H.R. 7273: NASA Reauthorization Act of 2026

This 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.

Written by the Congressional Research Service, Library of Congress.