House Science Committee Approves NASA Reauthorization Bill

The House Science Committee took a step this week that its chairman, Oklahoma’s Frank Lucas, says could be significant in shaping the future of space exploration and technology. The committee unanimously approved bipartisan legislation to reauthorize NASA, the National Air and Space Administration.

Authorization bills set policy and provide guidance; the last NASA reauthorization was in 2017 and Lucas says that while this would keep much the same, it does recognize a very significant development.

"We're not the only ones expanding our presence in space," Congressman Lucas noted in prepared remarks during markup of the reauthorization bill this week.

Chairman Lucas (R-OK3) spoke of China and its expanding space program, which, he says, includes the pursuit of a lunar base at the moon's south pole.

"And given the behavior of the Chinese Communist Party here on Earth," Lucas went on, "it's not unreasonable to be concerned that they will act in a similar manner in space."

In an interview later in his office, Lucas opened up a bit more on why China's efforts in space concern him: "Because they don’t mean to plant a flag on the Moon or Mars, they mean to dominate and control the off-world."

Lucas says it's critical that the United States maintain its position as a global leader in space and, to that end, the committee supports the continuation of the Artemis project, aiming for a return to the moon by 2026, and eventually putting American astronauts on Mars.

"We're attempting in the bill to make sure that there’s a steady stream of activity, that we don’t have boom and bust, so to speak, in the space industry," Lucas explained, "and where we go with the next generation of telescopes after James Webb."

The bill doesn't set funding levels but recommends for FY 2025 an amount consistent with a slight decrease set by GOP appropriators.

The reauthorization bill now awaits action on the House floor and ultimately in the Senate.