Sen. Cornyn, Cruz Hail Senate Passage of Provision to Bring Space Shuttle Discovery to Houston

Senator John Cornyn (R-TX) celebrated the Senate’s passage of his provision to explore relocating the Space Shuttle Discovery from Virginia to Houston’s Johnson Space Center (JSC), as part of the broader One Big Beautiful Bill (OBBB).

“Houston has long been the cornerstone of our nation’s human space exploration program, and it’s long overdue for Space City to receive the recognition it deserves by bringing the Space Shuttle Discovery home,” said Sen. Cornyn. “I am glad to see this pass... and look forward to welcoming Discovery to Houston and righting this egregious wrong.”

The shuttle currently resides at the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum’s Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, Virginia. Under Cornyn’s provision, the federal government would consider moving Discovery to Houston, home to the astronauts who flew it and to Mission Control, which managed every flight of the space shuttle program.

Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX), Chairman of the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee, strongly supported the effort.

“Houston has long stood at the heart of America’s human spaceflight program, and this legislation rightly honors that legacy,” Sen. Cruz said. “It ensures that any future transfer of a flown, crewed space vehicle will prioritize locations that have played a direct and vital role in our nation’s manned space program.”

Cruz added that relocating Discovery would “underscore the city’s indispensable contributions to our space missions... and inspire future generations of engineers, scientists, and pioneers.”

Congress originally stipulated in the NASA Authorization Act of 2010 that retired shuttles should go to states with a “historical relationship” to the program. Despite this, the Obama administration awarded shuttles to locations such as New York City, which does not host a NASA center nor played a direct role in the shuttle program.

In addition to the Discovery provision, the OBBB includes several space-related measures led by Sen. Cornyn, including the Mission to Modernize Astronautic Resources (MARS) for Space Act, $10 billion in funding for Johnson Space Center programs, and support for NASA’s Artemis program and the International Space Station.

The legislation now awaits action in the U.S. House of Representatives.