Cruz Reintroduces Space Frontier Act
Sen. Ted Cruz
WASHINGTON, D.C. (Ted Cruz PR) — U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), chairman of the Subcommittee on Aviation and Space, along with Sens. Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.), Roger Wicker (R-Miss.), Ed Markey (D-Mass.), and Gary Peters (D-Mich.) this week introduced the Space Frontier Act. This bipartisan bill would secure funding to continue operations for the International Space Station (ISS) through 2030, eliminate overreaching regulations to support further development of the commercial space sector, and to strengthen America’s leadership in space exploration. Read the full text of the bill here.
“I am proud of this bipartisan legislation as it will help to fortify America’s leadership in the domain of space,” Sen. Cruz said. “The Space Frontier Act moves our nation forward in taking the critical step of continuing the operations and utilization of the International Space Station through 2030, securing the United States’ competitive edged against China in low-Earth orbit, and enacts meaningful reforms to modernize our nation’s launch and re-entry regulations, and streamlines nongovernmental Earth observation regulations.”
“Arizona is home to a thriving aerospace manufacturing community,” said Senator Sinema. “We’re working across the aisle to cut red tape, support our space industry, and ensure that the United States continues to be a leader in the global space community.”
“Fifty years after the United States first put a man on the moon, we are in the midst of a new and exciting space race,” Wicker said. “This challenge requires policy certainty, partnerships with the private sector and our friends across the globe, and America’s continuing competitive edge and innovative thinking. The Space Frontier Act would ensure American leadership in space for years to come.”
“This bill passed the Senate through unanimous consent last year, and I am glad to continue this bipartisan effort to provide certainty and a firmer launchpad for our commercial space industry,” Sen. Markey said. “Our sky should not be a ceiling for innovation and achievement, and the Space Frontier Act will help the American space industry achieve new heights, all while protecting small businesses and the scientific research that benefits all Americans through innovation and discovery.”
24 responses to “Cruz Reintroduces Space Frontier Act”
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.
Good. I’m excited to see it pass this time. It’ll be nice to see Bill Nelson’s last bill pass. It’ll also be nice to ensure ISS stays around for a long time to come.
It is only if we start using ISS smart, that it would have value.
We need to add a habitat/two to it, move the crew quarters ouf fo the lab area onto the habitats and then run around the clock schedule.
It is long past time to make good use of it. Just having it around, really is not helping.
“Fifty years after the United States first put a man on the moon, we are
in the midst of a new and exciting space race,” Wicker said
That will not work. There is no space race. We started 1st and Russia never had a chance in the ’60s. China and Russia talk about 2030’s. If ESA,will be partners. SpaceX. Big talk. Long way to go. Musk says he hopes so by 2024. Not a whole lot of excitement here or expectation. Mars would be a different story. Moon already done a long time ago. Maybe Trump can be defeated and we can get back on the road to Mars. So instead of voting for Trump to go to Luna, vote against him to go to Mars.
I hate the attitude of “the moon? been there, done that.”
Do you think we’ve have done all we can do there? By using a dozen astronauts 50 years ago.
The moon has enormous potential, and while I want to see us go to Mars as well, the moon is the logical place to go, it’s much closer if things go wrong. I could be a great rocket fuel depot, and a great place to build a telescope on the dark side of it, possibly inside a crater. Test out new habitat designs. Mine it fore minerals, which could possibly add to the periodic table. Dig deep, and see if we can create large underground habitats, big enough so know one gets remotely claustrophobic. Grow vegetables on the surface (in a sealed greenhouse).
We haven’t even scratched the surface of our moons potential.
I had rather put the money on Mars. A free return fly by to start. I like air. Wind. Sunrises, Sunsets. Moon will delay Mars. No very long to ’30s. Need every bit of money and time to get there. Most of my point was there is no Space Race. A false statement. Trying to justify what they are doing. Or think people only like races. So they will get excited an say Go!
https://uploads.disquscdn.c… https://uploads.disquscdn.c… https://uploads.disquscdn.c… https://uploads.disquscdn.c… https://uploads.disquscdn.c… https://uploads.disquscdn.c… https://uploads.disquscdn.c…
As I said, I like sunsets from in front of my house. None on Luna. They could grow my lilies in a green house though. I crossed them. They are all named Doris, after my oldest sister that died 2 years ago or so. She made new lilies and I copied her. I can not say hi to her.
buy a heat lamp and a fan.
In the mean time, science, engineering, and economics must be dealt with by professionals.
one thing that you are missing is that the rockets/space equipment needed for mars is needed also for the moon. If we attempt to shoot for mars first, we are looking at every 2 years sending a fleet of rockets, equipment, etc. The fixed costs will KILL IT.
OTOH, by going to the moon first, we can launch monthly, weekly, ultimately even daily. At first glance, the moon will be expensive, but like Antarctica and now Arctic, nations will be SCREAMING to get on the moon. By building a private railroad to the moon and allowing other nations to use that, it enables low costs because of heavy usage.
This is the ONLY way that we will get to mars.
Apparently you didn;t listen to the NASA administrator at the house committee meeting the other day .. he stated that Mars is STILL the MAIN focus of NASA and not the moon.
I didn’t listen. Focus does not get to Mars. I will try to listen tomorrow as they review the budget. I guess they can test stuff. Gs, Pressure not much different. It will take all the time and money . I don’t see how they can suddenly switch to Mars. Something to watch though. If I don’t get dementia like a lot of people do.
wow.
Hate to break this to you, but if we shoot for mars WITHOUT going to the moon, then it will be economically impossible.
As to trump, there is more than just space issue. And I suspect that next president, assuming not trump (which is NOT assured since dems continue to run idiots/crooks/eat their own; the woman attacking biden today is a great example of what is mentally wrong with you dems ), will likely either choose to roll back NASA OR go for the moon.
The Russians launched the first Earth satellite and the first human into space so, no, we didn’t start first. And Russia had a chance to beat us to the Moon too, but they couldn’t capitalize on it – not for lack of effort.
Musk is being diplomatic given that Trump, Pence and Bridenstine are now in all but full-on attack mode against his biggest long-term PITA, Sen. Shelby. I think Musk intends to be near, then on, the Moon a lot sooner than 2024, but there is no percentage in chest-beating just now. Plenty of time for that later.
And he might still do Mars by the mid-2020’s too, though probably not with people in 2024.
Can’t believe I’m saying this, but “Go, Ted Cruz!”
Cruz is pretty much pro-commercial space and has been to McGregor – grinning like a kid, so yeah. But have no doubt, he’s a political shark.
I think NASA out to have SpaceX design a SS to put on top of their SLS rocket. NASA should adapt some of Musk’s goals. Such as building a self sustaining colony on Mars and a dependent colony on the moon. That way when another deluge/worldwide disaster hits the Earth, mankind doesn’t have to start from scratch, again.
While I don’t disagree with your intentions, there are some practical problems.
First, as I understand it, contracts issued by NASA have to be competitively bid. They can’t just choose SpaceX to design a space station, but rather there’s a process where they have to put out an open solicitation for bids from industry and then go through an established process to select a winner based on pre-established criteria. The losers can sue the government if they feel they were not given a fair evaluation. Then of course Congress, which actually controls the purse strings, very much has its own ideas on what it will fund or not fund.
Second, when it comes to building colonies, whether on the Moon, Mars, asteroids or in free space in O’Neilian space stations, that is outside NASA’s charter. The law that created and defines NASA includes no such mandate. However, some are proposing amending NASA’s charter to include the facilitation of such, and I hope that does happen
That makes no sense. What would be the point of SpaceX designing a spacecraft for a booster that wil only flies every other year because it is so expensive.
More money for SX.
why would you take the company that built the lowest cost launch system and move to them space stations to be launched on what will surely be the most expensive launch system in the world??
Esp when it has similar capabilities to the lowest cost launch and SpaceX’s new rocket will likely be cheapest / kg as well as well as destroy the definition of Super Heavy.
I like Ted Cruz, but this 2030 ISS bill reeks of pork spending for Texas.
Sorry. Not a fan of ISS. Hard words follow.
If we’ve learned anything from the ISS project, it’s how not to do a space station. Yes, it works. Yes, it’s magnificent. Yes, it has delivered valuable science. But what of the costs?
Would anyone want to try to replicate the ISS? Recreate it, if it were lost? Imitate it, because of its example? Everything important about its design and construction slowed down completion, increased costs, and increased risks.
The Clinton Space Station to buy off Russia has always been more of a creature of foreign policy than space policy. If the thing has to be kept alive, fund it out of the State Department budget and free NASA from the burden. Better yet, give Russia the bill. Why should the Russian tail wag the ISS dog?
If I had my way, ISS would have kerplunked back in 2016, according to the 2004 space policy. Because as long as the ISS keeps draining the resources of NASA, NASA will stumble rather than stride into the future.
ISS kept most space and even nuclear scientists gainfully employeed instead of seeing them go to work for North Korea, Iraq, Iran, etc. (though some DID).
And our ISS treaties with foreign nations prevented admins from changing course mid-strea.
In addition, it allowed many of our allies to come up to speed. Neither Europe nor Japan had a decent space program before ISS. Now, a lot of info and tech has both been desiminated/integrated/ and newly developed.
Yes, the ISS was a bit of foreign policy. But that will likely be true of the lunar ascent.
In fact, for going to the moon, we should be using private space to build the initial ‘railroad’ to the moon and then allow our partners to piece in where they like. And that should include Russia as well. While we have hit bumps, Russia has overall been a decent partner esp. considering our Ukraine/Crimea/sanctions issues.
ISS cost NASA more than 100 billion dollars to put up. ISS took 13 years to (only sort of! ) finish construction. ISS still costs NASA 3 billion dollars every year to keep operational. By 2030, thats a combined cost of more than 160 billion dollars!
Sorry, that’s a boondoggle of Space Shuttle proportions. That’s a boondoggle of Space Launch System proportions. It’s a damned sacred White Elephant, demanding blood sacrifices in exchange for small benefits.
White Elephant projects are why NASA manned space exploration has stalled in LEO ever since Apollo 17. Stalled for 47 years! NASA has had more than enough resources over 47 years to accomplish great feats. But as long as these vampire projects keep draining NASA, NASA isn’t going anywhere soon.
I think that, anent Russia, you mean “considering their Crimea/Ukraine land-grab issues.” It’s not like either Obama or Trump just got up on the wrong side of the bed one morning and decided to slap sanctions on Russia for grins.
As for the quality of their “partnership,” they have failed to deliver on a lot of things promised for ISS and have used every opportunity the clueless NASA and Congressional leadership has given them to stick us for more money. Now they’re putting up nanny-cams in their part of ISS and insinuating we had something to do with that mysteriously drilled hole in the Soyuz.
I never said that there were not issues.
There are.
But, I prefer them with us, than china.