implementation Plan. 
(3) UNITED STATES PERSON DEFINED.—In this 
subsection, the term ‘‘United States person’’ means— 
(A) a United States citizen or an alien law-
fully admitted for permanent residence to the 
United States; or 
(B) an entity organized under the laws of 
the United States or of any jurisdiction within 
the United States, including a foreign branch of 
such an entity. 
(d) ADVANCED
MATERIALS
AND
MANUFACTURING 
TECHNOLOGY PROGRAM.—
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† HR 4521 EAS 
(1) IN GENERAL.—The Administrator may estab-
lish an advanced materials and manufacturing tech-
nology program— 
(A) to develop— 
(i) new materials, including composite 
and high-temperature materials, from base 
material 
formulation 
through 
full-scale 
structural validation and manufacture; 
(ii) advanced materials and manufac-
turing processes, including additive manu-
facturing, to reduce the cost of manufac-
turing scale-up and certification for use in 
general aviation, commercial aviation, and 
military aeronautics; and 
(iii) noninvasive or nondestructive 
techniques for testing or evaluating aviation 
and aeronautics structures, including for 
materials and manufacturing processes; 
(B) to reduce the time it takes to design, in-
dustrialize, and certify advanced materials and 
manufacturing processes; 
(C) to provide education and training op-
portunities for the aerospace workforce; and 
(D) to address global cost and human cap-
ital competitiveness for United States aero-
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† HR 4521 EAS 
nautical industries and technological leadership 
in advanced materials and manufacturing tech-
nology. 
(2) ELEMENTS.—In carrying out a program 
under paragraph (1), the Administrator shall— 
(A) build on work that was carried out by 
the Advanced Composites Project of NASA; 
(B) partner with the private and academic 
sectors, such as members of the Advanced Com-
posites Consortium of NASA, the Joint Advanced 
Materials and Structures Center of Excellence of 
the Federal Aviation Administration, the Manu-
facturing USA institutes of the Department of 
Commerce, and national laboratories, as the Ad-
ministrator considers appropriate; 
(C) provide a structure for managing intel-
lectual property generated by the program based 
on or consistent with the structure established for 
the Advanced Composites Consortium of NASA; 
(D) ensure adequate Federal cost share for 
applicable research; and 
(E) coordinate with advanced manufac-
turing and composites initiatives in other mis-
sion directorates of NASA, as the Administrator 
considers appropriate.
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† HR 4521 EAS 
(e) RESEARCH PARTNERSHIPS.—In carrying out the 
projects under subsection (c) and a program under sub-
section (d), the Administrator may engage in cooperative 
research programs with— 
(1) academia; and 
(2) commercial aviation and aerospace manufac-
turers. 
SEC. 2649. UNMANNED AIRCRAFT SYSTEMS. 
(a) UNMANNED AIRCRAFT SYSTEMS OPERATION PRO-
GRAM.—The Administrator shall— 
(1) research and test capabilities and concepts, 
including unmanned aircraft systems communica-
tions, for integrating unmanned aircraft systems into 
the national airspace system; 
(2) leverage the partnership NASA has with in-
dustry focused on the advancement of technologies for 
future air traffic management systems for unmanned 
aircraft systems; and 
(3) continue to align the research and testing 
portfolio of NASA to inform the integration of un-
manned aircraft systems into the national airspace 
system, consistent with public safety and national se-
curity objectives.
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† HR 4521 EAS 
(b) SENSE OF CONGRESS ON COORDINATION WITH 
FEDERAL AVIATION ADMINISTRATION.—It is the sense of 
Congress that— 
(1) NASA should continue— 
(A) to coordinate with the Federal Aviation 
Administration on research on air traffic man-
agement systems for unmanned aircraft systems; 
and 
(B) to assist the Federal Aviation Adminis-
tration in the integration of air traffic manage-
ment systems for unmanned aircraft systems 
into the national airspace system; and 
(2) the test ranges (as defined in section 44801 
of title 49, United States Code) should continue to be 
leveraged for research on— 
(A) air traffic management systems for un-
manned aircraft systems; and 
(B) the integration of such systems into the 
national airspace system. 
SEC. 2650. 21ST CENTURY AERONAUTICS CAPABILITIES INI-
TIATIVE. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—The Administrator may establish 
an initiative, to be known as the ‘‘21st Century Aeronautics 
Capabilities Initiative’’, within the Construction and Envi-
ronmental Compliance and Restoration Account, to ensure
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that NASA possesses the infrastructure and capabilities nec-
essary to conduct proposed flight demonstration projects 
across the range of NASA aeronautics interests. 
(b) ACTIVITIES.—In carrying out the 21st Century 
Aeronautics Capabilities Initiative, the Administrator may 
carry out the following activities: 
(1) Any investments the Administrator considers 
necessary to upgrade and create facilities for civil 
and national security aeronautics research to support 
advancements in— 
(A) long-term foundational science and 
technology; 
(B) advanced aircraft systems; 
(C) air traffic management systems; 
(D) fuel efficiency; 
(E) electric propulsion technologies; 
(F) system-wide safety assurance; 
(G) autonomous aviation; and 
(H) supersonic and hypersonic aircraft de-
sign and development. 
(2) Any measures the Administrator considers 
necessary to support flight testing activities, includ-
ing— 
(A) continuous refinement and development 
of free-flight test techniques and methodologies;
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† HR 4521 EAS 
(B) upgrades and improvements to real- 
time tracking and data acquisition; and 
(C) such other measures relating to aero-
nautics research support and modernization as 
the Administrator considers appropriate to carry 
out the scientific study of the problems of flight, 
with a view to practical solutions for such prob-
lems. 
SEC. 2651. SENSE OF CONGRESS ON ON-DEMAND AIR 
TRANSPORTATION. 
It is the sense of Congress that— 
(1) greater use of high-speed air transportation, 
small airports, helipads, vertical flight infrastructure, 
and other aviation-related infrastructure can alleviate 
surface transportation congestion and support eco-
nomic growth within cities; 
(2) with respect to urban air mobility and re-
lated concepts, NASA should continue— 
(A) to conduct research focused on concepts, 
technologies, and design tools; and 
(B) to support the evaluation of advanced 
technologies and operational concepts that can be 
leveraged by— 
(i) industry to develop future vehicles 
and systems; and
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† HR 4521 EAS 
(ii) the Federal Aviation Administra-
tion to support vehicle safety and oper-
ational certification; and 
(3) NASA should leverage ongoing efforts to de-
velop advanced technologies to actively support the re-
search needed for on-demand air transportation. 
SEC. 2652. SENSE OF CONGRESS ON HYPERSONIC TECH-
NOLOGY RESEARCH. 
It is the sense of Congress that— 
(1) hypersonic technology is critical to the devel-
opment of advanced high-speed aerospace vehicles for 
both civilian and national security purposes; 
(2) for hypersonic vehicles to be realized, research 
is needed to overcome technical challenges, including 
in propulsion, advanced materials, and flight per-
formance in a severe environment; 
(3) NASA plays a critical role in supporting 
fundamental hypersonic research focused on system 
design, analysis and validation, and propulsion tech-
nologies; 
(4) NASA research efforts in hypersonic tech-
nology should complement research supported by the 
Department of Defense to the maximum extent prac-
ticable, since contributions from both agencies work-
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† HR 4521 EAS 
ing in partnership with universities and industry are 
necessary to overcome key technical challenges; 
(5) previous coordinated research programs be-
tween NASA and the Department of Defense enabled 
important progress on hypersonic technology; 
(6) the commercial sector could provide flight 
platforms and other capabilities that are able to host 
and support NASA hypersonic technology research 
projects; and 
(7) in carrying out hypersonic technology re-
search projects, the Administrator should— 
(A) focus research and development efforts 
on high-speed propulsion systems, reusable vehi-
cle technologies, high-temperature materials, and 
systems analysis; 
(B) coordinate with the Department of De-
fense to prevent duplication of efforts and of in-
vestments; 
(C) include partnerships with universities 
and industry to accomplish research goals; and 
(D) maximize public-private use of commer-
cially available platforms for hosting research 
and development flight projects.
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PART V—SPACE TECHNOLOGY 
SEC. 2653. SPACE TECHNOLOGY MISSION DIRECTORATE. 
(a) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—It is the sense of Congress 
that an independent Space Technology Mission Directorate 
is critical to ensuring continued investments in the develop-
ment of technologies for missions across the portfolio of 
NASA, including science, aeronautics, and human explo-
ration. 
(b) SPACE TECHNOLOGY MISSION DIRECTORATE.— 
The Administrator shall maintain a Space Technology Mis-
sion Directorate consistent with section 702 of the National 
Aeronautics and Space Administration Transition Author-
ization Act of 2017 (51 U.S.C. 20301 note). 
SEC. 2654. FLIGHT OPPORTUNITIES PROGRAM. 
(a) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—It is the sense of Congress 
that the Administrator should provide flight opportunities 
for payloads to microgravity environments and suborbital 
altitudes as required by section 907(c) of the National Aero-
nautics and Space Administration Authorization Act of 
2010 (42 U.S.C. 18405(c)), as amended by subsection (b). 
(b) ESTABLISHMENT.—Section 907(c) of the National 
Aeronautics and Space Administration Authorization Act 
of 2010 (42 U.S.C. 18405(c)) is amended to read as follows: 
‘‘(c) ESTABLISHMENT.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Administrator shall es-
tablish a Commercial Reusable Suborbital Research
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Program within the Space Technology Mission Direc-
torate to fund— 
‘‘(A) the development of payloads for sci-
entific research, technology development, and 
education; 
‘‘(B) flight opportunities for those payloads 
to microgravity environments and suborbital al-
titudes; and 
‘‘(C) transition of those payloads to orbital 
opportunities. 
‘‘(2) 
COMMERCIAL
REUSABLE
VEHICLE 
FLIGHTS.—In carrying out the Commercial Reusable 
Suborbital Research Program, the Administrator may 
fund engineering and integration demonstrations, 
proofs of concept, and educational experiments for 
flights of commercial reusable vehicles. 
‘‘(3) COMMERCIAL
SUBORBITAL
LAUNCH
VEHI-
CLES.—In carrying out the Commercial Reusable 
Suborbital Research Program, the Administrator may 
not fund the development of new commercial sub-
orbital launch vehicles. 
‘‘(4) WORKING WITH MISSION DIRECTORATES.— 
In carrying out the Commercial Reusable Suborbital 
Research Program, the Administrator shall work with
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the mission directorates of NASA to achieve the re-
search, technology, and education goals of NASA.’’. 
(c) CONFORMING AMENDMENT.—Section 907(b) of the 
National Aeronautics and Space Administration Author-
ization Act of 2010 (42 U.S.C. 18405(b)) is amended, in 
the first sentence, by striking ‘‘Commercial Reusable Sub-
orbital Research Program in’’ and inserting ‘‘Commercial 
Reusable Suborbital Research Program established under 
subsection (c)(1) within’’. 
SEC. 2655. SMALL SPACECRAFT TECHNOLOGY PROGRAM. 
(a) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—It is the sense of Congress 
that the Small Spacecraft Technology Program is impor-
tant for conducting science and technology validation for— 
(1) short- and long-duration missions in low- 
Earth orbit; 
(2) deep space missions; and 
(3) deorbiting capabilities designed specifically 
for smaller spacecraft. 
(b) ACCOMMODATION OF CERTAIN PAYLOADS.—In car-
rying out the Small Spacecraft Technology Program, the 
Administrator shall, as the mission risk posture and tech-
nology development objectives allow, accommodate science 
payloads that further the goal of long-term human explo-
ration to the Moon and Mars.
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† HR 4521 EAS 
SEC. 2656. NUCLEAR PROPULSION TECHNOLOGY. 
(a) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—It is the sense of Congress 
that nuclear propulsion is critical to the development of ad-
vanced spacecraft for civilian and national defense pur-
poses. 
(b) DEVELOPMENT; STUDIES.—The Administrator 
shall, in coordination with the Secretary of Energy and the 
Secretary of Defense— 
(1) continue to develop the fuel element design 
for NASA nuclear propulsion technology; 
(2) undertake the systems feasibility studies for 
such technology; and 
(3) partner with members of commercial indus-
try to conduct studies on such technology. 
(c) NUCLEAR PROPULSION TECHNOLOGY DEMONSTRA-
TION.— 
(1) DETERMINATION; REPORT.—Not later than 
December 31, 2022, the Administrator shall— 
(A) determine the correct approach for con-
ducting a flight demonstration of nuclear pro-
pulsion technology; and 
(B) submit to Congress a report on a plan 
for such a demonstration. 
(2) DEMONSTRATION.—Not later than December 
31, 2026, the Administrator shall conduct the flight 
demonstration described in paragraph (1).
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SEC. 2657. MARS-FORWARD TECHNOLOGIES. 
(a) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—It is the sense of Congress 
that the Administrator should pursue multiple technical 
paths for entry, descent, and landing for Mars, including 
competitively selected technology demonstration missions. 
(b) PRIORITIZATION OF LONG-LEAD TECHNOLOGIES 
AND SYSTEMS.—The Administrator shall prioritize, within 
the Space Technology Mission Directorate, research, testing, 
and development of long-lead technologies and systems for 
Mars, including technologies and systems relating to— 
(1) entry, descent, and landing; and 
(2) in-space propulsion, including nuclear pro-
pulsion, cryogenic fluid management, in-situ large- 
scale additive manufacturing, and electric propulsion 
(including solar electric propulsion leveraging lessons 
learned from the power and propulsion element of the 
lunar outpost) options. 
(c) TECHNOLOGY DEMONSTRATION.—The Adminis-
trator may use low-Earth orbit and cis-lunar missions, in-
cluding missions to the lunar surface, to demonstrate tech-
nologies for Mars. 
SEC. 2658. PRIORITIZATION OF LOW-ENRICHED URANIUM 
TECHNOLOGY. 
(a) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—It is the sense of Congress 
that—
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(5) the use of low-enriched uranium in place of 
highly enriched uranium has security, nonprolifera-
tion, and economic benefits, including for the na-
tional space program. 
(b) PRIORITIZATION
OF LOW-ENRICHED URANIUM 
TECHNOLOGY.—The Administrator shall— 
(1) establish, within the Space Technology Mis-
sion Directorate, a program for the research, testing, 
and development of in-space reactor designs, includ-
ing a surface power reactor, that uses low-enriched 
uranium fuel; and 
(2) prioritize the research, demonstration, and 
deployment of such designs over designs using highly 
enriched uranium fuel. 
(c) 
REPORT
ON
NUCLEAR
TECHNOLOGY 
PRIORITIZATION.—Not later than 120 days after the date 
of the enactment of this division, the Administrator shall 
submit to the appropriate committees of Congress a report 
that— 
(1) details the actions taken to implement sub-
section (b); and 
(2) identifies a plan and timeline under which 
such subsection will be implemented. 
(d) DEFINITIONS.—In this section:
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† HR 4521 EAS 
(1) HIGHLY
ENRICHED
URANIUM.—The term 
‘‘highly enriched uranium’’ means uranium having 
an assay of 20 percent or greater of the uranium-235 
isotope. 
(2) LOW-ENRICHED URANIUM.—The term ‘‘low- 
enriched uranium’’ means uranium having an assay 
greater than the assay for natural uranium but less 
than 20 percent of the uranium-235 isotope. 
SEC. 2659. SENSE OF CONGRESS ON NEXT-GENERATION 
COMMUNICATIONS TECHNOLOGY. 
It is the sense of Congress that— 
(1) optical communications technologies— 
(A) will be critical to the development of 
next-generation space-based communications net-
works; 
(B) have the potential to allow NASA to ex-
pand the volume of data transmissions in low- 
Earth orbit and deep space; and 
(C) may provide more secure and cost-effec-
tive solutions than current radio frequency com-
munications systems; 
(2) quantum encryption technology has prom-
ising implications for the security of the satellite and 
terrestrial communications networks of the United 
States, including optical communications networks,
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† HR 4521 EAS 
and further research and development by NASA with 
respect to quantum encryption is essential to main-
taining the security of the United States and United 
States leadership in space; and 
(3) in order to provide NASA with more secure 
and reliable space-based communications, the Space 
Communications and Navigation program office of 
NASA should continue— 
(A) to support research on and development 
of optical communications; and 
(B) to develop quantum encryption capa-
bilities, especially as those capabilities apply to 
optical communications networks. 
SEC. 2660. LUNAR SURFACE TECHNOLOGIES. 
(a) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—It is the sense of Congress 
that the Administrator should— 
(1) identify and develop the technologies needed 
to live on and explore the lunar surface and prepare 
for future operations on Mars; 
(2) convene teams of experts from academia, in-
dustry, and government to shape the technology devel-
opment priorities of the Administration for lunar 
surface exploration and habitation; and 
(3) establish partnerships with researchers, uni-
versities, and the private sector to rapidly develop
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and deploy technologies required for successful lunar 
surface exploration. 
(b) DEVELOPMENT AND DEMONSTRATION.—The Ad-
ministrator shall carry out a program, within the Space 
Technology Mission Directorate, to conduct technology de-
velopment and demonstrations to enable human and robotic 
exploration on the lunar surface. 
(c) RESEARCH
CONSORTIUM.—The Administrator 
shall establish a consortium consisting of experts from aca-
demia, industry, and government— 
(1) to assist the Administrator in developing a 
cohesive, executable strategy for the development and 
deployment of technologies required for successful 
lunar surface exploration; and 
(2) to identify specific technologies relating to 
lunar surface exploration that— 
(A) should be developed to facilitate such ex-
ploration; or 
(B) require future research and develop-
ment. 
(d) RESEARCH AWARDS.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—The Administrator may task 
any member of the research consortium established 
under subsection (c) with conducting research and de-
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velopment with respect to a technology identified 
under paragraph (2) of that subsection. 
(2) STANDARD PROCESS FOR ARRANGEMENTS.— 
(A) IN GENERAL.—The Administrator shall 
develop a standard process by which a consor-
tium member tasked with research and develop-
ment under paragraph (1) may enter into a for-
mal arrangement with the Administrator to 
carry out such research and development, such as 
an arrangement under section 2666 or 2667. 
(B) REPORT.—Not later than 120 days 
after the date of the enactment of this division, 
the Administrator shall submit to the appro-
priate committees of Congress a report on the 
one or more types of arrangement the Adminis-
trator intends to enter into under this subsection. 
PART VI—STEM ENGAGEMENT 
SEC. 2661. SENSE OF CONGRESS. 
It is the sense of Congress that— 
(1) NASA serves as a source of inspiration to the 
people of the United States; and 
(2) NASA is uniquely positioned to help increase 
student interest in science, technology, engineering, 
and math;
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(3) engaging students, and providing hands-on 
experience at an early age, in science, technology, en-
gineering, and math are important aspects of ensur-
ing and promoting United States leadership in inno-
vation; and 
(4) NASA should strive to leverage its unique po-
sition— 
(A) to increase kindergarten through grade 
12 involvement in NASA projects; 
(B) to enhance higher education in STEM 
fields in the United States; 
(C) to support individuals who are under-
represented in science, technology, engineering, 
and math fields, such as women, minorities, and 
individuals in rural areas; and 
(D) to provide flight opportunities for stu-
dent experiments and investigations. 
SEC. 2662. STEM EDUCATION ENGAGEMENT ACTIVITIES. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—The Administrator shall continue 
to provide opportunities for formal and informal STEM 
education engagement activities within the Office of NASA 
STEM Engagement and other NASA directorates, includ-
ing— 
(1) the Established Program to Stimulate Com-
petitive Research;
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(2) the Minority University Research and Edu-
cation Project; and 
(3) the National Space Grant College and Fel-
lowship Program. 
(b) LEVERAGING NASA NATIONAL PROGRAMS TO PRO-
MOTE STEM EDUCATION.—The Administrator, in partner-
ship with museums, nonprofit organizations, and commer-
cial entities, shall, to the maximum extent practicable, le-
verage human spaceflight missions, Deep Space Explo-
ration Systems (including the Space Launch System, 
Orion, and Exploration Ground Systems), and NASA 
science programs to engage students at the kindergarten 
through grade 12 and higher education levels to pursue 
learning and career opportunities in STEM fields. 
(c) BRIEFING.—Not later than 1 year after the date 
of the enactment of this division, the Administrator shall 
brief the appropriate committees of Congress on— 
(1) the status of the programs described in sub-
section (a); and 
(2) the manner by which each NASA STEM edu-
cation engagement activity is organized and funded. 
(d) STEM EDUCATION DEFINED.—In this section, the 
term ‘‘STEM education’’ has the meaning given the term 
in section 2 of the STEM Education Act of 2015 (Public 
Law 114–59; 42 U.S.C. 6621 note).
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† HR 4521 EAS 
SEC. 2663. SKILLED TECHNICAL EDUCATION OUTREACH 
PROGRAM. 
(a) ESTABLISHMENT.—The Administrator shall estab-
lish a program to conduct outreach to secondary school stu-
dents— 
(1) to expose students to careers that require ca-
reer and technical education; and 
(2) to encourage students to pursue careers that 
require career and technical education. 
(b) OUTREACH PLAN.—Not later than 180 days after 
the date of the enactment of this division, the Administrator 
shall submit to the appropriate committees of Congress a 
report on the outreach program under subsection (a) that 
includes— 
(1) an implementation plan; 
(2) a description of the resources needed to carry 
out the program; and 
(3) any recommendations on expanding outreach 
to secondary school students interested in skilled tech-
nical occupations. 
(c) SYSTEMS OBSERVATION.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—The Administrator shall de-
velop a program and associated policies to allow stu-
dents from accredited educational institutions to view 
the manufacturing, assembly, and testing of NASA-
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† HR 4521 EAS 
funded space and aeronautical systems, as the Ad-
ministrator considers appropriate. 
(2) CONSIDERATIONS.—In developing the pro-
gram and policies under paragraph (1), the Adminis-
trator shall take into consideration factors such as 
workplace safety, mission needs, and the protection of 
sensitive and proprietary technologies. 
SEC. 2664. NATIONAL SPACE GRANT COLLEGE AND FELLOW-
SHIP PROGRAM. 
(a) PURPOSES.—Section 40301 of title 51, United 
States Code, is amended— 
(1) in paragraph (3)— 
(A) in subparagraph (B), by striking ‘‘and’’ 
at the end; 
(B) in subparagraph (C), by adding ‘‘and’’ 
after the semicolon at the end; and 
(C) by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(D) promote equally the State and re-
gional STEM interests of each space grant con-
sortium;’’; and 
(2) in paragraph (4), by striking ‘‘made up of 
university and industry members, in order to ad-
vance’’ and inserting ‘‘comprised of members of uni-
versities in each State and other entities, such as 2-
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† HR 4521 EAS 
year colleges, industries, science learning centers, mu-
seums, and government entities, to advance’’. 
