A US House committee with oversight of NASA unanimously passed a “reauthorization” act for the space agency on Wednesday. The legislation must still be approved by the full House before being sent to the Senate, which may take up consideration later this month.
Congress passes such reauthorization bills every couple of years, providing the space agency with a general sense of the direction legislators want to see NASA go. They are distinct from appropriations bills, which provide actual funding for specific programs, but nonetheless play an important role in establishing space policy.
There weren’t any huge surprises in the legislation, but there were some interesting amendments. Most notably among these was the Amendment No. 01, offered by the chair of the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology, Rep. Brian Babin (R-Texas), as well as its ranking member, Zoe Lofgren (D-Calif.), and three other legislators.
NASA can consider Artemis alternatives
The amendment concerns acquisition powers bestowed upon NASA by Congress, stating in part: “The Administrator may, subject to appropriations, procure from United States commercial providers operational services to carry cargo and crew safely, reliably, and affordably to and from deep space destinations, including the Moon and Mars.”
That language is fairly general in nature, but the intent seems clear. NASA’s initial missions to the Moon, through Artemis V, have a clearly defined architecture: They must use the Space Launch System rocket, Orion spacecraft, and a lander built by either SpaceX or Blue Origin to complete lunar landings.
But after that? With this amendment, Congress appears to be opening the aperture to commercial companies. That is to say, if SpaceX wanted to bid an end-to-end Starship lunar mission, it could; or if Blue Origin wanted to launch Orion on New Glenn, that is also an option. The language is generalized enough, not specifying “launch” but rather “transportation,” that in-space companies such as Impulse Space could also get creative. Essentially, Congress is telling the US industry that if it is ready to step up, NASA should allow it to bid on lunar cargo and crew missions.
“When America returns to the Moon as part of Artemis, we will do so in partnership with our innovative commercial sector,” Babin said during a committee hearing Wednesday, speaking of the amendment. “As we venture farther into space, we will continue to rely on the ingenuity of the private sector as new capabilities come online.”
For her part, Lofgren praised the commercial space industry, calling it “a remarkable success story for our nation.” She added, “It wasn’t that long ago that the commercial launch business was dominated by foreign launch providers, and now the reverse is true. So this makes America stronger.”
“Quite a step”
Advocates of commercial spaceflight, who have long argued that the private sector is ready to step up and play a more comprehensive role in deep space transportation for NASA, hailed the new amendment.
“This is quite a step in the right direction for the future of commercial space transportation options for deep space,” Dave Cavossa, president of the Commercial Spaceflight Federation, told Ars. “It is also very much in line with this administration’s focus on commercial solutions and competition. This provides NASA with flexibility to procure additional services for the Moon and Mars in the future.”
The amendment must still be accepted by the full House and the US Senate.
If ultimately passed, NASA could create a new program office, set requirements, and establish a process to “on ramp” new contractors for deep space transportation missions. Much like the space agency currently contracts with private providers for crew and cargo missions to the International Space Station, it could similarly have a mechanism to do so for missions to the Moon or beyond.
The hope is that private companies can provide a more robust, affordable, and sustainable transportation system that allows NASA to establish a long-term lunar surface program.
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