Sen. Cruz: ‘America Once Again Leads the World in Space Exploration’

As chairman of the Subcommittee on Aviation and Space, I recently applauded the successful and historic manned SpaceX Crew Dragon launch:

In the midst of a global pandemic that has taken countless lives and shattered livelihoods, this historic launch serves as a reminder of American strength and grit. For the first time in nearly a decade, American astronauts are going into space, from American soil, on an American spacecraft, and for the first time ever, manning a commercially-created rocket. This launch has been years in the making, and couldn't have been possible without the strong bipartisan commitment to America's leadership in space and a flourishing commercial space sector. I look forward to visiting Johnson Space Center and home of human space exploration right here in Houston tomorrow and talking with astronauts Doug Hurley and Bob Behnken from mission control.

As chairman of the Subcommittee on Aviation and Space, I have championed America's leadership in space. In 2016, I introduced the NASA Transition Authorization Act, which was signed into law in 2017. The legislation made a serious commitment to the manned exploration of space and enabled commercial space ventures to flourish, as demonstrated by the recent launch.