(b) DEFINITIONS.—Section 40302 of title 51, United 
States Code, is amended— 
(1) by striking paragraph (3); 
(2) by inserting after paragraph (2) the fol-
lowing: 
‘‘(3) LEAD INSTITUTION.—The term ‘lead insti-
tution’ means an entity in a State that— 
‘‘(A) was designated by the Administrator 
under section 40306, as in effect on the day be-
fore the date of the enactment of the National 
Aeronautics and Space Administration Author-
ization Act of 2021; or 
‘‘(B) is designated by the Administrator 
under section 40303(d)(3).’’; 
(3) in paragraph (4), by striking ‘‘space grant 
college, space grant regional consortium, institution of 
higher education,’’ and inserting ‘‘lead institution, 
space grant consortium,’’; 
(4) by striking paragraphs (6), (7), and (8); 
(5) by inserting after paragraph (5) the fol-
lowing: 
‘‘(6) SPACE
GRANT
CONSORTIUM.—The term 
‘space grant consortium’ means a State-wide group,
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† HR 4521 EAS 
led by a lead institution, that has established partner-
ships with other academic institutions, industries, 
science learning centers, museums, and government 
entities to promote a strong educational base in the 
space and aeronautical sciences.’’; 
(6) by redesignating paragraph (9) as para-
graph (7); 
(7) in paragraph (7)(B), as so redesignated, by 
inserting ‘‘and aeronautics’’ after ‘‘space’’; 
(8) by striking paragraph (10); and 
(9) by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(8) STEM.—The term ‘STEM’ means science, 
technology, engineering, and mathematics.’’. 
(c) PROGRAM OBJECTIVE.—Section 40303 of title 51, 
United States Code, is amended— 
(1) by striking subsections (d) and (e); 
(2) by redesignating subsection (c) as subsection 
(e); and 
(3) by striking subsection (b) and inserting the 
following: 
‘‘(b) PROGRAM OBJECTIVE.— 
‘‘(1) IN
GENERAL.—The Administrator shall 
carry out the national space grant college and fellow-
ship program with the objective of providing hands- 
on research, training, and education programs with
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† HR 4521 EAS 
measurable outcomes in each State, including pro-
grams to provide— 
‘‘(A) internships, fellowships, and scholar-
ships; 
‘‘(B) interdisciplinary hands-on mission 
programs and design projects; 
‘‘(C) student internships with industry or 
university researchers or at centers of the Ad-
ministration; 
‘‘(D) faculty and curriculum development 
initiatives; 
‘‘(E) university-based research initiatives 
relating to the Administration and the STEM 
workforce needs of each State; or 
‘‘(F) STEM engagement programs for kin-
dergarten through grade 12 teachers and stu-
dents. 
‘‘(2) PROGRAM PRIORITIES.—In carrying out the 
objective described in paragraph (1), the Adminis-
trator shall ensure that each program carried out by 
a space grant consortium under the national space 
grant college and fellowship program balances the fol-
lowing priorities:
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† HR 4521 EAS 
‘‘(A) The space and aeronautics research 
needs of the Administration, including the mis-
sion directorates. 
‘‘(B) The need to develop a national STEM 
workforce. 
‘‘(C) The STEM workforce needs of the 
State. 
‘‘(c) PROGRAM
ADMINISTERED
THROUGH
SPACE 
GRANT CONSORTIA.—The Administrator shall carry out the 
national space grant college and fellowship program 
through the space grant consortia. 
‘‘(d) SUSPENSION; TERMINATION; NEW
COMPETI-
TION.— 
‘‘(1) SUSPENSION.—The Administrator may, for 
cause and after an opportunity for hearing, suspend 
a lead institution that was designated by the Admin-
istrator under section 40306, as in effect on the day 
before the date of the enactment of the National Aero-
nautics and Space Administration Authorization Act 
of 2021. 
‘‘(2) TERMINATION.—If the issue resulting in a 
suspension under paragraph (1) is not resolved with-
in a period determined by the Administrator, the Ad-
ministrator may terminate the designation of the en-
tity as a lead institution.
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† HR 4521 EAS 
‘‘(3) NEW COMPETITION.—If the Administrator 
terminates the designation of an entity as a lead in-
stitution, the Administrator may initiate a new com-
petition in the applicable State for the designation of 
a lead institution.’’. 
(d) GRANTS.—Section 40304 of title 51, United States 
Code, is amended to read as follows: 
‘‘§ 40304. Grants 
‘‘(a) ELIGIBLE
SPACE
GRANT
CONSORTIUM
DE-
FINED.—In this section, the term ‘eligible space grant con-
sortium’ means a space grant consortium that the Adminis-
trator has determined— 
‘‘(1) has the capability and objective to carry out 
not fewer than 3 of the 6 programs under section 
40303(b)(1); 
‘‘(2) will carry out programs that balance the 
priorities described in section 40303(b)(2); and 
‘‘(3) is engaged in research, training, and edu-
cation relating to space and aeronautics. 
‘‘(b) GRANTS.— 
‘‘(1) IN
GENERAL.—The Administrator shall 
award grants to the lead institutions of eligible space 
grant consortia to carry out the programs under sec-
tion 40303(b)(1). 
‘‘(2) REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS.—
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† HR 4521 EAS 
‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—On the expiration of 
existing cooperative agreements between the Ad-
ministration and the space grant consortia, the 
Administrator shall issue a request for proposals 
from space grant consortia for the award of 
grants under this section. 
‘‘(B) APPLICATIONS.—A lead institution of 
a space grant consortium that seeks a grant 
under this section shall submit, on behalf of such 
space grant consortium, an application to the 
Administrator at such time, in such manner, 
and accompanied by such information as the Ad-
ministrator may require. 
‘‘(3) GRANT AWARDS.—The Administrator shall 
award 1 or more 5-year grants, disbursed in annual 
installments, to the lead institution of the eligible 
space grant consortium of— 
‘‘(A) each State; 
‘‘(B) the District of Columbia; and 
‘‘(C) the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. 
‘‘(4) USE OF FUNDS.—A grant awarded under 
this section shall be used by an eligible space grant 
consortium to carry out not fewer than 3 of the 6 pro-
grams under section 40303(b)(1). 
‘‘(c) ALLOCATION OF FUNDING.—
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† HR 4521 EAS 
‘‘(1) PROGRAM IMPLEMENTATION.— 
‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—To carry out the objec-
tive described in section 40303(b)(1), of the funds 
made available each fiscal year for the national 
space grant college and fellowship program, the 
Administrator shall allocate not less than 85 per-
cent as follows: 
‘‘(i) The 52 eligible space grant con-
sortia shall each receive an equal share. 
‘‘(ii) The territories of Guam and the 
United States Virgin Islands shall each re-
ceive funds equal to approximately 1⁄5 of the 
share for each eligible space grant consortia. 
‘‘(B) MATCHING REQUIREMENT.—Each eli-
gible space grant consortium shall match the 
funds allocated under subparagraph (A)(i) on a 
basis of not less than 1 non-Federal dollar for 
every 1 Federal dollar, except that any program 
funded under paragraph (3) or any program to 
carry out 1 or more internships or fellowships 
shall not be subject to that matching require-
ment. 
‘‘(2) PROGRAM ADMINISTRATION.— 
‘‘(A) IN
GENERAL.—Of the funds made 
available each fiscal year for the national space
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† HR 4521 EAS 
grant college and fellowship program, the Ad-
ministrator shall allocate not more than 10 per-
cent for the administration of the program. 
‘‘(B) COSTS COVERED.—The funds allocated 
under subparagraph (A) shall cover all costs of 
the Administration associated with the adminis-
tration of the national space grant college and 
fellowship program, including— 
‘‘(i) direct costs of the program, includ-
ing costs relating to support services and 
civil service salaries and benefits; 
‘‘(ii) indirect general and administra-
tive costs of centers and facilities of the Ad-
ministration; and 
‘‘(iii) indirect general and administra-
tive costs of the Administration head-
quarters. 
‘‘(3) SPECIAL PROGRAMS.—Of the funds made 
available each fiscal year for the national space grant 
college and fellowship program, the Administrator 
shall allocate not more than 5 percent to the lead in-
stitutions of space grant consortia established as of 
the date of the enactment of the National Aeronautics 
and Space Administration Authorization Act of 2021 
for grants to carry out innovative approaches and
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† HR 4521 EAS 
programs to further science and education relating to 
the missions of the Administration and STEM dis-
ciplines. 
‘‘(d) TERMS AND CONDITIONS.— 
‘‘(1) LIMITATIONS.—Amounts made available 
through a grant under this section may not be ap-
plied to— 
‘‘(A) the purchase of land; 
‘‘(B) the purchase, construction, preserva-
tion, or repair of a building; or 
‘‘(C) the purchase or construction of a 
launch facility or launch vehicle. 
‘‘(2) LEASES.—Notwithstanding paragraph (1), 
land, buildings, launch facilities, and launch vehicles 
may be leased under a grant on written approval by 
the Administrator. 
‘‘(3) RECORDS.— 
‘‘(A) IN
GENERAL.—Any person that re-
ceives or uses the proceeds of a grant under this 
section shall keep such records as the Adminis-
trator shall by regulation prescribe as being nec-
essary and appropriate to facilitate effective 
audit and evaluation, including records that 
fully disclose the amount and disposition by a 
recipient of such proceeds, the total cost of the
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† HR 4521 EAS 
program or project in connection with which 
such proceeds were used, and the amount, if any, 
of such cost that was provided through other 
sources. 
‘‘(B) MAINTENANCE OF RECORDS.—Records 
under subparagraph (A) shall be maintained for 
not less than 3 years after the date of completion 
of such a program or project. 
‘‘(C) ACCESS.—For the purpose of audit 
and evaluation, the Administrator and the 
Comptroller General of the United States shall 
have access to any books, documents, papers, and 
records of receipts relating to a grant under this 
section, as determined by the Administrator or 
Comptroller General.’’. 
(e) PROGRAM STREAMLINING.—Title 51, United States 
Code, is amended— 
(1) by striking sections 40305 through 40308, 
40310, and 40311; and 
(2) by redesignating section 40309 as section 
40305. 
(f) CONFORMING AMENDMENT.—The table of sections 
at the beginning of chapter 403 of title 51, United States 
Code, is amended by striking the items relating to sections 
40304 through 40311 and inserting the following:
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† HR 4521 EAS 
‘‘40304. Grants. 
‘‘40305. Availability of other Federal personnel and data.’’. 
PART VII—WORKFORCE AND INDUSTRIAL BASE 
SEC. 2665. APPOINTMENT AND COMPENSATION PILOT PRO-
GRAM. 
(a) DEFINITION OF COVERED PROVISIONS.—In this 
section, the term ‘‘covered provisions’’ means the provisions 
of title 5, United States Code, other than— 
(1) section 2301 of that title; 
(2) section 2302 of that title; 
(3) chapter 71 of that title; 
(4) section 7204 of that title; and 
(5) chapter 73 of that title. 
