Overview

• Former NASA administrator Jim Bridenstine told senators it is highly unlikely the United States will return astronauts to the lunar surface before China.
• Bridenstine and other witnesses criticized NASA’s reliance on a SpaceX Starship lander that requires numerous tanker launches to fill an orbital propellant depot.
• Sen. Ted Cruz framed the competition as a new space race with national-security stakes and backed continued funding for SLS, Orion and Gateway.
• Witnesses warned that a White House budget proposal to cut NASA by roughly a quarter in FY2026 would slow Artemis, while Congress recently set aside $4.1 billion for two additional SLS rockets.
• NASA did not attend the hearing, and the committee changed its witness list less than a day beforehand by adding Mike Gold and John Shaw and removing Dave Cavossa.