Ted Cruz criticizes Trump plan to cancel SLS and Lunar Gateway as “folly”

In a bold move to reinforce NASA's struggling Artemis Program, the Trump administration suggested significant revisions to the agency's plans for deep space exploration earlier this year. Among the proposed changes was a plan to discontinue the costly Space Launch System (SLS) rocket and Orion spacecraft following the Artemis III mission, which marks the first human landing on the Moon. Additionally, the administration aimed to pivot towards 'direct-to-surface' exploration, planning to abandon the Lunar Gateway—a small space station designed to orbit the Moon. This strategic shift was rooted in the belief that utilizing lower-cost commercial rockets would allow NASA to better allocate its limited resources towards surface activities on the Moon. For instance, the proposed $854 million budget for the Gateway in 2024 could be redirected towards establishing a lunar base. However, this plan did not sit well with Congress. As part of the 'One Big Beautiful Bill' legislation earlier this spring, Senator Ted Cruz (R-Texas) successfully included an amendment that allocated $6.7 billion to fund additional flights of the SLS rocket and Orion spacecraft, as well as to continue constructing the Lunar Gateway. During a recent hearing focused on NASA's Artemis Program and its competitive stance against China in lunar exploration, Cruz cautioned the administration against scrapping the SLS rocket and Lunar Gateway. He emphasized the imprudence of terminating these missions after significant investments had already been made in hardware, which in some cases had already been delivered without any available commercial alternatives. Cruz expressed his commitment to collaborating with the administration to ensure that funding is utilized in alignment with Congressional priorities.