Hearings

There’s a Bad Moon on the Rise: Why Congress and NASA Must Thwart China in the Space Race

September 3, 2025
10:00 AM

Chairman Cruz Announces Full Committee Hearing on September 3rd

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Ted Cruz (R-Texas), Chairman of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, will convene a full committee hearing titled “There’s a Bad Moon on the Rise: Why Congress and NASA Must Thwart China in the Space Race” on Wednesday, September 3, 2025 at 10:00 AM EST. The hearing will examine legislative priorities for the upcoming reauthorization of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) to ensure continued U.S. leadership in space. It will also explore the strategic, economic, and scientific importance of American dominance in low Earth orbit (LEO), lunar operations, Mars exploration, and deep space missions. The hearing will assess how U.S. policy and investments can foster America’s competitive edge in the face of growing challenges from adversarial nations, like China, whose rapid space advancements pose a direct threat to U.S. leadership in the domain. 

Upon announcing the hearing, Sen. Cruz said:

“For decades, NASA has made the United States a global leader in space explorations, scientific discovery, and innovation. But make no mistake: we are in a 21st century space race. Communist China is not playing by the same rules, and they are aggressively investing resources to dominate space. This hearing is an important opportunity to chart a course that reinforces American leadership in space, strengthens NASA, fuels our growing commercial space sector, and protects our economic and national security interests in the final frontier.”

Witnesses:

  • Mr. Allen Cutler, President and Chief Executive Officer of the Coalition for Deep Space Exploration
  • Mr. Dave Cavossa, President of the Commercial Space Federation
  • The Honorable Jim Bridenstine, Managing Partner of the Artemis Group and Former Administrator for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration

An additional witness may be announced at a later date.

Hearing Details:

WHAT: Full Committee Hearing titled “There’s a Bad Moon on the Rise: Why Congress and NASA Must Thwart China in the Space Race”

DATE: Wednesday, September 3, 2025

TIME: 10:00 AM EST

LOCATION: Committee Hearing Room, Russell 253

LIVESTREAM: The hearing will stream live on the Committee web site and YouTube.

MEDIA INFO: Reporters wanting to attend the committee should contact their respective media gallery to RSVP.

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