(b) ESTABLISHMENT.—There is established a 3-year 
pilot program under which, notwithstanding section 20113 
of title 51, United States Code, the Administrator may, 
with respect to not more than 3,000 designated personnel— 
(1) appoint and manage such designated per-
sonnel of the Administration, without regard to the 
covered provisions; and 
(2) fix the compensation of such designated per-
sonnel of the Administration, without regard to chap-
ter 51 and subchapter III of chapter 53 of title 5, 
United States Code, at a rate that does not exceed the 
per annum rate of salary of the Vice President of the
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† HR 4521 EAS 
United States under section 104 of title 3, United 
States Code. 
(c) ADMINISTRATOR RESPONSIBILITIES.—In carrying 
out the pilot program established under subsection (b), the 
Administrator shall ensure that the pilot program— 
(1) uses— 
(A) state-of-the-art recruitment techniques; 
(B) simplified classification methods with 
respect to personnel of the Administration; and 
(C) broad banding; and 
(2) offers— 
(A) competitive compensation; and 
(B) the opportunity for career mobility. 
SEC. 2666. ESTABLISHMENT OF MULTI-INSTITUTION CON-
SORTIA. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—The Administrator, pursuant to 
section 2304(c)(3)(B) of title 10, United States Code, 
may— 
(1) establish one or more multi-institution con-
sortia to facilitate access to essential engineering, re-
search, and development capabilities in support of 
NASA missions; 
(2) use such a consortium to fund technical anal-
yses and other engineering support to address the ac-
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† HR 4521 EAS 
quisition, technical, and operational needs of NASA 
centers; and 
(3) ensure such a consortium— 
(A) is held accountable for the technical 
quality of the work product developed under this 
section; and 
(B) convenes disparate groups to facilitate 
public-private partnerships. 
(b) POLICIES AND PROCEDURES.—The Administrator 
shall develop and implement policies and procedures to gov-
ern, with respect to the establishment of a consortium under 
subsection (a)— 
(1) the selection of participants; 
(2) the award of cooperative agreements or other 
contracts; 
(3) the appropriate use of competitive awards 
and sole source awards; and 
(4) technical capabilities required. 
(c) ELIGIBILITY.—The following entities shall be eligi-
ble to participate in a consortium established under sub-
section (a): 
(1) An institution of higher education (as de-
fined in section 102 of the Higher Education Act of 
1965 (20 U.S.C. 1002)).
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† HR 4521 EAS 
(2) An operator of a federally funded research 
and development center. 
(3) A nonprofit or not-for-profit research institu-
tion. 
(4) A consortium composed of— 
(A) an entity described in paragraph (1), 
(2), or (3); and 
(B) one or more for-profit entities. 
SEC. 2667. EXPEDITED ACCESS TO TECHNICAL TALENT AND 
EXPERTISE. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—The Administrator may— 
(1) establish one or more multi-institution task 
order contracts, consortia, cooperative agreements, or 
other arrangements to facilitate expedited access to el-
igible entities in support of NASA missions; and 
(2) use such a multi-institution task order con-
tract, consortium, cooperative agreement, or other ar-
rangement to fund technical analyses and other engi-
neering support to address the acquisition, technical, 
and operational needs of NASA centers. 
(b) CONSULTATION WITH OTHER NASA-AFFILIATED 
ENTITIES.—To ensure access to technical expertise and re-
duce costs and duplicative efforts, a multi-institution task 
order contract, consortium, cooperative agreement, or any 
other arrangement established under subsection (a)(1) shall,
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† HR 4521 EAS 
to the maximum extent practicable, be carried out in con-
sultation with other NASA-affiliated entities, including fed-
erally funded research and development centers, university- 
affiliated research centers, and NASA laboratories and test 
centers. 
(c) POLICIES AND PROCEDURES.—The Administrator 
shall develop and implement policies and procedures to gov-
ern, with respect to the establishment of a multi-institution 
task order contract, consortium, cooperative agreement, or 
any other arrangement under subsection (a)(1)— 
(1) the selection of participants; 
(2) the award of task orders; 
(3) the maximum award size for a task; 
(4) the appropriate use of competitive awards 
and sole source awards; and 
(5) technical capabilities required. 
(d) ELIGIBLE ENTITY DEFINED.—In this section, the 
term ‘‘eligible entity’’ means— 
(1) an institution of higher education (as defined 
in section 102 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 
(20 U.S.C. 1002)); 
(2) an operator of a federally funded research 
and development center; 
(3) a nonprofit or not-for-profit research institu-
tion; and
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† HR 4521 EAS 
(4) a consortium composed of— 
(A) an entity described in paragraph (1), 
(2), or (3); and 
(B) one or more for-profit entities. 
SEC. 2668. REPORT ON INDUSTRIAL BASE FOR CIVIL SPACE 
MISSIONS AND OPERATIONS. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 1 year after the date 
of the enactment of this division, and from time to time 
thereafter, the Administrator shall submit to the appro-
priate committees of Congress a report on the United States 
industrial base for NASA civil space missions and oper-
ations. 
(b) ELEMENTS.—The report required by subsection (a) 
shall include the following: 
(1) A comprehensive description of the current 
status of the United States industrial base for NASA 
civil space missions and operations. 
(2) A description and assessment of the weak-
nesses in the supply chain, skills, manufacturing ca-
pacity, raw materials, key components, and other 
areas of the United States industrial base for NASA 
civil space missions and operations that could ad-
versely impact such missions and operations if un-
available.
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(3) A description and assessment of various 
mechanisms to address and mitigate the weaknesses 
described pursuant to paragraph (2). 
(4) A comprehensive list of the collaborative ef-
forts, including future and proposed collaborative ef-
forts, between NASA and the Manufacturing USA in-
stitutes of the Department of Commerce. 
(5) An assessment of— 
(A) the defense and aerospace manufac-
turing supply chains relevant to NASA in each 
region of the United States; and 
(B) the feasibility and benefits of estab-
lishing a supply chain center of excellence in a 
State in which NASA does not, as of the date of 
the enactment of this division, have a research 
center or test facility. 
(6) Such other matters relating to the United 
States industrial base for NASA civil space missions 
and operations as the Administrator considers appro-
priate. 
SEC. 2669. SEPARATIONS AND RETIREMENT INCENTIVES. 
Section 20113 of title 51, United States Code, is 
amended by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(o) PROVISIONS RELATED TO SEPARATION AND RE-
TIREMENT INCENTIVES.—
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‘‘(1) DEFINITION.—In this subsection, the term 
‘employee’— 
‘‘(A) means an employee of the Administra-
tion serving under an appointment without time 
limitation; and 
‘‘(B) does not include— 
‘‘(i) a reemployed annuitant under 
subchapter III of chapter 83 or chapter 84 
of title 5 or any other retirement system for 
employees of the Federal Government; 
‘‘(ii) an employee having a disability 
on the basis of which such employee is or 
would be eligible for disability retirement 
under any of the retirement systems referred 
to in clause (i); or 
‘‘(iii) for purposes of eligibility for sep-
aration incentives under this subsection, an 
employee who is in receipt of a decision no-
tice of involuntary separation for mis-
conduct or unacceptable performance. 
‘‘(2) AUTHORITY.—The Administrator may es-
tablish a program under which employees may be eli-
gible for early retirement, offered separation incentive 
pay to separate from service voluntarily, or both. This 
authority may be used to reduce the number of per-
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sonnel employed or to restructure the workforce to 
meet mission objectives without reducing the overall 
number of personnel. This authority is in addition to, 
and notwithstanding, any other authorities estab-
lished by law or regulation for such programs. 
‘‘(3) EARLY RETIREMENT.—An employee who is 
at least 50 years of age and has completed 20 years 
of service, or has at least 25 years of service, may, 
pursuant to regulations promulgated under this sub-
section, apply and be retired from the Administration 
and receive benefits in accordance with subchapter III 
of chapter 83 or 84 of title 5 if the employee has been 
employed continuously within the Administration for 
more than 30 days before the date on which the deter-
mination to conduct a reduction or restructuring 
within 1 or more Administration centers is approved. 
‘‘(4) SEPARATION PAY.— 
‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—Separation pay shall be 
paid in a lump sum or in installments and shall 
be equal to the lesser of— 
‘‘(i) an amount equal to the amount 
the employee would be entitled to receive 
under section 5595(c) of title 5, if the em-
ployee were entitled to payment under such 
section; or
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† HR 4521 EAS 
‘‘(ii) $40,000. 
‘‘(B) LIMITATIONS.—Separation pay shall 
not be a basis for payment, and shall not be in-
cluded in the computation, of any other type of 
Government benefit. Separation pay shall not be 
taken into account for the purpose of deter-
mining the amount of any severance pay to 
which an individual may be entitled under sec-
tion 5595 of title 5, based on any other separa-
tion. 
‘‘(C) INSTALLMENTS.—Separation pay, if 
paid in installments, shall cease to be paid upon 
the recipient’s acceptance of employment by the 
Federal Government, or commencement of work 
under a personal services contract as described 
in paragraph (5). 
‘‘(5) LIMITATIONS ON REEMPLOYMENT.— 
‘‘(A) An employee who receives separation 
pay under such program may not be reemployed 
by the Administration for a 12-month period be-
ginning on the effective date of the employee’s 
separation, unless this prohibition is waived by 
the Administrator on a case-by-case basis. 
‘‘(B) An employee who receives separation 
pay under this section on the basis of a separa-
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† HR 4521 EAS 
tion and accepts employment with the Govern-
ment of the United States, or who commences 
work through a personal services contract with 
the United States within 5 years after the date 
of the separation on which payment of the sepa-
ration pay is based, shall be required to repay 
the entire amount of the separation pay to the 
Administration. If the employment is with an 
Executive agency (as defined by section 105 of 
title 5) other than the Administration, the Ad-
ministrator may, at the request of the head of 
that agency, waive the repayment if the indi-
vidual involved possesses unique abilities and is 
the only qualified applicant available for the po-
sition. If the employment is within the Adminis-
tration, the Administrator may waive the repay-
ment if the individual involved is the only quali-
fied applicant available for the position. If the 
employment is with an entity in the legislative 
branch, the head of the entity or the appointing 
official may waive the repayment if the indi-
vidual involved possesses unique abilities and is 
the only qualified applicant available for the po-
sition. If the employment is with the judicial 
branch, the Director of the Administrative Office
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† HR 4521 EAS 
of the United States Courts may waive the re-
payment if the individual involved possesses 
unique abilities and is the only qualified appli-
cant available for the position. 
‘‘(6) REGULATIONS.—Under the program estab-
lished under paragraph (2), early retirement and sep-
aration pay may be offered only pursuant to regula-
tions established by the Administrator, subject to such 
limitations or conditions as the Administrator may 
require. 
‘‘(7) USE OF EXISTING FUNDS.—The Adminis-
trator shall carry out this subsection using amounts 
otherwise made available to the Administrator and no 
additional funds are authorized to be appropriated to 
carry out this subsection.’’. 
SEC. 2670. CONFIDENTIALITY OF MEDICAL QUALITY ASSUR-
ANCE RECORDS. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Chapter 313 of title 51, United 
States Code, is amended by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘§ 31303. Confidentiality of medical quality assurance 
records 
‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—Except as provided in subsection 
(b)(1)— 
‘‘(1) a medical quality assurance record, or any 
part of a medical quality assurance record, may not
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† HR 4521 EAS 
be subject to discovery or admitted into evidence in a 
judicial or administrative proceeding; and 
‘‘(2) an individual who reviews or creates a med-
ical quality assurance record for the Administration, 
or participates in any proceeding that reviews or cre-
ates a medical quality assurance record, may not tes-
tify in a judicial or administrative proceeding with 
respect to— 
‘‘(A) the medical quality assurance record; 
or 
‘‘(B) any finding, recommendation, evalua-
tion, opinion, or action taken by such individual 
or in accordance with such proceeding with re-
spect to the medical quality assurance record. 
