Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, will reintroduce the Space Frontier Act that failed to pass the House in 2018 in an effort for Congress to approve commercial space regulatory reform and extend NASA’s control of the International Space Station, SpaceNews reported Wednesday.
In July, Cruz introduced the bill and received Senate approval in December. However, House lawmakers denied the legislation a day after it passed the upper chamber, with the majority of Democrats following the objections raised by Rep. Peter DeFazio, D-Ore.
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Cruz cited the “intense partisan discord†in Congress affected the decisions of the House lawmakers. He highlights the conflict between the House Science Committee and the House Transportation Committee over commercial space issues. But the Senator plans to propose the bill again for the new Congress, saying he hopes to work “very closely with the incoming chairman in the House†to seek approval.
The Space Frontier Act would extend NASA’s authorization to operate the International Space Station from 2024 to 2030.
