The bill would authorize NASA’s Administrator, beginning no earlier than January 1, 2026, and subject to appropriations, to establish a National Institute for Space Research operated by a non-Federal entity. The Institute would support in-space research, national security applications, the U.S. microgravity ecosystem, education and workforce development, and the transition from the International Space Station to next-generation platforms. It could competitively award grants or cooperative agreements, with administrative expenses limited to 5 percent of authorized funds, and the Administrator would terminate the ISS National Laboratory and related cooperative agreement no later than 180 days after ISS research operations cease.

FactVote-generated overview; it is not an official CRS summary.