Photos: Atlas 5 launches new weather observer

Despite appearances and a presidential tweet suggesting otherwise, the United States is “100%” committed to sending astronauts back to the moon in 2024 and establishing a long-term, sustainable presence there as a stepping stone to eventual piloted flights to Mars, Vice President Mike Pence said in an interview with CBS News.

NASA astronaut Mark Vande Hei and two Russian cosmonauts will ride a Soyuz ferry ship to the International Space Station early Friday, the first step in a record crew rotation requiring two launches and two landings with four different spacecraft in just three weeks.

This bill, H.R. 1, is separate from the Fiscal Year 2026 appropriations bills. Those include the FY26 Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies (CJS) bill, which will be marked up by the House Appropriations Committee at a later time.