Sec. 305. United States deorbit capabilities
251 words·~1 min read·
/bill/118/hr/8958/rh/section-305A research copy — for the controlling text, always check the official state or federal source. Not legal advice.
It is the sense of Congress that— the International Space Station is aging and eventually will need to be deorbited safely and disposed of in a controlled manner; and to protect the safety of the public, and to avoid interfering with other space operators or objects, NASA plans to deorbit and disposition the International Space Station through a controlled atmospheric reentry over an uninhabited region. The Administrator shall acquire ISS deorbit capabilities from one or more United States commercial providers.
In carrying out paragraph (1), the Administrator shall, to the greatest extent practicable, not reduce or deprioritize NASA activities conducted on and in support of the ISS to support the acquisition of United States deorbit capabilities. Before entering into an agreement for the capabilities described in subsection (b), the Administrator shall obtain an independent life-cycle cost estimate for the deorbit capability and shall report the results of such estimate and a five-year budget profile to the appropriate committees of Congress.
Not later than one year after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Administrator shall submit to the appropriate committees of Congress a report detailing the Administration’s plan for the financial, logistical, and operational responsibilities associated with the deorbit capability. Annually, the Administrator shall submit to the appropriate committees of Congress a report, to accompany the President’s budget request, containing a description of the annual and lifecycle costs for activities related to the deorbit of the International Space Station and how such costs are shared among the ISS partners.