42 USC § 18302 - Definitions

---
identifier: "/us/usc/t42/s18302"
source: "usc"
legal_status: "official_prima_facie"
title: "42 USC § 18302 - Definitions"
title_number: 42
title_name: "THE PUBLIC HEALTH AND WELFARE"
section_number: "18302"
section_name: "Definitions"
chapter_number: 159
chapter_name: "SPACE EXPLORATION, TECHNOLOGY, AND SCIENCE"
positive_law: false
currency: "119-84"
last_updated: "2026-04-17"
format_version: "1.1.0"
generator: "[email protected]"
source_credit: "(Pub. L. 111–267, § 3, Oct. 11, 2010, 124 Stat. 2808.)"
---


# § 18302. Definitions

In this chapter:

**(1)** **Administrator** The term “Administrator” means the Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.

**(2)** **Appropriate committees of Congress** The term “appropriate committees of Congress” means—

**(A)** the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate; and

**1** the Committee on Science [^1] of the House of Representatives.

So in original. Probably should be followed by “and Technology”.

**(3)** **Cis-lunar space** The term “cis-lunar space” means the region of space from the Earth out to and including the region around the surface of the Moon.

**(4)** **Deep space** The term “deep space” means the region of space beyond cis-lunar space.

**(5)** **ISS** The term “ISS” means the International Space Station.

**(6)** **NASA** The term “NASA” means the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.

**(7)** **Near-Earth space** The term “near-Earth space” means the region of space that includes low-Earth orbit and extends out to and includes geo-synchronous orbit.

**(8)** **NOAA** The term “NOAA” means the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

**(9)** **OSTP** The term “OSTP” means the Office of Science and Technology Policy.

**(10)** **Space Launch System** The term “Space Launch System” means the follow-on government-owned civil launch system developed, managed, and operated by NASA to serve as a key component to expand human presence beyond low-Earth orbit.

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**Source Credit**: (Pub. L. 111–267, § 3, Oct. 11, 2010, 124 Stat. 2808.)