Trump’s signing of ‘One Big Beautiful Bill’ includes $85 million to move space shuttle Discovery from Smithsonian to Texas

05
Jul 25

On July 4, 2006, NASA’s space shuttle Discovery launched on a “return to flight” mission that paved the way for it and its sister ships to fly for another five years. Now, a sprawling budget enacted on Independence Day will seemingly lead to Discovery lifting off again — though this time not into space, but rather from its place in the national collection.

President Donald Trump signed into law the so-called “One Big Beautiful Bill” today (July 4), a day after the legislation was narrowly passed out of Congress with only Republican support. Deep within the 900-page bill is a provision added by Texas’ senators to transfer a “space vehicle” to a NASA center “involved in the administration of the Commercial Crew Program” and “placed on public exhibition at an entity within the Metropolitan Statistical Area where such center is located.”

The vague language, written in such a way to skirt Senate restrictions on reconciliation bills, was aimed at achieving the “Bring the Space Shuttle Home Act” introduced by Senators Ted Cruz and John Cornyn in April.

four men in business suits and one man in a NASA astronaut blue flight jacket sit in front of a large model of a space shuttle with U.S. and Texas flags flanking them.

Senator John Cornyn (at center) speaks about the “Bring the Space Shuttle Home Act,” an effort to move the space shuttle Discovery, at a press conference at Space Center Houston on June 20, 2025. Joining Cornyn at the event were former astronaut Tim Kopra (at far), Rep. Randy Weber (TX-14), Space Center Houston CEO William Harris and Brian Freedman, president of the Bay Area Houston Economic Partnership. (Image credit: collectSPACE.com)

“It’s long overdue for Space City to receive the recognition it deserves by bringing the space shuttle Discovery home,” said Cornyn in a statement released after the Senate passed its version of the bill in a vote of 50 to 50, with Vice President J.D. Vance breaking the tie.

Click any of the icons to share this post: