HOUSTON—The United States completed its first journey around the Moon in more than 50 years on April 10 as the Orion spacecraft Integrity splashed down in the Pacific Ocean.
NASA’s Artemis II, the 10-day mission that carried astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Jeremy Hansen of the Canadian Space Agency on an adventure beyond the far side of the Moon and deeper into space than any previous crewed spaceflight, captivated the attention of the public and politicians across the country.
As the four pioneers were recovered safe and sound by the U.S. Navy, elected officials from both parties were quick to share their enthusiasm.
Cruz is the chairman of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, which is responsible for overseeing NASA operations. This committee questioned and ultimately approved President Donald Trump’s nomination of NASA administrator, Jared Isaacman, before a full Senate vote confirmed his new position.
That excitement was shared by Democratic members of that committee, such as Sen. Andy Kim (D-N.J.).
“Space shows us both our fragility and our power. We can create force to defy gravity, aim a tiny capsule to the stars, and go further than any human has gone before.”
Kim’s fellow Democrat, and former astronaut, Sen. Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.), also shared his excitement.
“What this crew accomplished, with the help of thousands and thousands more on the ground, is going to matter for a long time,” he said.
“This is how we build toward landing on the Moon and Mars. This is what it looks like when we work together and invest in the future.”
That joy was found in the other congressional chamber as well.
“This is what it looks like when America leads the world,” he added.
Space: A Bipartisan Frontier
In the hours leading up to Artemis II’s historic launch at Kennedy Space Center, Haridopolos told The Epoch Times that space continues to be a bipartisan issue. He recounted how both sides worked together to fight through potential cuts in NASA’s reauthorization bill in 2025 to “make sure NASA was made whole.”
“This is just the beginning,” he said. “As long as there’s a successful launch today, which we fully anticipate, given all the tests that have been run, we’re going to build on this and make it to the moon in a couple of years.”
Several days later, after not only Artemis II’s successful launch, but also its historic, record-breaking flyby around the moon, Cruz shared with The Epoch Times his own appreciation for, and dedication to, a bipartisan push on his side of the Capitol for the nation’s space ambitions.
Recalling his first term in office, he worked with both parties to pass space legislation under Presidents Barack Obama, Joe Biden, and Donald Trump. He specifically mentioned working with Florida’s former Democratic Sen. Bill Nelson.
“The Democrats trusted Bill Nelson, Republicans trusted me, and Bill and I would sit down and work out a compromise, and as the two of us would reach common ground, that legislation would pass the Senate with Democratic and Republican support,” Cruz told The Epoch Times on April 9.
“Obviously, Bill Nelson went on to be the administrator of NASA. He did so with my enthusiastic support, but the two of us spent the better part of a decade working hard on both sides, not to make space exploration Republican or Democrat, but to ensure that American leadership cut across those lines,” he said.
More recently, Cruz said he was working with Kelly. When The Epoch Times asked Cruz to share how he enjoyed watching the Artemis II mission with any of his Democratic colleagues, he recalled that he had shared a phone call they made together with Haridopolos and other lawmakers to the homebound crew earlier that day.
“Listening to Mark talk with the astronauts, there’s something different when he’s been there and experienced it directly, that is meaningful,” Cruz said. “Mark and I work together very closely, and I think we’ll continue to work together.”
One of those unifying fronts could be around the billions of dollars in proposed budget cuts to NASA released by the White House on April 3.
Kelly and Kim have already spoken out against the budget, which seeks to cut billions from NASA’s science program alone.
Cruz, on the other hand, did not say whether or not he thought it was sufficient. Instead, he referenced his push with Congress last year against the Office of Management and Budget’s proposed NASA cuts to secure an additional $10 million in funding, and suggested he was ready to push back against the administration’s suggestions once again.
“The folks at NASA told me today that we would not see the successes we’re seeing right now had we not passed that $10 million of funding,” he said on April 9.
“So I have absolute confidence we are going to provide the funding necessary to continue American leadership in space.”
“I’ve told President [Donald] Trump this, I don’t want to wake up one day and look up at the moon and realize the Chinese have beat us there, that we’ve lost to the Chinese Communist,” he added.
The Epoch Times reached out to Sen. Mark Kelly’s office for comments on the state of bipartisan support of America’s space ambitions.
