Sponsors
The bill centralizes and funds deep-space research through a dedicated UARC to strengthen NASA mission support and public–private collaboration, but it raises federal costs and risks concentrating awards with established institutions, which could limit competition and opportunities for smaller firms and newcomers.
Universities, nonprofits, FFRDCs, and researchers gain expanded, predictable funding and partnership opportunities to conduct cis-lunar, deep-space, and interplanetary engineering analyses.
Creates a dedicated University-Affiliated Research Center (UARC) to improve technical quality and provide sustained NASA mission support for deep-space and interplanetary studies.
Encourages public–private collaboration by requiring expertise in convening academic, nonprofit, and private-sector participants, which can broaden innovation and commercial engagement.
Small businesses, early-stage firms, and some researchers could be disadvantaged because the structure may concentrate awards with established FFRDCs and universities, limiting competition and entry.
Creating and operating a UARC could increase federal spending and contribute to NASA budget pressures or require reallocation of existing funds, affecting taxpayers and other NASA programs.
Sole-source or limited-competition awards risk favoring certain institutions and reducing competitive opportunities for a broader set of researchers and small firms.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Introduced January 3, 2025 by Andrew S. Biggs · Last progress January 3, 2025
Requires NASA to create and run a university-affiliated research center (UARC) to provide analyses and engineering support for cis-lunar, deep-space, and interplanetary mission planning. The UARC must ensure technical quality, bring together academic and private-sector partners, and operate under policies for participant selection and award mechanisms.