Title 51 of the United States Code
Title 51 of the United States Code (51 U.S.C.), entitled National and Commercial Space Programs, is the compilation of the general laws regarding space programs. It was promulgated by U.S. President Barack Obama on December 18, 2010 when he signed PL 111-314 () into law. Background. Since the 1940s, many statutes have been enacted relating to national and commercial space programs. In the U.S. Code, some of these statutes are codified in Title 15, "Commerce and Trade", Title 42, "The Public Health and Welfare" and Title 49, "Transportation". No single title had previously  existed in the U.S. Code for space programs, as the Code was established in 1926, before the Space Age. Effect. Title 51 does not modify or repeal existing programs. Rather, it restates existing law in a manner that adheres to the policy, intent and purpose of the original laws, whilst improving the organizational structure of the law and removing imperfections. Codification history. Title 51 was prepared by the Office of the Law Revision Counsel of the United States House of Representatives, in accordance with .