“A bill to establish the National Institute for Space Research, and for other purposes.”
No CRS summary available for this bill.
This section defines terms for purposes of the Act, including (1) Administrator as the Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration; (2) Institute as the National Institute for Space Research established under section 3; (3) ISS as the International Space Station; (4) microgravity research as research and development conducted while in orbit in space; (5) qualified national microgravity project as a project led by a nongovernmental entity using a next-generation microgravity platform that reflects U.S. government microgravity research and development priorities identified by the Institute, including certain projects led by institutions of higher education (as defined in 20 U.S.C. 1001), students, or nonprofit organizations or that are commercial ventures or joint projects where the U.S. government is not the lead; (6) research project as an in-space research and development project using a next-generation microgravity platform that reflects national priorities and is led, funded, or sponsored by a U.S. government department or agency other than NASA; and (7) special Government employee as having the meaning given in 18 U.S.C. 202(a), except that such an employee may perform services for more than 130 days during a 365-day period.
This section authorizes the NASA Administrator, not earlier than January 1, 2026 and subject to appropriations, to establish the National Institute for Space Research, to be operated by a non-Federal entity under contract. The Institute supports (1) in-space research and development on next-generation microgravity platforms (i.e., commercial space stations following International Space Station decommissioning); (2) such research for U.S. national security; (3) the U.S. microgravity ecosystem in preparation for International Space Station decommissioning; (4) space research education and workforce development; and (5) transition of U.S. microgravity research from the International Space Station to next-generation platforms. The Institute is governed by a 12-member Board of Directors chaired by a NASA appointee and including representatives from the Office of Science and Technology Policy, Departments of Commerce, Education, Energy, and Defense, National Science Foundation, National Institutes of Health, National Academy of Sciences, Food and Drug Administration, plus a space research scientist and an aerospace executive (both special government employees appointed by the Chair). Board members serve 6-year terms (with staggered initial terms of 2, 4, or 6 years); the Board develops budgets and policies, supervises operations, appoints an Executive Director, sets research priorities, and submits annual budget requests to congressional appropriations and authorizing committees beginning in FY2028; members receive no compensation from Institute funds and must avoid conflicts of interest. The Executive Director, appointed by the Board based on expertise in microgravity-related fields such as health, manufacturing, research, or engineering, ensures efficient implementation of the Institute. The Institute may not regulate private microgravity projects unless they receive federal funds.
This section terminates the ISS National Laboratory and the cooperative agreement with its management entity under 42 U.S.C. 18354(a) not later than 180 days after ISS research operations have ceased. (The ISS National Laboratory is managed by a designated 501(c)(3) organization that coordinates non-NASA research and development projects utilizing U.S.-owned or allocated modules of the International Space Station.)