spacetoday.net: House committee advances NASA authorization bill

Posted: Sat, Feb 7, 2026, 10:37 AM ET (1537 GMT)
The House Science Committee advanced a NASA authorization bill Wednesday. The committee unanimously approved the bill after approving more than 40 amendments to it. The amendments cover a wide range of topics, from exploration and commercial space activities to science and workforce development. One amendment would direct NASA to study raising the orbit of the International Space Station upon retirement rather than deorbiting it. Another amendment, introduced and then withdrawn, would have directed NASA to study the cost and risks of moving the shuttle Discovery from Virginia to Houston. The committee rejected only one amendment, which would have given NASA authorities to operate counter-drone systems at its facilities, after Republican members argued that was an issue better handled by the House Armed Services Committee. The bill now goes to the full House.