Congress passes new NASA authorization bill, first in 5 years

Congress has passed the "Creating Helpful Incentives to Produce Semiconductors and Science Act" (CHIPS) with a 243-187 vote in the House of Representatives after passing on a 64-33 vote.

Although mainly focused on the domestic production of semiconductors in the US, a portion of the CHIPS act (specifically Title VII) focuses on various authorizations for NASA and its future missions, making it the first NASA authorization to be signed into law in 5 years since the "NASA Transition Authorization Act" of 2017.

Notable authorizations include the agency's continued involvement with the Internation Space Station until 2030 as well as the Artemis missions to Mars.