HR-7273 — NASA Reauthorization Act of 2026

YourVoice.Now Summary

Your MoneyWorkers & JobsCivil LibertiesCorporate BenefitsEnvironmentTransparency & AccountabilityTargeted & Unrelated Provisions

Sets NASA's 2026 budget at $24.4 billion, keeps Moon and Mars missions going, and adds new wildfire tracking work.

Your Money

Farm data sharing written into law — soil, water, crop tools

NASA already shares Earth data with farmers. The bill makes that sharing a legal duty, covering soil moisture, water supply, land use, and crop health.

Workers & Jobs

NASA staff may work at companies — three years maximum

A new swap program would let NASA employees work at a private space firm for three months to three years, and company staff work at NASA. No more than 2 percent of NASA's workforce may be out at any one time.

Payback strings on staff swaps — twice the time, or repay costs

A NASA worker who takes an outside assignment must then stay at NASA for twice as long as the assignment. Leaving early means owing the full cost of the assignment back to the government.

Civil Liberties

NASA scientists may discuss their research — this law cannot silence them

The bill says none of its parts can be read to stop a NASA employee from discussing research that employee did. NASA's own science integrity rules still apply.

Corporate Benefits

Moon lander deals — NASA must seek two U.S. companies, not one

NASA must seek human Moon landing systems from at least two American companies, if money is available. Reports on each deal's value and milestone payments are due within 60 days.

Private space stations — NASA would help build them and be a customer

NASA could sign deals with U.S. firms to develop and prove out private stations for the years after the space station retires. A study of NASA's role as an early customer is due November 15, 2026.

Buying satellite images from companies — written into law as a program

A pilot that has bought commercial Earth images since 2017 would become a permanent NASA program in law. The images must come from U.S. sellers where practical.

Environment

New wildfire project at NASA — early warning and spread tracking

FireSense would build fire detection, prediction, and recovery tools inside NASA's Earth science division. It would also study how shifting temperatures and weather change fire behavior. Reports run yearly for five years.

Wildfire aircraft coordination tools — yearly reports through 2031

NASA would keep building systems that track and separate aircraft fighting wildfires and share live data with crews. It could not buy drones from certain foreign-controlled makers, mainly Chinese ones, without a waiver.

Transparency & Accountability

Full lifetime cost first — no building money before Congress is told

NASA could not spend money to build a major project until it reports that project's full life-cycle cost to Congress. The estimate would be made after the design review stage.

Company staff swaps named publicly — reported every April 30

NASA must list each company that traded staff with it, the jobs involved, and how long each assignment lasted. The report is due by April 30 every year.

Bought satellite images stay publishable — license terms cannot block science

Deals for commercial Earth images could not stop NASA or researchers from publishing the images or work built on them. NASA may also widen who is allowed to use the data.

Public review of NASA cost overruns — every case since 2000

Congress's audit arm would review how NASA sets and enforces cost limits on competed science missions. The review must name every mission that went over its limit since January 2000, and why.

NASA advisers must brief Congress too — duty ends September 30, 2028

The NASA Advisory Council advises the agency. It would also have to advise Congress, but that added duty would expire on September 30, 2028.

Targeted & Unrelated Provisions

Ban on space work with China — exceptions need 30-day notice

No money in this bill could pay NASA, the White House science office, or the National Space Council to work directly with China or Chinese companies, or to host Chinese officials at NASA sites. An exception needs a no-risk finding made after talking with the FBI, filed with Congress 30 days ahead.

Spacesuit program assigned to one center — Johnson Space Center keeps it

The bill writes into law that Johnson Space Center in Houston keeps running NASA's spacesuit program. NASA must also keep the in-house skill to design suits instead of relying only on outside firms.

More about this bill

NASA would get $24.4 billion for 2026 under this plan. For most households, nothing about your taxes, bills, or paperwork would change. The largest shares go to Moon and Mars work ($7.8 billion) and science ($7.3 billion). Space station operations get $4.2 billion, and site buildings and cleanup get $185 million. Some of the work would reach the ground. NASA would start FireSense, a project to spot wildfires early and track how they spread. A second effort would build tools to keep aircraft safely apart over a fire. NASA would also keep sending soil, water, and crop data to farmers. A permanent office would watch for asteroids at least 140 meters wide and warn of impacts. The Moon and Mars program would continue. NASA would have to seek Moon landers from at least two U.S. companies, not one. Crew and cargo flights to the space station would stay at recent levels for its remaining life. NASA could cut flights only for safety reasons, and must tell Congress in writing. NASA plans to bring the station down safely by the end of 2031. It would buy the vehicle for that job. It would also help private firms build new stations to take the station's place. A plan for returning Mars rock samples would be due within 180 days. Other rules would tighten how NASA spends and reports. It could not start building a major project until it tells Congress the full lifetime cost. Staff could take temporary jobs at private firms, capped at 2 percent of the workforce at a time. NASA would have to name those firms in a report each April 30. Money in this bill could not pay for joint work with China. An exception needs an FBI review and 30 days' notice to Congress. Nothing in the bill would stop NASA scientists from discussing their own research.

Congressional Summary

NASA Reauthorization Act of 2026This bill reauthorizes through FY2026 the programs and activities of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). The bill also directs NASA to continue planning for the eventual deorbit of the International Space Station (ISS) and to continue lunar and Mars exploration missions.Specifically, the bill requires NASA to submit to Congress a strategy for research and operations in low-Earth orbit. (Low-Earth orbit generally encompasses an altitude of up to 2,000 kilometers.) With respect to the ISS, which sits in low-Earth orbit, NASA must generally maintain a flight cadence necessary to support productive use of the station through its operational lifetime. The bill provides statutory authority for NASA's acquisition of ISS deorbit capabilities from a commercial entity and specifies that NASA must not, to the greatest extent practicable, reduce or deprioritize ISS activities. (In 2024, NASA contracted with SpaceX for the development of an ISS deorbit vehicle.)Further, NASA must report on the risk to science and technology research posed by lack of access to a low-Earth orbit platform (i.e., after retirement of the ISS). NASA may continue to enter into agreements with U.S. commercial entities for the development of one or more private, low-Earth orbit platforms.Separately, the bill directs NASA to continue efforts to support crewed lunar landings and Mars explorations, including through partnerships with the private sector (i.e., the Moon to Mars and Artemis programs).Finally, NASA must continue researching advanced air mobility, unmanned aircraft systems (i.e., drones), and hypersonic technologies.

Legislative Subjects

Advanced technology and technological innovationsAdvisory bodiesAgricultural researchAir qualityAppropriationsAtmospheric science and weatherAviation and airportsClimate change and greenhouse gasesComputers and information technologyCongressional oversightEducation programs fundingEnvironmental assessment, monitoring, researchEnvironmental technologyGeography and mappingGovernment information and archivesGovernment studies and investigationsHigher educationInternational organizations and cooperationNational Aeronautics and Space Administration

Details

Congress: 119th
Chamber: House
Status: summarized
Action: Introduced in House
Action Date: 2026-01-30
Date Added: 2026-06-05
Source: Congress.gov →

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