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Space And Aeronautics Subcommittee

Chairman Beyer Opening Statement for Hearing on Initial Results from the James Webb Space Telescope

| Posted in Speeches and Floor Statements

Today, the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology’s Subcommittee on Space and Aeronautics is holding a hearing titled, Unfolding the Universe: Initial Science Results from the James Webb Space Telescope. Chairman of the Subcommittee on Space and Aeronautics, Rep. Don Beyer’s (D-VA) opening statement as prepared for the record is below. Before we begin,…

Chairman Beyer Statement on NASA DART Mission

| Posted in Press Releases

Today, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) in collaboration with the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, successfully carried out the first-ever planetary defense test mission. The Double Asteroid Redirect Test (DART) mission demonstrated kinetic impactor technology to affect the asteroid Dimorphos’s speed and trajectory. Dimorphos is part of the…

Science Committee Leaders Urge Transparency in FAA Investigation of Blue Origin Booster Failure

| Posted in Press Releases

Today, Subcommittee on Space and Aeronautics Chairman Don Beyer (D-VA) and Ranking Member Brian Babin (R-TX) led a letter to Acting Administrator Billy Nolen of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) regarding the FAA’s investigation into the booster failure experienced this Monday by Blue Origin’s New Shepard-23. In the letter, the Subcommittee leaders assert the seriousness of…

House Passes Larsen, Beyer Bill to Prepare U.S. Aviation for Future Public Health Emergencies

| Posted in Press Releases

Today, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the National Aviation Preparedness Plan Act, legislation introduced by Reps. Rick Larsen (WA-02) and Don Beyer (VA-08) to require the development of a national aviation preparedness plan for future public health emergencies. The bipartisan bill, which passed the House by a final vote of 293 to 133, now heads to the Senate for…

Space and Aeronautics Subcommittee Chair Beyer Statement on Blue Origin New Shepard-23 Booster Failure

| Posted in Press Releases

Today, Blue Origin’s commercial suborbital launch vehicle, New Shepard-23 (NS-23), which launched from its launch site in West Texas, suffered a booster failure that caused the vehicle’s crew escape system to activate. The vehicle, which was reportedly carrying science payloads, was uncrewed and no humans were on board. However, the same booster design is used for the company’s…

Beyer’s Cleaner, Quieter Airplanes Act Signed Into Law

| Posted in Press Releases

President Joe Biden yesterday signed the CHIPS and Science Act into law, which included the first NASA authorization passed by Congress in over five years. That section of the Act, Title VII of the science division, included the full text of Rep. Don Beyer’s Cleaner, Quieter Airplanes Act. Beyer chairs the House Science Committee’s Subcommittee on Space and Aeronautics; he introduced the…

Beyer Hails Passage Of “Transformational Science Bill”

| Posted in Press Releases

Today Rep. Don Beyer (D-VA), a longtime member of the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology and the Chair of its Subcommittee on Space and Aeronautics, voted for the CHIPS and Science Act, which passed the House on a bipartisan vote. The bill now goes to President Biden’s desk for signature. The bill contained the first NASA authorization passed by Congress in over five…

Science Committee Leaders Johnson, Lucas, Beyer, and Babin Celebrate First Image from James Webb Space Telescope

| Posted in Press Releases

This evening President Biden unveiled the James Webb Space Telescope’s (JWST) first full-color scientific image. Webb, the largest and most complex observatory ever launched into space, has been preparing to begin its science work over the last six months. The image release marks the beginning of Webb’s science operations. JWST is an international collaboration among the National…

Beyer, Regional Officials Unveil New Helicopter Noise Complaint System

| Posted in Press Releases

U.S. Representative Don Beyer (D-VA) on Friday held a press conference with Jeffery Smith, Vice President of Operations for the Eastern Region Helicopter Council (ERHC), and John Shea of the Helicopter Association International (HAI) to announce a pilot program for a new helicopter noise complaint system for the National Capital Region. They were joined by Arlington County Board Members…

Beyer Statement On Nomination Of Dr. Arati Prabhakar To Serve as OSTP Director

| Posted in Press Releases

Rep. Don Beyer (D-VA), who serves on the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology issued the following statement today on President Biden’s nomination of Dr. Arati Prabhakar, who previously served as the director of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and director of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), to serve as Director of the White…