The U.S. is looking to continue its role with the International Space Station (ISS) for almost another decade. This week, the U.S. Senate passed the “U.S. Commercial Space Launch Competitiveness Act" by unanimous consent with two Republican presidential candidates playing a key part in getting it through.
Introduced by U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, the bill extends commercial space flight leasing back to 2020 as the U.S. Department of Transportation continues to develop policies for private space enterprises. The legislation also continues American participation in the ISS until 2024. The bill also classifies “government astronauts" when NASA relies on private space ventures to take its astronauts into space.
Florida’s two senators -- Democrat Bill Nelson and Republican Marco Rubio -- joined Cruz as original co-sponsors of the bill. U.S. Sens. Cory Gardner, R-Colo., and Gary Peters, D-Mich., were also backers of the bill.
“Throughout our entire economy, we need to eliminate unnecessary regulations that cost too much and make it harder for American innovators to create jobs,” Rubio said on Wednesday. “The reforms included here make it easier for our innovators to return Americans to suborbital space and will help the American space industry continue pushing further into space than ever before. This is an important win for Florida’s space exploration community.”
Cruz, who chairs the Space, Science and Competitiveness Subcommittee, and Rubio are both running for the Republican presidential nomination next year. They will both take part in Thursday night's debate on Fox News with eight other Republican hopefuls.
The House passed a similar bill in May and President Barack Obama is expected to sign it into law.
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