Ted Cruz reminds us why NASA's rocket is called the "Senate Launch System"

"He seems an unlikely hero for NASA's large rocket, which costs the federal government more than $2 billion to launch. Cruz, after all, is a self-described pro-capitalist, fiscal conservative. SpaceX and Blue Origin, which are building large and significantly lower-cost alternatives to the SLS rocket, have large operations in Texas. In previous legislative sessions, Cruz has often carried legislation important to the commercial space industry, such as the American Space Commerce Act and the Space Frontier Act."

"As part of its fiscal year 2026 budget, the White House sought to end funding for the Space Launch System rocket after the Artemis III mission, and also cancel the Lunar Gateway, an orbital space station that provides a destination for the rocket. The Cruz addendum provided $6.7 billion in funding for two additional SLS missions, Artemis IV and Artemis V, and to continue Gateway construction."

Original US senators who created and sustained NASA's Space Launch System (SLS)—Bill Nelson, Kay Bailey Hutchison, and Richard Shelby—have left Congress. Senator Ted Cruz has emerged as a new champion for the SLS. Cruz previously supported commercial space priorities and legislation such as the American Space Commerce Act and the Space Frontier Act, and Texas hosts major operations for SpaceX and Blue Origin. As chair of the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee, Cruz added a NASA provision that preserved SLS funding, providing $6.7 billion for Artemis IV and V and continued Gateway construction, countering White House plans to end SLS after Artemis III and cancel the Lunar Gateway. Cruz frames SLS as essential to beating China to the Moon and maintaining a lunar presence.

Read at Ars Technica