It’s a new year—so that means it’s time for Congress to launch a new effort to pass a NASA authorization bill.
The House Science, Space, and Technology Committee will meet at 10am tomorrow to mark up the NASA Reauthorization Act of 2026. Recently, it’s become an annual exercise for lawmakers, and a stated priority for committee leaders past and present. However, past bills have stalled and failed to codify the space agency’s missions.
Civics 101: An authorization bill allows Congress to weigh in on an agency’s top priorities, and the future of different programs. It’s different from an appropriations bill, which actually dispenses the money for agencies to carry out the plans set by Congress.
Perhaps the best known authorization bill is the National Defense Authorization Act, or NDAA, which lawmakers have passed to set national security priorities annually for 65 consecutive years. Other agencies, however, don’t get the yearly treatment.
Congress last passed a NASA authorization in 2022, when a pared-down version was folded into the CHIPS and Science Act. The bill set NASA’s agenda in several key areas, including support for Artemis, Mars Sample Return, and the search for life off of Earth.
The last standalone NASA authorization bill became law in 2017.
Just a bill: The NASA Reauthorization Act of 2026, also known as HR 7273, was introduced on Jan. 30 by Rep. Brian Babin (R-TX), who chairs the House Science, Space, and Technology Committee. The legislation includes priorities such as:
- Returning to the Moon under Artemis, supported by the SLS.
- Writing a report on the US strategy for crew access to LEO (and the risks, if there’s a gap).
- Investing in orbital debris R&D, lunar communications, and power generation on the Moon.
- Pursuing scientific research without cost overruns.
- Using commercial satellite data for NASA Earth science research.
If past is precedent: Rep. Frank Lucas (R-OK), the former chair of the House Science, Space, and Technology Committee, was vocal about the need to pass a new NASA authorization bill, and got his version of the bill across the finish line in the House in 2024. Without action in the Senate, however, the bill fizzled and never became law.
In late 2024, Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX), the chair of the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee, introduced a bipartisan bill—which never moved forward.
What’s next: Is the third time the charm? Only time will tell—but the markup in the House committee tomorrow is a positive first step. But there’s still a long way to go before making it to the president’s desk, including passing the House and the Senate—which already have packed, time-sensitive to-do lists.
