§ 20102. Congressional declaration of policy and purpose

14,274 words·~65 min read·/usc/title-51/section-20102

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(a)Devotion of Space Activities to Peaceful Purposes for Benefit of All Humankind.— Congress declares that it is the policy of the United States that activities in space should be devoted to peaceful purposes for the benefit of all humankind.

(b)Aeronautical and Space Activities for Welfare and Security of United States.— Congress declares that the general welfare and security of the United States require that adequate provision be made for aeronautical and space activities. Congress further declares that such activities shall be the responsibility of, and shall be directed by, a civilian agency exercising control over aeronautical and space activities sponsored by the United States, except that activities peculiar to or primarily associated with the development of weapons systems, military operations, or the defense of the United States (including the research and development necessary to make effective provision for the defense of the United States) shall be the responsibility of, and shall be directed by, the Department of Defense; and that determination as to which agency has responsibility for and direction of any such activity shall be made by the President.

(c)Commercial Use of Space.— Congress declares that the general welfare of the United States requires that the Administration seek and encourage, to the maximum extent possible, the fullest commercial use of space.

(d)Objectives of Aeronautical and Space Activities.— The aeronautical and space activities of the United States shall be conducted so as to contribute materially to one or more of the following objectives:

(1)The expansion of human knowledge of the Earth and of phenomena in the atmosphere and space.

(2)The improvement of the usefulness, performance, speed, safety, and efficiency of aeronautical and space vehicles.

(3)The development and operation of vehicles capable of carrying instruments, equipment, supplies, and living organisms through space.

(4)The establishment of long-range studies of the potential benefits to be gained from, the opportunities for, and the problems involved in the utilization of aeronautical and space activities for peaceful and scientific purposes.

(5)The preservation of the role of the United States as a leader in aeronautical and space science and technology and in the application thereof to the conduct of peaceful activities within and outside the atmosphere.

(6)The making available to agencies directly concerned with national defense of discoveries that have military value or significance, and the furnishing by such agencies, to the civilian agency established to direct and control nonmilitary aeronautical and space activities, of information as to discoveries which have value or significance to that agency.

(7)Cooperation by the United States with other nations and groups of nations in work done pursuant to this chapter and in the peaceful application of the results thereof.

(8)The most effective utilization of the scientific and engineering resources of the United States, with close cooperation among all interested agencies of the United States in order to avoid unnecessary duplication of effort, facilities, and equipment.

(9)The preservation of the United States preeminent position in aeronautics and space through research and technology development related to associated manufacturing processes.

(10)The search for life’s origin, evolution, distribution, and future in the universe.

(e)Ground Propulsion Systems Research and Development.— Congress declares that the general welfare of the United States requires that the unique competence in scientific and engineering systems of the Administration also be directed toward ground propulsion systems research and development. Such development shall be conducted so as to contribute to the objectives of developing energy and petroleum-conserving ground propulsion systems, and of minimizing the environmental degradation caused by such systems.

(f)Bioengineering Research, Development, and Demonstration Programs.— Congress declares that the general welfare of the United States requires that the unique competence of the Administration in science and engineering systems be directed to assisting in bioengineering research, development, and demonstration programs designed to alleviate and minimize the effects of disability.

(g)Warning and Mitigation of Potential Hazards of Near-Earth Objects.— Congress declares that the general welfare and security of the United States require that the unique competence of the Administration be directed to detecting, tracking, cataloguing, and characterizing near-Earth asteroids and comets in order to provide warning and mitigation of the potential hazard of such near-Earth objects to the Earth.

(h)Purpose of Chapter.— It is the purpose of this chapter to carry out and effectuate the policies declared in subsections

(a)to (g).

(Pub. L. 111–314, § 3, Dec. 18, 2010, 124 Stat. 3330; Pub. L. 115–10, title V, § 507, Mar. 21, 2017, 131 Stat. 50.)

In subsection (b), the words “in conformity with section 201(e)”, which appeared at the end of the subsection, are omitted as obsolete. Section 201 of Public Law 85–568, which was classified to former section 2471 of title 42 (last appearing in the 1970 edition of the United States Code), established the National Aeronautics and Space Council, with the functions of the Council specified in section 201(e). Those functions included advising the President “as he may request” with respect to promoting cooperation and resolving differences among agencies of the United States engaged in aeronautical and space activities.

The words are obsolete because section 3(a)(4) of Reorganization Plan No. 1 of 1973 (5 App. U.S.C.), abolished the National Aeronautics and Space Council, including the office of Executive Secretary of the Council, together with its functions.

In subsection (c), the words “(as established by title II of this Act)”, which appeared after “Administration”, are omitted as unnecessary.

In subsection (d), the word “and”, appearing at the end of paragraph (8), is omitted as unnecessary because of the introductory words “one or more of the following”.