Authorizes $25.5 billion in NASA funding for fiscal year 2025 and sets policy on the International Space Station's eventual replacement by commercial space stations, Artemis lunar missions, science, aeronautics, and related NASA programs.

Official title: NASA Transition Authorization Act of 2025

Next stop Senate floor: awaiting a vote

Timeline each lane is a chamber; dates pull from congress.gov actions

Senate

Introduced 11-MAR-2025

Referred 11-MAR-2025

Approved by committee 04-MAR-2026

Key points

Authorizes $25,507,540,000 in appropriations for NASA for fiscal year 2025, divided among its mission directorates and offices
Directs NASA to maintain a continuous human presence in low-Earth orbit and to seek commercial low-Earth orbit destinations as the International Space Station approaches retirement
Requires NASA to continue Artemis and Moon to Mars work, including human-rated lunar landers from U.S. commercial providers and a study of lunar communications and time standards
Restricts use of NASA funds for bilateral collaboration with China or Chinese-owned companies unless specifically authorized by law or certified under listed conditions

AI-generated from the Introduced in Senate text of 11-MAR-2025 · verify · report an error

Official CRS summary

Current. The Congressional Research Service's summary covers the bill's latest wording (Introduced in Senate, 11-MAR-2025).

CRS is the Library of Congress's nonpartisan research office. Read it on congress.gov

Committee referrals (1)

Policy area

Science, Technology, Communications

Sponsor Ted Cruz (R-TX) Cosponsors · 6

■ 4 D■ 2 R

4 Democrats

2 Republicans

congress.gov page Introduced in Senate (11-MAR-2025)