StacksVerified U.S. federal law reference

42 U.S.C. § 18302 — Definitions

Verified against govinfo.gov as of June 20, 2026View official text on govinfo.gov
In this chapter:
  1. (1)AdministratorThe term “Administrator” means the Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.
  2. (2)Appropriate committees of CongressThe term “appropriate committees of Congress” means—
    1. (A)the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate; and
    2. (B)the Committee on Science 1 So in original. Probably should be followed by “and Technology”. of the House of Representatives.
  3. (3)Cis-lunar spaceThe term “cis-lunar space” means the region of space from the Earth out to and including the region around the surface of the Moon.
  4. (4)Deep spaceThe term “deep space” means the region of space beyond cis-lunar space.
  5. (5)ISSThe term “ISS” means the International Space Station.
  6. (6)NASAThe term “NASA” means the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.
  7. (7)Near-Earth spaceThe term “near-Earth space” means the region of space that includes low-Earth orbit and extends out to and includes geo-synchronous orbit.
  8. (8)NOAAThe term “NOAA” means the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
  9. (9)OSTPThe term “OSTP” means the Office of Science and Technology Policy.
  10. (10)Space Launch SystemThe term “Space Launch System” means the follow-on government-owned civil launch system developed, managed, and operated by NASA to serve as a key component to expand human presence beyond low-Earth orbit.