Space Shuttle Would Shift to Space Center Houston if the Act Passes

Retired American space shuttle Discovery has gotten tied into President Trump’s Big Beautiful Bill, which is currently on its way to the House of Representatives for approval. If it passes, the shuttle will be relocated from its home in the Smithsonian’s Udvar-Hazy Center to Space Center Houston.

The bill was recently passed by the Senate in a 50–50 vote (with Vice President JD Vance breaking the tie). The House version of the bill, passed in May, did not include the shuttle clause, meaning a reconciliation process still lies ahead.

The move stems from the Bring the Space Shuttle Home Act, introduced by Texas Senators Ted Cruz and John Cornyn and later folded into the broader Trump-endorsed bill. The act sets aside $85 million, part of nearly $10 billion in NASA appropriations, to facilitate the shuttle’s relocation and build a new display facility in Houston.

 The National Air and Space Museum, however, estimates the true cost could range from $200 million to over $300 million. The final price tag depends on logistics and structural modifications.

Discovery has been on display at the Udvar-Hazy Center since 2012, after being ferried in atop NASA’s Shuttle Carrier Aircraft. It is the most flown shuttle in NASA’s fleet, with 39 missions and nearly 150 million miles traveled. Its selection for the Smithsonian followed a 2011 inspector general investigation, which found no evidence of political bias in NASA’s original site choices…though Cornyn and Cruz, of course, argue that Houston should have received the shuttle in the first place.

In an effort to sidestep Senate rules against earmarks, the legislation avoids mentioning Discovery or even the Smithsonian by name. Instead, it vaguely authorizes a transfer of a "space vehicle" to a NASA center involved in the Commercial Crew program… criteria that would apply to Houston. If passed, NASA would have 30 days to identify the orbiter and 18 months to complete the transfer.

While some highlight the potential for educational and economic benefits in Texas, most call the proposal “unprecedented” and unnecessary, arguing that Congress has never mandated the relocation of a national aerospace artifact from the Smithsonian collection.

FMI: www.whitehouse.gov