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Title 51, National and Commercial Space ProgramsRelease 119-110

§30308 Cost Effectiveness Calculations

Title 51 › Subtitle III — Administrative Provisions › CHAPTER 303 — CONTRACTING AND PROCUREMENT › § 30308

Last updated Sep 22, 2026|Official source

Summary

NASA must compare how much it would cost the agency to do a space activity with the price a private company would charge for the same work. The agency must use full cost accounting to calculate its cost and must only skip this comparison if another law requires a different approach. Commercial provider — a private company that offers space transportation or related services and is not mainly controlled by any government. State — the 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa, the Northern Mariana Islands, and any other U.S. territory or possession.

Full Legal Text

Title 51, §30308

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

(a)Definitions.—
In this section: (1) Commercial provider.—
(2)State.—
The term “State” means each of the several States of the United States, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, and any other commonwealth, territory, or possession of the United States.
(b)In General.—
Except as otherwise required by law, in calculating the cost effectiveness of the cost of the Administration engaging in an activity as compared to a commercial provider, the Administrator shall compare the cost of the Administration engaging in the activity using full cost accounting principles with the price the commercial provider will charge for such activity.

Legislative History

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Historical and Revision Notes

Revised SectionSource (U.S. Code)Source (Statutes at Large) 30308(a)(no source) 30308(b)42 U.S.C. 2459h.Pub. L. 106–391, title III, § 304, Oct. 30, 2000, 114 Stat. 1592. In subsection (a), definitions of “commercial provider” and “State” are added to carry forward the appropriate definitions from section 3 of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration Authorization Act of 2000 (Public Law 106–391, 114 Stat. 1579, 1580).

Reference

Citations & Metadata

Citation

51 U.S.C. § 30308

Title 51, National and Commercial Space Programs

Last Updated

Sep 22, 2026

Release point: 119-110