‘‘(b) DISCLOSURE OF RECORDS.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Notwithstanding subsection 
(a), a medical quality assurance record may be dis-
closed to— 
‘‘(A) a Federal agency or private entity, if 
the medical quality assurance record is necessary 
for the Federal agency or private entity to carry 
out— 
‘‘(i) licensing or accreditation func-
tions relating to Administration healthcare 
facilities; or
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† HR 4521 EAS 
‘‘(ii) monitoring of Administration 
healthcare facilities required by law; 
‘‘(B) a Federal agency or healthcare pro-
vider, if the medical quality assurance record is 
required by the Federal agency or healthcare 
provider to enable Administration participation 
in a healthcare program of the Federal agency or 
healthcare provider; 
‘‘(C) a criminal or civil law enforcement 
agency, or an instrumentality authorized by law 
to protect the public health or safety, on written 
request by a qualified representative of such 
agency or instrumentality submitted to the Ad-
ministrator that includes a description of the 
lawful purpose for which the medical quality as-
surance record is requested; 
‘‘(D) an officer, an employee, or a con-
tractor of the Administration who requires the 
medical quality assurance record to carry out an 
official duty associated with healthcare; 
‘‘(E) healthcare personnel, to the extent nec-
essary to address a medical emergency affecting 
the health or safety of an individual; and 
‘‘(F) any committee, panel, or board con-
vened by the Administration to review the
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† HR 4521 EAS 
healthcare-related policies and practices of the 
Administration. 
‘‘(2) SUBSEQUENT DISCLOSURE PROHIBITED.— 
An individual or entity to whom a medical quality 
assurance record has been disclosed under paragraph 
(1) may not make a subsequent disclosure of the med-
ical quality assurance record. 
‘‘(c) PERSONALLY IDENTIFIABLE INFORMATION.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Except as provided in para-
graph (2), the personally identifiable information 
contained in a medical quality assurance record of a 
patient or an employee of the Administration, or any 
other individual associated with the Administration 
for purposes of a medical quality assurance program, 
shall be removed before the disclosure of the medical 
quality assurance record to an entity other than the 
Administration. 
‘‘(2) EXCEPTION.— Personally identifiable infor-
mation described in paragraph (1) may be released to 
an entity other than the Administration if the Ad-
ministrator makes a determination that the release of 
such personally identifiable information— 
‘‘(A) is in the best interests of the Adminis-
tration; and
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‘‘(B) does not constitute an unwarranted 
invasion of personal privacy. 
‘‘(d) EXCLUSION FROM FOIA.—A medical quality as-
surance record may not be made available to any person 
under section 552 of title 5, United States Code (commonly 
referred to as the ‘Freedom of Information Act’), and this 
section shall be considered a statute described in subsection 
(b)(3)(B) of such section 522. 
‘‘(e) REGULATIONS.—Not later than one year after the 
date of the enactment of this section, the Administrator 
shall promulgate regulations to implement this section. 
‘‘(f) RULES OF CONSTRUCTION.—Nothing in this sec-
tion shall be construed— 
‘‘(1) to withhold a medical quality assurance 
record from a committee of the Senate or House of 
Representatives or a joint committee of Congress if 
the medical quality assurance record relates to a mat-
ter within the jurisdiction of such committee or joint 
committee; or 
‘‘(2) to limit the use of a medical quality assur-
ance record within the Administration, including the 
use by a contractor or consultant of the Administra-
tion. 
‘‘(g) DEFINITIONS.—In this section:
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† HR 4521 EAS 
‘‘(1) MEDICAL QUALITY ASSURANCE RECORD.— 
The term ‘medical quality assurance record’ means 
any proceeding, discussion, record, finding, rec-
ommendation, evaluation, opinion, minutes, report, 
or other document or action that results from a qual-
ity assurance committee, quality assurance program, 
or quality assurance program activity. 
‘‘(2) QUALITY ASSURANCE PROGRAM.— 
‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—The term ‘quality as-
surance program’ means a comprehensive pro-
gram of the Administration— 
‘‘(i) to systematically review and im-
prove the quality of medical and behavioral 
health services provided by the Administra-
tion to ensure the safety and security of in-
dividuals receiving such health services; and 
‘‘(ii) to evaluate and improve the effi-
ciency, effectiveness, and use of staff and re-
sources in the delivery of such health serv-
ices. 
‘‘(B) INCLUSION.—The term ‘quality assur-
ance program’ includes any activity carried out 
by or for the Administration to assess the quality 
of medical care provided by the Administra-
tion.’’.
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† HR 4521 EAS 
‘‘(iii) does not compete with the com-
mercial space activities of other such enti-
ties; and 
‘‘(B) the Administration has full reimburs-
able funding from the entity that requested sup-
plies, support, and services prior to making any 
obligation for the delivery of such supplies, sup-
port, or services under an Administration pro-
curement contract or any other agreement.’’. 
SEC. 2672. AUTHORITY FOR TRANSACTION PROTOTYPE 
PROJECTS AND FOLLOW-ON PRODUCTION 
CONTRACTS. 
Section 20113 of title 51, United States Code, as 
amended by section 2671, is further amended by adding at 
the end the following: 
‘‘(p) TRANSACTION PROTOTYPE PROJECTS AND FOL-
LOW-ON PRODUCTION CONTRACTS.— 
‘‘(1) IN
GENERAL.—The Administration may 
enter into a transaction (other than a contract, coop-
erative agreement, or grant) to carry out a prototype 
project that is directly relevant to enhancing the mis-
sion effectiveness of the Administration. 
‘‘(2) SUBSEQUENT AWARD OF FOLLOW-ON PRO-
DUCTION
CONTRACT.—A transaction entered into 
under this subsection for a prototype project may pro-
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† HR 4521 EAS 
vide for the subsequent award of a follow-on produc-
tion contract to participants in the transaction. 
‘‘(3) INCLUSION.—A transaction under this sub-
section includes a project awarded to an individual 
participant and to all individual projects awarded to 
a consortium of United States industry and academic 
institutions. 
‘‘(4) DETERMINATION.—The authority of this 
section may be exercised for a transaction for a proto-
type project and any follow-on production contract, 
upon a determination by the head of the contracting 
activity, in accordance with Administration policies, 
that— 
‘‘(A) circumstances justify use of a trans-
action to provide an innovative business ar-
rangement that would not be feasible or appro-
priate under a contract; and 
‘‘(B) the use of the authority of this section 
is essential to promoting the success of the proto-
type project. 
‘‘(5) COMPETITIVE PROCEDURE.— 
‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—To the maximum ex-
tent practicable, the Administrator shall use 
competitive procedures with respect to entering
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† HR 4521 EAS 
into a transaction to carry out a prototype 
project. 
‘‘(B) EXCEPTION.—Notwithstanding section 
2304 of title 10, United States Code, a follow-on 
production contract may be awarded to the par-
ticipants in the prototype transaction without 
the use of competitive procedures, if— 
‘‘(i) competitive procedures were used 
for the selection of parties for participation 
in the prototype transaction; and 
‘‘(ii) the participants in the trans-
action successfully completed the prototype 
project provided for in the transaction. 
‘‘(6) COST SHARE.—A transaction to carry out 
a prototype project and a follow-on production con-
tract may require that part of the total cost of the 
transaction or contract be paid by the participant or 
contractor from a source other than the Federal Gov-
ernment. 
‘‘(7) PROCUREMENT
ETHICS.—A transaction 
under this authority shall be considered an agency 
procurement for purposes of chapter 21 of title 41, 
United States Code, with regard to procurement eth-
ics.’’.
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† HR 4521 EAS 
SEC. 2673. PROTECTION OF DATA AND INFORMATION FROM 
PUBLIC DISCLOSURE. 
(a) CERTAIN TECHNICAL DATA.—Section 20131 of 
title 51, United States Code, is amended— 
(1) by redesignating subsection (c) as subsection 
(d); 
(2) in subsection (a)(3), by striking ‘‘subsection 
(b)’’ and inserting ‘‘subsection (b) or (c)’’; 
(3) by inserting after subsection (b) the fol-
lowing: 
‘‘(c) SPECIAL HANDLING
OF CERTAIN TECHNICAL 
DATA.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Administrator may pro-
vide appropriate protections against the public dis-
semination of certain technical data, including ex-
emption from subchapter II of chapter 5 of title 5. 
‘‘(2) DEFINITIONS.—In this subsection: 
‘‘(A) CERTAIN TECHNICAL DATA.—The term 
‘certain technical data’ means technical data 
that may not be exported lawfully outside the 
United States without approval, authorization, 
or license under— 
‘‘(i) the Export Control Reform Act of 
2018 (Public Law 115–232; 132 Stat. 
2208); or
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† HR 4521 EAS 
‘‘(ii) the International Security Assist-
ance and Arms Export Control Act of 1976 
(Public Law 94–329; 90 Stat. 729). 
‘‘(B) TECHNICAL
DATA.—The term ‘tech-
nical data’ means any blueprint, drawing, pho-
tograph, plan, instruction, computer software, or 
documentation, or any other technical informa-
tion.’’; 
(4) in subsection (d), as so redesignated, by in-
serting ‘‘, including any data,’’ after ‘‘information’’; 
and 
(5) by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(e) EXCLUSION FROM FOIA.—This shall be consid-
ered a statute described in subsection (b)(3)(B) of 552 of 
title 5 (commonly referred to as the ‘Freedom of Informa-
tion Act’).’’. 
(b) CERTAIN VOLUNTARILY PROVIDED SAFETY-RE-
LATED INFORMATION.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—The Administrator shall pro-
vide appropriate safeguards against the public dis-
semination of safety-related information collected as 
part of a mishap investigation carried out under the 
NASA safety reporting system or in conjunction with 
an organizational safety assessment, if the Adminis-
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† HR 4521 EAS 
trator makes a written determination, including a 
justification of the determination, that— 
(A)(i) disclosure of the information would 
inhibit individuals from voluntarily providing 
safety-related information; and 
(ii) the ability of NASA to collect such in-
formation improves the safety of NASA pro-
grams and research relating to aeronautics and 
space; or 
(B) withholding such information from public 
disclosure improves the safety of such NASA pro-
grams and research. 
(2) 
OTHER
FEDERAL
AGENCIES.—Notwith-
standing any other provision of law, if the Adminis-
trator provides to the head of another Federal agency 
safety-related information with respect to which the 
Administrator has made a determination under para-
graph (1), the head of the Federal agency shall with-
hold the information from public disclosure. 
(3) PUBLIC AVAILABILITY.—A determination or 
part of a determination under paragraph (1) shall be 
made available to the public on request, as required 
under 552 of title 5, United States Code (commonly 
referred to as the ‘‘Freedom of Information Act’’).
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† HR 4521 EAS 
(4) EXCLUSION
FROM
FOIA.—This subsection 
shall be considered a statute described in subsection 
(b)(3)(B) of section 552 of title 5, United States Code. 
SEC. 2674. PHYSICAL SECURITY MODERNIZATION. 
