Congratulating the men and women of the Commercial Crew Program of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration and Space Exploration Technologies Corporation and astronauts Robert L. Behnken and Douglas G. Hurley on the successful completion of the Crew Dragon Demo–2 test flight.

Congratulating the men and women of the Commercial Crew Program of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration and Space Exploration Technologies Corporation and astronauts Robert L. Behnken and Douglas G. Hurley on the successful completion of the Crew Dragon Demo–2 test flight.

Whereas, on July 8, 2011, the space shuttle Atlantis launched from the Kennedy Space Center on the 135th and final flight (referred to in this preamble as “STS–135”) of the Space Transportation System of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (referred to in this preamble as “NASA”);

Whereas, following the retirement of the space shuttle Atlantis, which was the last space shuttle in the fleet of the Space Transportation System, and the formal end of the Space Shuttle Program on August 31, 2011, the United States lacked the domestic capability to launch astronauts to the International Space Station (referred to in this preamble as the “ISS”) from United States soil;

Whereas, following the end of the Space Shuttle Program in 2011, the only method for transporting astronauts of the United States to the ISS was to purchase seats on the Soyuz spacecraft of Russia at a cost of approximately $86,000,000 per seat;

Whereas, in 2011, NASA began investing money in what would become the Commercial Crew Program to stimulate efforts within the private sector to aid in the development and demonstration of safe, reliable, and cost-effective crew transportation capabilities to replace the Space Transportation System;

Whereas, in August 2012, NASA awarded funding to 3 participants under the Commercial Crew Program, the Boeing Company, Sierra Nevada Corporation, and Space Exploration Technologies Corporation (referred to in this preamble as “SpaceX”), for the commercial development of fully integrated crew transportation capabilities;

Whereas, in September 2014, NASA completed the down selection process and awarded contracts under the Commercial Crew Program to 2 participants, the Boeing Company and SpaceX, for commercially built and operated integrated crew transportation systems;

Whereas, on January 19, 2020, NASA and SpaceX completed the launch escape demonstration of the Crew Dragon spacecraft and the Falcon 9 rocket, which was the final major flight test of the Crew Dragon spacecraft before a demonstration flight to the ISS with astronauts from the United States;

Whereas, on May 30, 2020, Robert L. Behnken and Douglas G. Hurley became the first astronauts from the United States to launch to the ISS on a rocket of the United States from United States soil since STS–135 on July 8, 2011;

Whereas Douglas G. Hurley had also served on the crew of STS–135 as the pilot;

Whereas, on May 31, 2020, Robert L. Behnken and Douglas G. Hurley arrived safely at the ISS, docking the Crew Dragon spacecraft to the Harmony module of the ISS and joining Expedition 63 as crew members;

Whereas, on August 1, 2020, Robert L. Behnken and Douglas G. Hurley departed the ISS after spending 2 months as crew members of Expedition 63;

Whereas, on August 2, 2020, the Crew Dragon spacecraft safely splashed down off the coast of Florida;

Whereas the successful completion of the Crew Dragon Demo–2 test flight marks a new chapter in human space exploration by transporting astronauts on a commercially built and operated spacecraft of the United States for the first time; and

Whereas the continued leadership of the United States in space and space exploration is vital for—

(1) both the national security and economic prosperity of the United States and the friends and allies of the United States; and

(2) the continued development and exploration of space for the benefit of humankind: Now, therefore, be it

Resolved,