Discovery’s days of spaceflight may long be over, but the historic NASA space shuttle may soon be on the move again – just not in orbit.
As part of Republicans’ massive tax and spending legislation signed by President Donald Trump, the space shuttle Discovery is due to depart its home of 13 years at a Smithsonian museum in Virginia.
Ahead of the iconic spacecraft? About a 1,400 mile journey across the country to its new home in Texas.
The provision, first introduced by of Texas Senators Ted Cruz and John Cornyn, was added to the Senate’s version of the legislation, known as the One Big Beautiful Bill, as part of an additional $10 billion in funding for NASA. The funding is separate from NASA’s Fiscal Year 2026 budget request, under which the space agency would see its funding slashed by nearly 25%.
Here’s what to know about the space shuttle Discovery, and what may be ahead for the vehicle as lawmakers look to transport it to Texas.
What is the space shuttle Discovery?
Discovery, which made its inaugural flight in 1984, completed 39 missions before it retired in 2011 as the oldest and most-used orbiter in U.S. history. During its career, Discovery shuttled 184 astronauts into space and back, many of whom flew more than once.
Discovery also launched the Hubble Space Telescope in 1990 and helped in the assembly of the International Space Station, which has been orbiting about 250 miles above Earth for more than two decades.
All of Discovery’s launches took place at Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida.
Where is NASA’s Discovery shuttle displayed?
After NASA’s Shuttle program ended in 2011, the space agency selected museums to display all of the retired spacecraft.
Since 2012, Discovery has been on display at the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Virginia.
Three other shuttles are also on display in the U.S.:
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Enterprise at the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum in New York;
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Atlantis at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida;
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Endeavor at the Samuel Oschin Air and Space Center in Los Angeles.
Trump’s ‘Big Beautiful Bill’ would transfer Discovery to Texas
Trump’s legislative package, which he signed into law on Independence Day, includes a provision that allocates $85 million to move Discovery from Virginia to Texas.
The spacecraft’s new home is now due to be at Space Center Houston, the official visitor center for NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston. The center is already home to a replica of the space shuttle Independence, formerly known as Explorer, that visitors are able to step inside.
Cruz and Cornyn were the first to introduce the effort in April to relocate Discovery with their “Bring the Space Shuttle Home Act.”
The legislation provides “no less than $5 million” to move the shuttle to its new home, with the remaining $80 million set to go toward building a new facility to house and display the vehicle.
However, the Smithsonian’s estimate to Congress was that it would cost between $300 million and $400 million of taxpayer dollars to move Discovery across the country.
The law also sets a deadline of Jan. 4, 2027, for the transportation of the space shuttle to be completed.
Why do lawmakers want to move space shuttle to Houston?
Texas lawmakers have long believed that because Houston is home to mission control for NASA’s space shuttle program, the region is deserving of recognition with a space shuttle of its own to display.
Cornyn called the provision to bring Discovery to Texas “long overdue” in a statement.
“Houston has long been the cornerstone of our nation’s human space exploration program,” Cornyn said in the statement. “I am glad to see this pass as part of the Senate’s One Big Beautiful Bill and look forward to welcoming Discovery to Houston and righting this egregious wrong.”
In a seperate statement, Cruz said the legislation honors Houston’s legacy as “the heart of America’s human spaceflight program.”
“Bringing such a historic space vehicle to the region would underscore the city’s indispensable contributions to our space missions, highlight the strength of America’s commercial space partnerships, and inspire future generations of engineers, scientists, and pioneers who will carry our legacy of American leadership in space,” Cruz said.
Contributing: Sarah D. Wire, USA TODAY
Eric Lagatta is the Space Connect reporter for the USA TODAY Network. Reach him at elagatta@gannett.com
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: NASA budget includes space shuttle move in ‘Big Beautiful Bill’