Chapter 201 of title 51, United States Code, is amend-
ed— 
(1) in section 20133(2), by striking ‘‘property’’ 
and all that follows through ‘‘to the United States,’’ 
and inserting ‘‘Administration personnel or of prop-
erty owned or leased by, or under the control of, the 
United States’’; and 
(2) in section 20134, in the second sentence— 
(A) by inserting ‘‘Administration personnel 
or any’’ after ‘‘protecting’’; and 
(B) by striking ‘‘, at facilities owned or 
contracted to the Administration’’. 
SEC. 2675. LEASE OF NON-EXCESS PROPERTY. 
Section 20145 of title 51, United States Code, is 
amended— 
(1) in subsection (b)(1)(B), by striking ‘‘entered 
into for the purpose of developing renewable energy 
production facilities’’; and 
(2) in subsection (g), in the first sentence, by 
striking ‘‘December 31, 2021’’ and inserting ‘‘Decem-
ber 31, 2025’’.
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† HR 4521 EAS 
SEC. 2676. CYBERSECURITY. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Section 20301 of title 51, United 
States Code, is amended by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(c) CYBERSECURITY.—The Administrator shall up-
date and improve the cybersecurity of NASA space assets 
and supporting infrastructure.’’. 
(b) SECURITY OPERATIONS CENTER.— 
(1) ESTABLISHMENT.—The Administrator shall 
maintain a Security Operations Center, to identify 
and respond to cybersecurity threats to NASA infor-
mation technology systems, including institutional 
systems and mission systems. 
(2) INSPECTOR GENERAL RECOMMENDATIONS.— 
The Administrator shall implement, to the maximum 
extent practicable, each of the recommendations con-
tained in the report of the Inspector General of NASA 
entitled ‘‘Audit of NASA’s Security Operations Cen-
ter’’, issued on May 23, 2018. 
(c) CYBER THREAT HUNT.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—The Administrator, in coordi-
nation with the Secretary of Homeland Security and 
the heads of other relevant Federal agencies, may im-
plement a cyber threat hunt capability to proactively 
search NASA information systems for advanced cyber 
threats that otherwise evade existing security tools.
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† HR 4521 EAS 
(2) THREAT-HUNTING
PROCESS.—In carrying 
out paragraph (1), the Administrator shall develop 
and document a threat-hunting process, including the 
roles and responsibilities of individuals conducting a 
cyber threat hunt. 
(d) GAO PRIORITY RECOMMENDATIONS.—The Admin-
istrator shall implement, to the maximum extent prac-
ticable, the recommendations for NASA contained in the re-
port of the Comptroller General of the United States entitled 
‘‘Information Security: Agencies Need to Improve Controls 
over Selected High-Impact Systems’’, issued May 18, 2016, 
including— 
(1) re-evaluating security control assessments; 
and 
(2) specifying metrics for the continuous moni-
toring strategy of the Administration. 
SEC. 2677. LIMITATION ON COOPERATION WITH THE PEO-
PLE’S REPUBLIC OF CHINA. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Except as provided by subsection 
(b), the Administrator, the Director of the OSTP, and the 
Chair of the National Space Council, shall not— 
(1) develop, design, plan, promulgate, imple-
ment, or execute a bilateral policy, program, order, or 
contract of any kind to participate, collaborate, or co-
ordinate bilaterally in any manner with—
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† HR 4521 EAS 
(A) the Government of the People’s Republic 
of China; or 
(B) any company— 
(i) owned by the Government of the 
People’s Republic of China; or 
(ii) incorporated under the laws of the 
People’s Republic of China; and 
(2) host official visitors from the People’s Repub-
lic of China at a facility belonging to or used by 
NASA. 
(b) WAIVER.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—The Administrator, the Direc-
tor, or the Chair may waive the limitation under sub-
section (a) with respect to an activity described in 
that subsection only if the Administrator, the Direc-
tor, or the Chair, as applicable, makes a determina-
tion that the activity— 
(A) does not pose a risk of a transfer of 
technology, data, or other information with na-
tional security or economic security implications 
to an entity described in paragraph (1) of such 
subsection; and 
(B) does not involve knowing interactions 
with officials who have been determined by the
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† HR 4521 EAS 
United States to have direct involvement with 
violations of human rights. 
(2) CERTIFICATION
TO
CONGRESS.—Not later 
than 30 days after the date on which a waiver is 
granted under paragraph (1), the Administrator, the 
Director, or the Chair, as applicable, shall submit to 
the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transpor-
tation and the Committee on Appropriations of the 
Senate and the Committee on Science, Space, and 
Technology and the Committee on Appropriations of 
the House of Representatives a written certification 
that the activity complies with the requirements in 
subparagraphs (A) and (B) of that paragraph. 
(c) GAO REVIEW.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—The Comptroller General of 
the United States shall conduct a review of NASA 
contracts that may subject the Administration to un-
acceptable transfers of intellectual property or tech-
nology to any entity— 
(A) owned or controlled (in whole or in 
part) by, or otherwise affiliated with, the Gov-
ernment of the People’s Republic of China; or 
(B) organized under, or otherwise subject to, 
the laws of the People’s Republic of China.
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† HR 4521 EAS 
(2) ELEMENTS.—The review required under 
paragraph (1) shall assess— 
(A) whether the Administrator is aware— 
(i) of any NASA contractor that bene-
fits from significant financial assistance 
from— 
(I) the Government of the People’s 
Republic of China; 
(II) any entity controlled by the 
Government of the People’s Republic of 
China; or 
(III) any other governmental enti-
ty of the People’s Republic of China; 
and 
(ii) that the Government of the People’s 
Republic of China, or an entity controlled 
by the Government of the People’s Republic 
of China, may be— 
(I) leveraging United States com-
panies that share ownership with 
NASA contractors; or 
(II) obtaining intellectual prop-
erty or technology illicitly or by other 
unacceptable means; and
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† HR 4521 EAS 
(B) the steps the Administrator is taking to 
ensure that— 
(i) NASA contractors are not being le-
veraged (directly or indirectly) by the Gov-
ernment of the People’s Republic of China 
or by an entity controlled by the Govern-
ment of the People’s Republic of China; 
(ii) the intellectual property and tech-
nology of NASA contractors are adequately 
protected; and 
(iii) NASA flight-critical components 
are not sourced from the People’s Republic 
of China through any entity benefitting 
from Chinese investments, loans, or other 
assistance. 
(3) RECOMMENDATIONS.—The Comptroller Gen-
eral shall provide to the Administrator recommenda-
tions for future NASA contracting based on the re-
sults of the review. 
(4) PLAN.—Not later than 180 days after the 
date on which the Comptroller General completes the 
review, the Administrator shall— 
(A) develop a plan to implement the rec-
ommendations of the Comptroller General; and
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† HR 4521 EAS 
(B) submit the plan to the appropriate com-
mittees of Congress. 
(d) TERMINATION.—The limitation under subsection 
(a) shall cease to have effect on the date that is 10 years 
after the date of the enactment of this division. 
SEC. 2678. CONSIDERATION OF ISSUES RELATED TO CON-
TRACTING WITH ENTITIES RECEIVING AS-
SISTANCE FROM OR AFFILIATED WITH THE 
PEOPLE’S REPUBLIC OF CHINA. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—With respect to a matter in re-
sponse to a request for proposal or a broad area announce-
ment by the Administrator, or award of any contract, 
agreement, or other transaction with the Administrator, a 
commercial or noncommercial entity shall certify that it is 
not majority owned or controlled (as defined in section 
800.208 of title 31, Code of Federal Regulations), or minor-
ity owned greater than 25 percent, by— 
(1) any governmental organization of the Peo-
ple’s Republic of China; or 
(2) any other entity that is— 
(A) known to be owned or controlled by any 
governmental organization of the People’s Repub-
lic of China; or 
(B) organized under, or otherwise subject to, 
the laws of the People’s Republic of China.
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† HR 4521 EAS 
(b) FALSE STATEMENTS.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—A false statement contained 
in a certification under subsection (a) constitutes a 
false or fraudulent claim for purposes of chapter 47 
of title 18, United States Code. 
(2) ACTION UNDER FEDERAL ACQUISITION REGU-
LATION.—Any party convicted for making a false 
statement with respect to a certification under sub-
section (a) shall be subject to debarment from con-
tracting with the Administrator for a period of not 
less than 1 year, as determined by the Administrator, 
in addition to other appropriate action in accordance 
with the Federal Acquisition Regulation maintained 
under section 1303(a)(1) of title 41, United States 
Code. 
(c) ANNUAL REPORT.—The Administrator shall sub-
mit to the appropriate committees of Congress an annual 
report detailing any violation of this section. 
SEC. 2679. SMALL SATELLITE LAUNCH SERVICES PROGRAM. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—The Administrator shall continue 
to procure dedicated launch services, including from small 
and venture class launch providers, for small satellites, in-
cluding CubeSats, for the purpose of conducting science and 
technology missions that further the goals of NASA.
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† HR 4521 EAS 
(b) REQUIREMENTS.—In carrying out the program 
under subsection (a), the Administrator shall engage with 
the academic community to maximize awareness and use 
of dedicated small satellite launch opportunities. 
(c) RULE OF CONSTRUCTION.—Nothing in this section 
shall prevent the Administrator from continuing to use a 
secondary payload of procured launch services for CubeSats. 
SEC. 2680. 21ST CENTURY SPACE LAUNCH INFRASTRUC-
TURE. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—The Administrator shall carry out 
a program to modernize multi-user launch infrastructure 
at NASA facilities— 
(1) to enhance safety; and 
(2) to advance Government and commercial 
space transportation and exploration. 
(b) PROJECTS.—Projects funded under the program 
under subsection (a) may include— 
(1) infrastructure relating to commodities; 
(2) standard interfaces to meet customer needs 
for multiple payload processing and launch vehicle 
processing; 
(3) enhancements to range capacity and flexi-
bility; and
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† HR 4521 EAS 
(4) such other projects as the Administrator con-
siders appropriate to meet the goals described in sub-
section (a). 
(c) REQUIREMENTS.—In carrying out the program 
under subsection (a), the Administrator shall— 
(1) identify and prioritize investments in 
projects that can be used by multiple users and 
launch vehicles, including non-NASA users and 
launch vehicles; and 
(2) limit investments to projects that would not 
otherwise be funded by a NASA program, such as an 
institutional or programmatic infrastructure pro-
gram. 
(d) RULE OF CONSTRUCTION.—Nothing in this section 
shall preclude a NASA program, including the Space 
Launch System and Orion, from using the launch infra-
structure modernized under this section. 
SEC. 2681. MISSIONS OF NATIONAL NEED. 
(a) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—It is the Sense of Congress 
that— 
(1) while certain space missions, such as asteroid 
detection or space debris mitigation or removal mis-
sions, may not provide the highest-value science, as 
determined by the National Academies of Science, En-
gineering, and Medicine decadal surveys, such mis-
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sions provide tremendous value to the United States 
and the world; and 
(2) the current organizational and funding 
structure of NASA has not prioritized the funding of 
missions of national need. 
(b) STUDY.— 
(1) IN
GENERAL.—The Director of the OSTP 
shall conduct a study on the manner in which NASA 
funds missions of national need. 
(2) MATTERS TO BE INCLUDED.—The study con-
ducted under paragraph (1) shall include the fol-
lowing: 
(A) An identification and assessment of the 
types of missions or technology development pro-
grams that constitute missions of national need. 
