Bill sponsored by Ted Cruz would extend U.S. operation of Space Station

Sen. Ted Cruz walks down a platform after taking a tour of a mockup of the International Space Station at the Johnson Space Center Monday, August 8, 2016 in Houston. Sen. Ted Cruz walks down a platform after taking a tour of a mockup of the International Space Station at the Johnson Space Center Monday, August 8, 2016 in Houston. Photo: Michael Ciaglo, Houston Chronicle Photo: Michael Ciaglo, Houston Chronicle Image 1 of / 5 Caption Close Bill sponsored by Ted Cruz would extend U.S. operation of Space Station 1 / 5 Back to Gallery

U.S. operation of the International Space Station would extend to 2030 under a proposal introduced Thursday by U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, a Republican from Texas who has called the Trump administration's plan to end federal funding for the station by 2025 "foolish."

The measure, called the Space Frontier Act, would continue "our leadership in space by maximizing our utilization and operation of the International Space Station," said Cruz, chairman of the Senate Subcommittee on Space, Science and Competitiveness, in a Thursday statement.

U.S. Sens. Bill Nelson, a Democrat from Florida, and Ed Markey, a Democrat from Massachusetts, are bill co-sponsors.

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Federal funding for the 20-year-old space station currently is scheduled to end after 2024, but Congress can extend that date, and has in the past. President Donald Trump's $19.9 billion budget for NASA in the coming year, however, would eliminate federal funding for the space station by the end of 2024, transitioning operations to commercial entities.

His budget still must be approved by Congress, but Congressional leaders, including Cruz, have questioned this suggestion, calling the idea "foolish" and the date "arbitrary."

They fear that commercial companies will not be able to step up to fill the government's funding role. Just in fiscal year 2017, NASA spent $1.45 billion on the space station — and that does not count costs to transport astronauts and supplies there.

"We cannot afford to allow funding for the space station to crater in 2025," Markey said at a June Congressional hearing. "What we need is a nuanced transition plan for the next great space age that reflects the commercial market and the space community. That's not what this administration put forward."

NASA officials already have said that the space station can safely remain operational until at least 2028.

The space station acts as a science laboratory in the stars, allowing researchers to study myriad problems in a zero-gravity environment. Already, these studies are showing promise for solving problems, such as muscle atrophy, on Earth.

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Cynthia Bouthot, with the Center for the Advancement of Science in Space, said in June that companies already are getting nervous about the mere suggestion that federal funding may end. The Florida-based center manages the space station's lab.

"We already have anecdotal evidence from companies that once they heard the 2025 date, they really started pulling back and questioning," she said.

The full bill text can be found here.

"This bill is a great step forward in providing certainty and a firmer launchpad for our commercial space industry," Markey said in a statement Thursday. "This industry is booming, and our legislation will help it achieve new heights and protect small businesses and the scientific research that benefits all Americans through innovation and discovery."

Alex Stuckey covers NASA and the environment for the Houston Chronicle. You can reach her at alex.stuckey@chron.com or Twitter.com/alexdstuckey.