A provision in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act could result in NASA’s space shuttle Discovery relocating to Houston.
The shuttle is currently on display at the Smithsonian’s Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, Virginia, part of the National Air and Space Museum. Discovery began service in 1984 and had its last flight in 2011 before being delivered to the annex, the museum says on its website.
The new law signed by President Trump on Independence Day earmarks $85 million toward the relocation of a “space vehicle” to a NASA facility “that is involved in the administration of the Commercial Crew Program.” At least $5 million of that is for moving the shuttle, with the remainder going toward building new space to hold Discovery.
The Smithsonian Institution told Congress that moving Discovery could cost taxpayers from $300 million to $400 million, according to USA Today.
While the act’s text was vague, Sen. John Cornyn, Texas Republican, said in a release prior to its signing that “Houston has long been the cornerstone of our nation’s human space exploration program, and it’s long overdue for Space City to receive the recognition it deserves by bringing the Space Shuttle Discovery home.”
Specifically, Mr. Cornyn said the shuttle should be relocated to a space near NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston.
“Collecting and preserving artifacts like Space Shuttle Orbiter Discovery is part of the National Air and Space Museum’s mission and core function as a research facility and the repository of the national air and space collection. The Smithsonian Institution owns the Discovery and holds it in trust for the American public,” museum officials told Washington’s WJLA-TV.
The One Big Beautiful Bill Act’s deadline for moving the Discovery is Jan. 4, 2027, reported USA Today.