(B) An assessment of the manner in which 
such missions are currently funded and managed 
by NASA. 
(C) An analysis of the options for funding 
missions of national need, including— 
(i) structural changes required to allow 
NASA to fund such missions; and 
(ii) an assessment of the capacity of 
other Federal agencies to make funds avail-
able for such missions.
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(c) REPORT TO CONGRESS.—Not later than 1 year 
after the date of the enactment of this division, the Director 
of the OSTP shall submit to the appropriate committees 
of Congress a report on the results of the study conducted 
under subsection (b), including recommendations for fund-
ing missions of national need. 
SEC. 2682. DRINKING WATER WELL REPLACEMENT FOR 
CHINCOTEAGUE, VIRGINIA. 
Notwithstanding any other provision of law, during 
the 5-year period beginning on the date of the enactment 
of this division, the Administrator may enter into 1 or more 
agreements with the town of Chincoteague, Virginia, to re-
imburse the town for costs that are directly associated 
with— 
(1) the removal of drinking water wells located 
on property administered by the Administration; and 
(2) the relocation of such wells to property under 
the administrative control, through lease, ownership, 
or easement, of the town. 
SEC. 2683. PASSENGER CARRIER USE. 
Section 1344(a)(2) of title 31, United States Code, is 
amended— 
(1) in subparagraph (A), by striking ‘‘or’’ at the 
end;
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(2) in subparagraph (B), by inserting ‘‘or’’ after 
the comma at the end; and 
(3) by inserting after subparagraph (B) the fol-
lowing: 
‘‘(C) necessary for post-flight transportation of 
United States Government astronauts, and other as-
tronauts subject to reimbursable arrangements, re-
turning from space for the performance of medical re-
search, monitoring, diagnosis, or treatment, or other 
official duties, prior to receiving post-flight medical 
clearance to operate a motor vehicle,’’. 
SEC. 2684. USE OF COMMERCIAL NEAR-SPACE BALLOONS. 
(a) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—It is the sense of Congress 
that the use of an array of capabilities, including the use 
of commercially available near-space balloon assets, is in 
the best interest of the United States. 
(b) USE OF COMMERCIAL NEAR-SPACE BALLOONS.— 
The Administrator shall use commercially available balloon 
assets operating at near-space altitudes, to the maximum 
extent practicable, as part of a diverse set of capabilities 
to effectively and efficiently meet the goals of the Adminis-
tration.
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SEC. 2685. PRESIDENT’S SPACE ADVISORY BOARD. 
Section 121 of the National Aeronautics and Space 
Administration Authorization Act, Fiscal Year 1991 (Pub-
lic Law 101–611; 51 U.S.C. 20111 note) is amended— 
(1) in the section heading, by striking ‘‘USERS’ 
ADVISORY GROUP’’ and inserting ‘‘PRESIDENT’S 
SPACE ADVISORY BOARD’’; and 
(2) by striking ‘‘Users’ Advisory Group’’ each 
place it appears and inserting ‘‘President’s Space Ad-
visory Board.’’ 
SEC. 2686. INITIATIVE ON TECHNOLOGIES FOR NOISE AND 
EMISSIONS REDUCTIONS. 
(a) INITIATIVE REQUIRED.—Section 40112 of title 51, 
United States Code, is amended— 
(1) by redesignating subsections (b) through (f) 
as subsections (c) through (g), respectively; and 
(2) by inserting after subsection (a) the following 
new subsection (b): 
‘‘(b) TECHNOLOGIES FOR NOISE AND EMISSIONS RE-
DUCTION.— 
‘‘(1) INITIATIVE REQUIRED.—The Administrator 
shall establish an initiative to build upon and accel-
erate previous or ongoing work to develop and dem-
onstrate new technologies, including systems architec-
ture, components, or integration of systems and air-
frame structures, in electric aircraft propulsion con-
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cepts that are capable of substantially reducing both 
emissions and noise from aircraft. 
‘‘(2) APPROACH.—In carrying out the initiative, 
the Administrator shall do the following: 
‘‘(A) Continue and expand work of the Ad-
ministration on research, development, and dem-
onstration of electric aircraft concepts, and the 
integration of such concepts. 
‘‘(B) To the extent practicable, work with 
multiple partners, including small businesses 
and new entrants, on research and development 
activities related to transport category aircraft. 
‘‘(C) Provide guidance to the Federal Avia-
tion Administration on technologies developed 
and tested pursuant to the initiative.’’. 
(b) REPORTS.—Not later than 180 days after the date 
of the enactment of this division, and annually thereafter 
as a part of the Administration’s budget submission, the 
Administrator shall submit a report to the appropriate 
committee of Congress on the progress of the work under 
the initiative required by subsection (b) of section 40112 
of title 51, United States Code (as amended by subsection 
(a) of this section), including an updated, anticipated time-
frame for aircraft entering into service that produce 50 per-
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cent less noise and emissions than the highest performing 
aircraft in service as of December 31, 2019. 
SEC. 2687. REMEDIATION OF SITES CONTAMINATED WITH 
TRICHLOROETHYLENE. 
(a) IDENTIFICATION OF SITES.—Not later than 180 
days after the date of the enactment of this division, the 
Administrator shall identify sites of the Administration 
contaminated with trichloroethylene. 
(b) REPORT REQUIRED.—Not later than 1 year after 
the date of the enactment of this division, the Administrator 
shall submit to the appropriate committees of Congress a 
report that includes— 
(1) the recommendations of the Administrator 
for remediating the sites identified under subsection 
(a) during the 5-year period beginning on the date of 
the report; and 
(2) an estimate of the financial resources nec-
essary to implement those recommendations. 
SEC. 2688. REVIEW ON PREFERENCE FOR DOMESTIC SUP-
PLIERS. 
(a) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—It is the Sense of Congress 
that the Administration should, to the maximum extent 
practicable and with due consideration of foreign policy 
goals and obligations under Federal law—
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(1) use domestic suppliers of goods and services; 
and 
(2) ensure compliance with the Federal acquisi-
tion regulations, including subcontract flow-down 
provisions. 
(b) REVIEW.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 180 days after 
the date of the enactment of this division, the Admin-
istrator shall undertake a comprehensive review of the 
domestic supplier preferences of the Administration 
and the obligations of the Administration under the 
Federal acquisition regulations to ensure compliance, 
particularly with respect to Federal acquisition regu-
lations provisions that apply to foreign-based sub-
contractors. 
(2) ELEMENTS.—The review under paragraph 
(1) shall include— 
(A) an assessment as to whether the Admin-
istration has provided funding for infrastructure 
of a foreign-owned company or State-sponsored 
entity in recent years; and 
(B) a review of any impact such funding 
has had on domestic service providers.
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(c) REPORT.—The Administrator shall submit to the 
appropriate committees of Congress a report on the results 
of the review. 
SEC. 2689. REPORT ON USE OF COMMERCIAL SPACEPORTS 
LICENSED BY THE FEDERAL AVIATION AD-
MINISTRATION. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 1 year after the date 
of the enactment of this division, the Administrator shall 
submit to the appropriate committees of Congress a report 
on the benefits of increased use of commercial spaceports 
licensed by the Federal Aviation Administration for NASA 
civil space missions and operations. 
(b) ELEMENTS.—The report required by subsection (a) 
shall include the following: 
(1) A description and assessment of current use 
of commercial spaceports licensed by the Federal 
Aviation Administration for NASA civil space mis-
sions and operations. 
(2) A description and assessment of the benefits 
of increased use of such spaceports for such missions 
and operations. 
(3) A description and assessment of the steps 
necessary to achieve increased use of such spaceports 
for such missions and operations.
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SEC. 2690. ACTIVE ORBITAL DEBRIS MITIGATION. 
(a) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—It is the sense of Congress 
that— 
(1) orbital debris, particularly in low-Earth 
orbit, poses a hazard to NASA missions, particularly 
human spaceflight; and 
(2) progress has been made on the development 
of guidelines for long-term space sustainability 
through the United Nations Committee on the Peace-
ful Uses of Outer Space. 
(b) REQUIREMENTS.—The Administrator should— 
(1) ensure the policies and standard practices of 
NASA meet or exceed international guidelines for 
spaceflight safety; and 
(2) support the development of orbital debris 
mitigation technologies through continued research 
and development of concepts. 
(c) REPORT TO CONGRESS.—Not later than 90 days 
after the date of the enactment of this division, the Adminis-
trator shall submit to the appropriate committees of Con-
gress a report on the status of implementing subsection (b). 
SEC. 2691. STUDY ON COMMERCIAL COMMUNICATIONS 
SERVICES. 
(a) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—It is the sense of Congress 
that—
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(1) enhancing the ability of researchers to con-
duct and interact with experiments while in flight 
would make huge advancements in the overall profit-
ability of conducting research on suborbit and low- 
Earth orbit payloads; and 
(2) current NASA communications do not allow 
for real-time data collection, observation, or trans-
mission of information. 
(b) STUDY.—The Administrator shall conduct a study 
on the feasibility, impact, and cost of using commercial 
communications programs services for suborbital flight pro-
grams and low-Earth orbit research. 
(c) REPORT.—Not later than 18 months after the date 
of the enactment of this division, the Administrator shall 
submit to Congress and make publicly available a report 
that describes the results of the study conducted under sub-
section (b). 
DIVISION C—STRATEGIC 
COMPETITION ACT OF 2021 
SEC. 3001. SHORT TITLE; TABLE OF CONTENTS. 
(a) SHORT TITLE.—This Act may be cited as the 
‘‘Strategic Competition Act of 2021’’. 
(b) TABLE OF CONTENTS.—The table of contents for 
this division is as follows: 
DIVISION C—STRATEGIC COMPETITION ACT OF 2021 
Sec. 3001. Short title; table of contents.
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Sec. 3002. Findings. 
Sec. 3003. Definitions. 
Sec. 3004. Statement of policy. 
Sec. 3005. Sense of Congress. 
Sec. 3006. Rules of construction. 
TITLE I—INVESTING IN A COMPETITIVE FUTURE 
Subtitle A—Science and Technology 
Sec. 3101. Authorization to assist United States companies with global supply 
chain diversification and management. 
Subtitle B—Global Infrastructure and Energy Development 
Sec. 3111. Appropriate committees of Congress defined. 
Sec. 3112. Sense of Congress on international quality infrastructure investment 
standards. 
Sec. 3113. United States support for infrastructure. 
Sec. 3114. Infrastructure Transaction and Assistance Network. 
Sec. 3115. Strategy for advanced and reliable energy infrastructure. 
Sec. 3116. Report on the People’s Republic of China’s investments in foreign en-
ergy development. 
Subtitle C—Digital Technology and Connectivity 
Sec. 3121. Sense of Congress on digital technology issues. 
Sec. 3122. Digital connectivity and cybersecurity partnership. 
Sec. 3123. Strategy for digital investment by United States International Devel-
opment Finance Corporation. 
Subtitle D—Countering Chinese Communist Party Malign Influence 
Sec. 3131. Short title. 
Sec. 3132. Authorization of appropriations for countering Chinese Influence 
Fund. 
Sec. 3133. Findings on Chinese information warfare and malign influence oper-
ations. 
Sec. 3134. Authorization of appropriations for the Fulbright-Hays Program. 
Sec. 3135. Sense of Congress condemning anti-Asian racism and discrimination. 
Sec. 3136. Supporting independent media and countering disinformation. 
Sec. 3137. Global engagement center. 
