Trump Signs “One Big Beautiful Bill” with $85 Million Shuttle Provision


Trump Signs “One Big Beautiful Bill” with $85 Million Shuttle Provision
In a sweeping 900-page budget package dubbed the “One Big Beautiful Bill,” President Trump included a little-noticed \$85 million allocation to relocate a space vehicle—widely understood to be the shuttle Discovery—from the Smithsonian’s Udvar-Hazy Center in Virginia to Space Center Houston near NASA’s Johnson Space Center. What’s in the Bill? \$85 million to transport and exhibit the shuttle in Houston by January 2027, with at least \$5 million earmarked for transport logistics. A much broader \$10 billion NASA fund, supporting Artemis missions, Gateway lunar station, ISS operations, and upgrades at five NASA centers—including \$300 million for Johnson Space Center improvements. Experts warn the logistics are daunting: the modified 747s used to ferry orbiters are retired, and shuttle transport costs may...