Title 42 — The Public Health and WelfareRelease 119-73not60

§18323 Multi-purpose Crew Vehicle

Title 42 › Chapter 159— SPACE EXPLORATION, TECHNOLOGY, AND SCIENCE › Subchapter II— EXPANSION OF HUMAN SPACE FLIGHT BEYOND THE INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION AND LOW-EARTH ORBIT › § 18323

Last updated Apr 5, 2026|Official source

Summary

NASA must keep developing a multi-purpose crew vehicle so it is available as soon as possible and ready to fly with the Space Launch System. The vehicle must keep building on the Orion project’s human safety features, designs, and systems. The goal is full operational use by December 31, 2016, and NASA may test the vehicle at the International Space Station before that date. The vehicle must at least do four things: be the main crew ship for missions beyond low-Earth orbit; perform routine in-space tasks like rendezvous, docking, and spacewalks with payloads from the Space Launch System or other vehicles and service cis-lunar assets; act as an alternate way to carry crew and cargo to the ISS if others fail; and be designed to accept new technologies, compete parts, and support commercial operations.

Full Legal Text

Title 42, §18323

The Public Health and Welfare — Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)(1)The Administrator shall continue the development of a multi-purpose crew vehicle to be available as soon as practicable, and no later than for use with the Space Launch System. The vehicle shall continue to advance development of the human safety features, designs, and systems in the Orion project.

(2)It shall be the goal to achieve full operational capability for the transportation vehicle developed pursuant to this subsection by not later than December 31, 2016. For purposes of meeting such goal, the Administrator may undertake a test of the transportation vehicle at the ISS before that date.

(b)The multi-purpose crew vehicle developed pursuant to subsection (a) shall be designed to have, at a minimum, the following:

(1)The capability to serve as the primary crew vehicle for missions beyond low-Earth orbit.

(2)The capability to conduct regular in-space operations, such as rendezvous, docking, and extra-vehicular activities, in conjunction with payloads delivered by the Space Launch System developed pursuant to section 18322 of this title, or other vehicles, in preparation for missions beyond low-Earth orbit or servicing of assets described in section 18383 of this title, or other assets in cis-lunar space.

(3)The capability to provide an alternative means of delivery of crew and cargo to the ISS, in the event other vehicles, whether commercial vehicles or partner-supplied vehicles, are unable to perform that function.

(4)The capacity for efficient and timely evolution, including the incorporation of new technologies, competition of sub-elements, and commercial operations.

Reference

Citations & Metadata

Citation

42 U.S.C. § 18323

Title 42 — The Public Health and Welfare

Last Updated

Apr 5, 2026

Release point: 119-73not60