Congress Wants to Keep the ISS In Orbit a Little Longer

A new draft of the Congressional NASA Authorization Act of 2026 would extend the International Space Station's life by two years, pushing its retirement from 2030 to 2032. The bill passed through the US Senate Committee on Commerce, Science & Transportation with bipartisan support on Wednesday. It now needs to be voted on by the House and the Senate and signed into law by the President.

"It is the intent of Congress to ensure an orderly transition from the ISS to commercial low-Earth-orbit destinations without a gap in continuous United States human presence in low-Earth orbit," the bill reads (via News Tribune), while criticizing NASA's support of potential replacements.

As it stands, the ISS is scheduled to be de-orbited entirely by 2031, with cargo and equipment removed in advance. The long-term goal is to replace it with various commercial stations, which NASA will support in their development and ...