House NASA Bill Seeks Greater Transparency on Lunar Lander and Spacesuit Development
WASHINGTON — Lawmakers on the House Science Committee are moving to tighten congressional oversight of NASA’s Artemis program, with new legislation that would require detailed reporting on the development of lunar landers and next-generation spacesuits as the agency races toward a return to the moon.
The NASA Reauthorization Act of 2026, introduced on Jan. 30 by Rep. Brian Babin (R-Texas), would mandate a series of reports examining progress, costs, and technical challenges associated with key Artemis systems. The bill is co-sponsored by Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-Calif.), the committee’s ranking member, as well as Reps. Mike Haridopolos (R-Fla.) and Valerie Foushee (D-N.C.), who lead the House space subcommittee.
The House Science Committee is scheduled to take up the bill during a markup session on Feb. 4, a procedural step that could send the measure to the full House for consideration. NASA was last authorized in 2022 under the CHIPS and Science Act.
While the legislation stops short of restructuring NASA’s lunar exploration strategy, it signals growing concern among lawmakers about schedule pressure, contractor performance, and the agency’s reliance on commercial partners for mission-critical systems.
Scrutiny of Lunar Lander Development
A central focus of the bill is NASA’s Human Landing System (HLS) program, under which SpaceX and Blue Origin are developing crewed lunar landers for Artemis missions.
The legislation would require NASA to submit two reports within 60 days of enactment. One would detail the technical and financial support NASA has provided to each company, along with the cost of that support to the agency. A second report would disclose the total funding NASA has committed to the HLS contractors, the amount of private investment contributed by each company, and the milestones achieved to date.
Lawmakers are also seeking transparency on challenges facing the program. The bill directs NASA to document any cost overruns, schedule delays, or performance issues encountered during lander development.
Additional reports due within 90 days would require NASA to outline steps it is taking to address those challenges and to ensure the “timely availability of human lunar landing capabilities.” The agency would also need to describe any alternative approaches it is considering for crewed lunar landers should current plans fall short.
The reporting requirements come as NASA works to accelerate lander development in support of Artemis 3, the first planned mission to land astronauts on the moon since Apollo, currently targeted for no later than 2028. Last year, NASA asked both SpaceX and Blue Origin to submit acceleration plans, though neither the companies nor the agency have publicly released details of those proposals or NASA’s assessment of them.
Reaffirming the Space Launch System
The bill largely endorses NASA’s existing Artemis architecture, including continued use of the Space Launch System (SLS), the agency’s heavy-lift rocket.
A section titled “Reaffirmation of the Space Launch System” expresses congressional support for ongoing development of the vehicle and directs NASA to explore additional potential uses beyond Artemis missions. The language reflects continued backing for SLS despite long-standing criticism over its cost and development timeline.
Concerns Over Spacesuit Expertise
Another major provision addresses NASA’s approach to spacesuit development. The agency is currently relying on a commercial services contract with Axiom Space to deliver new suits for lunar surface operations and extravehicular activities aboard the International Space Station.
The bill suggests unease among lawmakers that outsourcing suit development could erode NASA’s internal technical expertise. It explicitly directs the agency to maintain in-house capabilities, stating that NASA “shall maintain the internal expertise necessary to develop space suits for both extravehicular activity and surface operations.”
Management of spacesuit development would be required to remain at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, long regarded as the agency’s center of excellence for human spaceflight systems.
Within 180 days of enactment, NASA would need to submit a report detailing plans to test new spacesuits aboard the International Space Station and outlining how it intends to transition from shuttle-era suits currently in use. The bill also mandates an independent assessment of the technical condition of NASA’s existing ISS spacesuit inventory.
Transition Beyond the International Space Station
The legislation also seeks clarity on NASA’s long-term strategy for low Earth orbit as the International Space Station approaches retirement later this decade.
Lawmakers are requesting multiple reports on how NASA plans to transition from the ISS to commercially operated space stations, how it intends to maintain a continuous U.S. presence in orbit, and what risks the agency faces if access to low Earth orbit is disrupted.
These provisions reflect growing concern in Congress about potential gaps in U.S. human spaceflight capability as NASA increasingly depends on private industry to provide orbital infrastructure.
Mars Sample Return Remains on Paper
Although the Mars Sample Return program was effectively canceled in the fiscal 2026 minibus spending bill, the authorization legislation stops short of formally ending the effort.
Instead, it directs NASA to continue pursuing Mars Sample Return “subject to the availability of appropriations.” Within 180 days of enactment, NASA would be required to submit a report outlining a proposed mission architecture along with what the bill describes as “realistic cost and schedule estimates.”
A Message of Oversight, Not Overhaul
Overall, the NASA Reauthorization Act of 2026 does not mandate sweeping changes to Artemis or other major programs. In several cases, it would formally authorize initiatives that have already been operating for years, including the Commercial Lunar Payload Services program and the Commercial Satellite Data Acquisition effort.
Still, the bill sends a clear message: as NASA pushes toward ambitious lunar and planetary goals, Congress wants greater visibility into how taxpayer dollars are being spent — and whether the agency’s most critical systems will be ready when they are needed.
