Funding for the Lunar Gateway, known simply as Gateway now, and other elements of NASA’s Artemis program has been restored by Congress as both the House and Senate have passed H.R.1, known as the “One Big Beautiful Bill.”
The Senate passed the “One Big Beautiful Bill” on Canada Day and when it sent the bill back to the House it included the following items related to NASA’s Artemis program.
- Gateway – “Not less than $750,000,000 shall be obligated for each of fiscal years 2026, 2027, and 2028.”
- Artemis missions
- “For the procurement, transportation, integration, operation, and other necessary expenses of the Space Launch System for Artemis Missions IV and V, of which not less than $1,025,000,000 shall be obligated for each of fiscal years 2026, 2027, 2028, and 2029.”
- “$20,000,000 for expenses related to the continued procurement of the multi-purpose crew vehicle described in section 303 of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration Authorization Act of 2010 (42 U.S.C. 18323), known as the `Orion’, for use with the Space Launch System on the Artemis IV Mission and reuse in subsequent Artemis Missions, of which not less than $20,000,000 shall be obligated not later than fiscal year 2026.”
Also included was funding for the International Space Station:
- “$1,250,000,000 for expenses related to the operation of the International Space Station and for the purpose of meeting the requirement under section 503(a) of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration Authorization Act of 2010 (42 U.S.C. 18353(a)), of which not less than $250,000,000 shall be obligated for such expenses for each of fiscal years 2025, 2026, 2027, 2028, and 2029.”
The House narrowly passed (218-214) the Bill today. The Bill will be sent to President Trump who will sign it into law.
Canadians can thank Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX), born in Canada, for taking the lead in restoring some of NASA’s funding including for the Artemis program.
The Gateway includes the Canadarm3 project being developed by MDA Space. The Artemis II crew includes Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen (Mission Specialist) and NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman (Commander), Victor Glover (Pilot), and Christina Koch (Mission Specialist).
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