Title 51National and Commercial Space ProgramsRelease 119-73

§50505 Test facilities

Title 51 › Subtitle Subtitle V— - Programs Targeting Commercial Opportunities › Chapter CHAPTER 505— - COMMERCIAL SPACE COMPETITIVENESS › § 50505

Last updated Apr 6, 2026|Official source

Summary

The Administrator must charge competitive fees for use of the agency’s test facilities and cannot try to recover all of a facility’s costs until at least 30 days after telling the House Science and Technology Committee and the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee. The Administrator must keep one funding account for all test facilities and have enough money in it to keep them viable during low-use periods.

Full Legal Text

Title 51, §50505

National and Commercial Space Programs — Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)The Administrator shall establish a policy of charging users of the Administration’s test facilities for the costs associated with their tests at a level that is competitive with alternative test facilities. The Administrator shall not implement a policy of seeking full cost recovery for a facility until at least 30 days after transmitting a notice to the Committee on Science and Technology of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate.
(b)In planning and budgeting, the Administrator shall establish a funding account that shall be used for all test facilities. The account shall be sufficient to maintain the viability of test facilities during periods of low utilization.

Legislative History

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Historical and Revision Notes

Revised SectionSource (U.S. Code)Source (Statutes at Large) 5050542 U.S.C. 16634.Pub. L. 109–155, title II, § 205, Dec. 30, 2005, 119 Stat. 2916. This section restates provisions originally enacted as part of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration Authorization Act of 2005 (Public Law 109–155, 119 Stat. 2895), and not as part of title V of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration Authorization Act, Fiscal Year 1993 (Public Law 102–588, 106 Stat. 5107), which is generally restated in this chapter. In subsection (a), the words “Committee on Science and Technology” are substituted for “Committee on Science” on authority of Rule X(1)(o) of the Rules of the House of Representatives, adopted by House Resolution No. 6 (110th Congress, January 5, 2007).

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Change of Name

Committee on Science and Technology of House of Representatives changed to Committee on Science, Space, and Technology of House of Representatives by House Resolution No. 5, One Hundred Twelfth Congress, Jan. 5, 2011.

Reference

Citations & Metadata

Citation

51 U.S.C. § 50505

Title 51National and Commercial Space Programs

Last Updated

Apr 6, 2026

Release point: 119-73