H.R. 2313 would require the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), in consultation with the Office of Science and Technology Policy, to develop a celestial lunar time standard to address the limits of Coordinated Universal Time and support interoperable space exploration activities. Because NASA is currently conducting related work, CBO expects that the agency would implement that requirement using existing personnel and resources.
The bill also would require NASA to report to the Congress within two years of enactment, describing relevant plans, timelines, and resource needs. Based on the cost of similar reports, CBO estimates that the report would cost less than $500,000 over the 2026-2031 period. Any related spending would be subject to the availability of appropriated funds.
The CBO staff contact for this estimate is Katherine Chou. The estimate was reviewed by H. Samuel Papenfuss, Deputy Director of Budget Analysis.
