---
kind: "section"
citation: "42 U.S.C. § 18302"
title: "42"
title_heading: "The Public Health and Welfare"
number: "18302"
heading: "Definitions"
release: "119-102"
date: "2026-07-12"
url: "https://uscodex.org/usc/42/18302"
units:
  - "Chapter 159 — Space Exploration, Technology, and Science"
---

# §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
  - (B) the Committee on Science[^1] of the House of Representatives.
- (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](#3).
- (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](#6) to serve as a key component to expand human presence beyond low-Earth orbit.

## Footnotes

[^1]: So in original. Probably should be followed by “and Technology”.

## Source credit

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