Crossword Genius

Shuttle organisers name a state (4)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

nasa

I'm a little stuck... Click here to teach me more about this clue!

'shuttle' is the definition.
Both the definition and answer are singular nouns.
Maybe there's an association between them I don't understand?

'organisers name a state' is the wordplay.
I cannot really understand how this works, but
'name' could be 'asa' and 'asa' is found within the answer.
A single letter 'n' remains which might be clued in a way I don't understand.
This explanation may well be incorrect...

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for nasa that I've seen before include "US agency responsible for space flight" , "US headquarters for space exploration" , "rocket launcher" .)

I've seen this clue in the Sydney Morning Herald.
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