The Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee is gearing up for a busy week.
Lawmakers on the panel are set to meet on Wednesday and Thursday to consider two major milestones that will influence the short-term future of America’s space program—who will serve as NASA’s deputy administrator, and what the agency should prioritize over the next two years.
NASA reauthorization (Senate’s version): On Wednesday, the Senate committee will mark up the NASA Transition Authorization Act of 2025, a bipartisan bill that has been stalled since senators introduced it in March last year. Some highlights of the bill, according to a committee press release, include:
- Extending the ISS’ lifespan for two years, until 2032, to enable a smooth hand off to commercial space stations;
- Directing NASA to build a Moon base, as part of the call for Artemis to establish a lasting Lunar presence that goes beyond flags and footprints.
The hearing is a positive sign for those hoping Congress passes a NASA reauthorization bill this year. The House Science, Space, and Technology Committee passed its NASA Reauthorization Act of 2026 last month. While there’s still a ways to go—including both bills passing the full chambers, and then reconciling differences before getting a signature from the president—bills moving in parallel through both the House and Senate is a step in the right direction.
A second chance: The Senate panel will also consider on Thursday the nomination of Matthew Anderson to be deputy administrator of NASA. The White House first nominated Anderson in May, shortly before President Donald Trump withdrew Jared Isaacman’s nomination to be NASA administrator. Anderson’s nomination expired at the end of 2026, without a vote from the Senate.
Since then, Isaacman has been renominated and confirmed for NASA’s top job—but the space agency is still in search of its second in command. The White House nominated Anderson, an Air Force veteran working for the Space Force Association, again in January.
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