S. 1722 – Mission to MARS Act

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Updated November 24, 2025 at 12:39 AM UTC

The Mission to MARS Act provides $1 billion in federal funding for the Johnson Space Center to improve and modernize its facilities and infrastructure. The money will be used for a wide range of upgrades—including training labs, mission control, utilities, and safety systems—to support both NASA and commercial partners in preparing for crewed missions beyond low‑Earth orbit. Any remaining funds can be redirected to further enhancements that enable development of suits, hardware, and other resources needed for lunar and Martian missions.

Key Provisions

Appropriates $1 billion to the NASA Administrator for use at Johnson Space Center, available through September 30, 2034.
Funds upgrades and repairs to the Neutral Buoyancy Lab for commercial space‑station training, lunar‑suit operations, and Department of Defense collaborations.
Provides for modernization of the Astromaterials Curation and Research facility, Mission Control Center, and Ellington Field astronaut‑training facilities.
Includes upgrades to utilities such as electrical switchgear, HVAC systems, chilled‑water lines, steam chillers, fire‑alarm components, and building roofs.
Funds construction and modernization of the space food systems laboratory, imagery laboratory, and space‑environment simulation chambers.
Covers asbestos mitigation, foundation repairs, and refurbishment of astronaut‑training and large‑cargo aircraft.
Any leftover funds after completing these projects may be used for further upgrades that support advanced spacesuits, hardware, food systems, vacuum chambers, and training for missions to low‑Earth orbit, the Moon, and Mars.

Legislative Activity

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1 earlier action

SenateIntro Referral Latest Action

Read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.

Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee

May 13, 2025

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SenateIntro Referral

Introduced in Senate

May 13, 2025

SenateIntro Referral

Read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.

Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee

May 13, 2025

Floor Debate

1 member

What members said about S. 1722 on the floor

1 Republican

Rep. Glenn ThompsonR-PA-15 · Feb 23, 2026

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to remember a friend and dairy advocate, Arden Tewksbury, who peacefully passed away on January 30 at the age of 93. Arden graduated from Meshoppen High School in 1950. He…

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to remember a friend and dairy advocate, Arden Tewksbury, who peacefully passed away on January 30 at the age of 93.

Arden graduated from Meshoppen High School in 1950. He was an avid baseball and basketball player, despite losing his arm above the elbow in an accident at a young age. He served as a Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association basketball official as well as a member of the PIAA Board of Directors.

Additionally, Arden was the longest serving volunteer school board member of the Elk Lake School District with 64 years of service.

Arden operated a dairy farm in northeastern Pennsylvania and retired in 2003. He was a well-known advocate for dairy farms across the Commonwealth and worked with many farmers for more than five decades.

Arden served on committees of the Pennsylvania Farm Bureau and the Pennsylvania Farmers Union. He also served on the board of the Eastern Milk Producers Cooperative as well as being their president for 5 years.

Arden was a lifetime member and former grange master of South Auburn Grange 1188. The Pennsylvania State Grange honored him in 1987 as the Pennsylvania State Granger of the Year.

In 1991, Arden founded the Progressive Agriculture Organization, where he advocated for fair milk prices for small, family-owned dairy farmers. Arden was well-known around Pennsylvania's capital in Harrisburg and in our Nation's Capital.

While I was yet to serve in this Chamber, Arden worked closely with former Senator Arlen Specter, Pennsylvania's longest serving Senator, to introduce S. 1722, the Federal Milk Marketing Improvement Act of 2007. This bill would have required the Secretary of Agriculture to determine the price of all milk used for manufactured purposes, classified as Class II milk, by using the national average cost of production.

More recently, he helped to get whole milk back in schools. The passage of the bipartisan Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act of 2025 was a great win, and I am glad Arden was able to see this legislation signed into law.

Mr. Speaker, Arden was loved by many people across the Commonwealth and will be dearly missed. He is a role model for so many. My thoughts and prayers go out to his family during this time.

Bill Text

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Introduced in SenateIssued May 13, 2025

II

119th CONGRESS

1st Session

S. 1722

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

May 13, 2025

Mr. Cornyn introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation

A BILL

To fund human spaceflight infrastructure and commercialization of space support at Johnson Space Center.

1.

Short title

This Act may be cited as the Mission to Modernize Astronautic Resources for Space or Mission to MARS Act.

2.

Human spaceflight infrastructure and commercialization of space support at Johnson Space Center

(a)

Appropriations

In addition to amounts otherwise available, there is appropriated to the Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (referred to in this section as the Administrator), out of any money in the Treasury not otherwise appropriated, $1,000,000,000, to remain available until September 30, 2034, to carry out at the Johnson Space Center the following projects:

(1)

Preparation of the Neutral Buoyancy Lab for commercial space station training, lunar-suited operations, and collaborations with the Department of Defense, and general building repairs and maintenance.

(2)

Upgrades and repairs to the Astromaterials Curation and Research facility for samples from the Moon and Mars.

(3)

Modernization of the Mission Control Center and preparation for crewed missions beyond low-Earth orbit, repair or replacement of utilities, and all general building repairs and maintenance.

(4)

Upgrades and repairs to Ellington Field astronaut flight training facilities.

(5)

Electrical substation switchgear upgrades.

(6)

Heating, ventilation, and air conditioning and mechanical systems renewal for tier 1 and tier 2 facilities.

(7)

Replacement of steam chillers in building 24 (combined heat and power plant).

(8)

Deferred maintenance on fire alarm components and panels.

(9)

Foundation repairs.

(10)

Full modernization and construction of the space food systems laboratory.

(11)

Asbestos mitigation.

(12)

Upgrades to the space environment simulation laboratory located in chambers A and B in building 32.

(13)

Repair or replacement of chilled water pipe cross ties.

(14)

Roof repairs and replacements.

(15)

Modernization of the imagery laboratory in building 8.

(16)

Repair and replacement of chilled water lines to the Mission Control Center.

(17)

Repair and refurbishment of astronaut training aircraft.

(18)

Repair, refurbishment, or replacement of large volume cargo transportation aircraft.

(b)

Remaining funds

Any funds remaining after the projects described in subsection (a) are completed shall be used to upgrade facilities or infrastructure that would enable the National Aeronautics and Space Administration and commercial entities to develop advanced spacesuits, hardware, food systems, vacuum chambers, and simulations to train for missions to low-Earth orbit, the Moon, and Mars, as determined by the Administrator.