Sec. 3138. Review by Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States of 
certain foreign gifts to and contracts with institutions of higher 
education. 
Sec. 3139. Post-employment restrictions on Senate-confirmed officials at the De-
partment of State. 
Sec. 3140. Sense of Congress on prioritizing nomination of qualified ambassadors 
to ensure proper diplomatic positioning to counter Chinese influ-
ence. 
Sec. 3141. China Censorship Monitor and Action Group. 
TITLE II—INVESTING IN ALLIANCES AND PARTNERSHIPS 
Subtitle A—Strategic and Diplomatic Matters 
Sec. 3201. Appropriate committees of Congress defined.
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Sec. 3202. United States commitment and support for allies and partners in the 
Indo-Pacific. 
Sec. 3203. Sense of Congress on cooperation with the Quad. 
Sec. 3204. Establishment of Quad Intra-Parliamentary Working Group. 
Sec. 3205. Statement of policy on cooperation with ASEAN. 
Sec. 3206. Sense of Congress on enhancing United States–ASEAN cooperation on 
technology issues with respect to the People’s Republic of China. 
Sec. 3207. Report on Chinese influence in international organizations. 
Sec. 3208. Regulatory exchanges with allies and partners. 
Sec. 3209. Technology partnership office at the Department of State. 
Sec. 3210. United States representation in standards-setting bodies. 
Sec. 3211. Sense of Congress on centrality of sanctions and other restrictions to 
strategic competition with China. 
Sec. 3212. Sense of Congress on negotiations with G7 and G20 countries. 
Sec. 3213. Enhancing the United States-Taiwan partnership. 
Sec. 3214. Taiwan Fellowship Program. 
Sec. 3215. Treatment of Taiwan government. 
Sec. 3216. Taiwan symbols of sovereignty. 
Sec. 3217. Report on origins of the COVID–19 pandemic. 
Sec. 3218. Enhancement of diplomatic support and economic engagement with 
Pacific island countries. 
Sec. 3219. Increasing Department of State personnel and resources devoted to the 
Indo-Pacific. 
Sec. 3219A. Advancing United States leadership in the United Nations System. 
Sec. 3219B. Asia Reassurance Initiative Act of 2018. 
Sec. 3219C. Statement of policy on need for reciprocity in the relationship be-
tween the United States and the People’s Republic of China. 
Sec. 3219D. Opposition to provision of assistance to People’s Republic of China 
by Asian Development Bank. 
Sec. 3219E. Opposition to provision of assistance to People’s Republic of China 
by International Bank for Reconstruction and Development. 
Sec. 3219F. United States policy on Chinese and Russian government efforts to 
undermine the United Nations Security Council action on 
human rights. 
Sec. 3219G. Deterring PRC use of force against Taiwan. 
Sec. 3219H. Strategy to respond to sharp power operations targeting Taiwan. 
Sec. 3219I. Study and report on bilateral efforts to address Chinese fentanyl traf-
ficking. 
Sec. 3219J. Investment, trade, and development in Africa and Latin America 
and the Caribbean. 
Sec. 3219K. Facilitation of increased equity investments under the Better Utiliza-
tion of Investments Leading to Development Act of 2018. 
Subtitle B—International Security Matters 
Sec. 3221. Definitions. 
Sec. 3222. Findings. 
Sec. 3223. Sense of Congress regarding bolstering security partnerships in the 
Indo-Pacific. 
Sec. 3224. Statement of policy. 
Sec. 3225. Foreign military financing in the Indo-Pacific and authorization of 
appropriations for Southeast Asia maritime security programs 
and diplomatic outreach activities. 
Sec. 3226. Foreign military financing compact pilot program in the Indo-Pacific.
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Sec. 3227. Additional funding for international military education and training 
in the Indo-Pacific. 
Sec. 3228. Prioritizing excess defense article transfers for the Indo-Pacific. 
Sec. 3229. Prioritizing excess naval vessel transfers for the Indo-Pacific. 
Sec. 3230. Statement of policy on maritime freedom of operations in inter-
national waterways and airspace of the Indo-Pacific and on ar-
tificial land features in the South China Sea. 
Sec. 3231. Report on capability development of Indo-Pacific allies and partners. 
Sec. 3232. Report on national technology and industrial base. 
Sec. 3233. Report on diplomatic outreach with respect to Chinese military instal-
lations overseas. 
Sec. 3234. Statement of policy regarding universal implementation of United Na-
tions sanctions on North Korea. 
Sec. 3235. Limitation on assistance to countries hosting Chinese military instal-
lations. 
Subtitle C—Regional Strategies to Counter the People’s Republic of China 
Sec. 3241. Statement of policy on cooperation with allies and partners around 
the world with respect to the People’s Republic of China. 
PART I—WESTERN HEMISPHERE 
Sec. 3245. Sense of Congress regarding United States-Canada relations. 
Sec. 3246. Sense of Congress regarding the Government of the People’s Republic 
of China’s arbitrary imprisonment of Canadian citizens. 
Sec. 3247. Strategy to enhance cooperation with Canada. 
Sec. 3248. Strategy to strengthen economic competitiveness, governance, human 
rights, and the rule of law in Latin America and the Caribbean. 
Sec. 3249. Engagement in international organizations and the defense sector in 
Latin America and the Caribbean. 
Sec. 3250. Addressing China’s sovereign lending practices in Latin America and 
the Caribbean. 
Sec. 3251. Defense cooperation in Latin America and the Caribbean. 
Sec. 3252. Engagement with civil society in Latin America and the Caribbean 
regarding accountability, human rights, and the risks of perva-
sive surveillance technologies. 
PART II—TRANSATLANTIC ALLIANCE 
Sec. 3255. Sense of Congress on the Transatlantic alliance. 
Sec. 3256. Strategy to enhance transatlantic cooperation with respect to the Peo-
ple’s Republic of China. 
Sec. 3257. Enhancing Transatlantic cooperation on promoting private sector fi-
nance. 
Sec. 3258. Report and briefing on cooperation between China and Iran and be-
tween China and Russia. 
Sec. 3259. Promoting responsible development alternatives to the belt and road 
initiative. 
PART III—SOUTH AND CENTRAL ASIA 
Sec. 3261. Sense of Congress on South and Central Asia. 
Sec. 3262. Strategy to enhance cooperation with South and Central Asia.
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PART IV—AFRICA 
Sec. 3271. Assessment of political, economic, and security activity of the People’s 
Republic of China in Africa. 
Sec. 3272. Increasing the competitiveness of the United States in Africa. 
Sec. 3273. Digital security cooperation with respect to Africa. 
Sec. 3274. Increasing personnel in United States embassies in sub-Saharan Afri-
ca focused on the People’s Republic of China. 
Sec. 3275. Support for Young African Leaders Initiative. 
Sec. 3276. Africa broadcasting networks. 
PART V—MIDDLE EAST AND NORTH AFRICA 
Sec. 3281. Strategy to counter Chinese influence in, and access to, the Middle 
East and North Africa. 
Sec. 3282. Sense of Congress on Middle East and North Africa engagement. 
PART VI—ARCTIC REGION 
Sec. 3285. Arctic diplomacy. 
PART VII—OCEANIA 
Sec. 3291. Statement of policy on United States engagement in Oceania. 
Sec. 3292. Oceania strategic roadmap. 
Sec. 3293. Review of USAID programming in Oceania. 
Sec. 3294. Oceania Security Dialogue. 
Sec. 3295. Report on countering illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing in 
Oceania. 
Sec. 3296. Oceania Peace Corps partnerships. 
TITLE III—INVESTING IN OUR VALUES 
Sec. 3301. Authorization of appropriations for promotion of democracy in Hong 
Kong. 
Sec. 3302. Imposition of sanctions relating to forced labor in the Xinjiang 
Uyghur Autonomous Region. 
Sec. 3303. Imposition of sanctions with respect to systematic rape, coercive abor-
tion, forced sterilization, or involuntary contraceptive implanta-
tion in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region. 
Sec. 3304. Report on corrupt activities of senior officials of Government of the 
People’s Republic of China. 
Sec. 3305. Removal of members of the United Nations Human Rights Council 
that commit human rights abuses. 
Sec. 3306. Policy with respect to Tibet. 
Sec. 3307. United States policy and international engagement on the succession 
or reincarnation of the Dalai Lama and religious freedom of Ti-
betan Buddhists. 
Sec. 3308. Sense of Congress on treatment of Uyghurs and other ethnic minorities 
in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region. 
Sec. 3309. Development and deployment of internet freedom and Great Firewall 
circumvention tools for the people of Hong Kong. 
Sec. 3310. Enhancing transparency on international agreements and non-binding 
instruments. 
Sec. 3311. Authorization of appropriations for protecting human rights in the 
People’s Republic of China.
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Sec. 3312. Diplomatic boycott of the XXIV Olympic Winter Games and the XIII 
Paralympic Winter Games. 
Sec. 3313. Repeal of sunset applicable to authority under Global Magnitsky 
Human Rights Accountability Act. 
TITLE IV—INVESTING IN OUR ECONOMIC STATECRAFT 
Sec. 3401. Findings and sense of Congress regarding the PRC’s industrial policy. 
Sec. 3402. Intellectual property violators list. 
Sec. 3403. Government of the People’s Republic of China subsidies list. 
Sec. 3404. Countering foreign corrupt practices. 
Sec. 3405. Debt relief for countries eligible for assistance from the International 
Development Association. 
Sec. 3406. Report on manner and extent to which the Government of the People’s 
Republic of China exploits Hong Kong to circumvent United 
States laws and protections. 
Sec. 3407. Annual review on the presence of Chinese companies in United States 
capital markets. 
Sec. 3408. Economic defense response teams. 
TITLE V—ENSURING STRATEGIC SECURITY 
Sec. 3501. Findings on strategic security and arms control. 
Sec. 3502. Cooperation on a strategic nuclear dialogue. 
Sec. 3503. Report on United States efforts to engage the People’s Republic of 
China on nuclear issues and ballistic missile issues. 
Sec. 3504. Countering the People’s Republic of China’s proliferation of ballistic 
missiles and nuclear technology to the Middle East. 
SEC. 3002. FINDINGS. 
Congress makes the following findings: 
(1) The People’s Republic of China (PRC) is 
leveraging its political, diplomatic, economic, mili-
tary, technological, and ideological power to become a 
strategic, near-peer, global competitor of the United 
States. The policies increasingly pursued by the PRC 
in these domains are contrary to the interests and 
values of the United States, its partners, and much 
of the rest of the world. 
(2) The current policies being pursued by the 
PRC—
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(A) threaten the future character of the 
international order and are shaping the rules, 
norms, and institutions that govern relations 
among states; 
(B) will put at risk the ability of the 
United States to secure its national interests; 
and 
(C) will put at risk the future peace, pros-
perity, and freedom of the international commu-
nity in the coming decades. 
(3) After normalizing diplomatic relations with 
the PRC in 1979, the United States actively worked 
to advance the PRC’s economic and social develop-
ment to ensure that the PRC participated in, and 
benefitted from, the free and open international order. 
The United States pursued these goals and contrib-
uted to the welfare of the Chinese people by— 
(A) increasing the PRC’s trade relations 
and access to global capital markets; 
(B) promoting the PRC’s accession to the 
World Trade Organization; 
(C) providing development finance and 
technical assistance; 
(D) promoting research collaboration; 
(E) educating the PRC’s top students;