Title 42, The Public Health and WelfareRelease 119-102
§18374 Instrument Test-beds and Venture Class Missions
Title 42 › CHAPTER 159 — SPACE EXPLORATION, TECHNOLOGY, AND SCIENCE › SUBCHAPTER VI — EARTH SCIENCE › § 18374
Summary
NASA must find new ways to fly small instrument payloads early on or as rideshare payloads. Congress supports using the International Space Station (ISS) as an easy-to-access place for these tests. To help cut costs and delays from large spacecraft, NASA should use smaller systems when it is practical and justified.
Full Legal Text
Title 42, §18374
The Public Health and Welfare, Source: USLM XML via OLRC
The Administrator shall pursue innovative ways to fly instrument-level payloads for early demonstration or as co-manifested payloads. The Congress encourages the use of the ISS as an accessible platform for the conduct of such activities. Additionally, in order to address the cost and schedule challenges associated with large flight systems, NASA should pursue smaller systems where practicable and warranted.
Reference
Citations & Metadata
Citation
42 U.S.C. § 18374
Title 42, The Public Health and Welfare
Last Updated
Aug 21, 2026
Release point: 119-102