Ashley Moody touts space-related legislation during town hall on Space Coast

Sen. Ashley Moody (right) fields questiosn about the space program during a town hall in Melbourne. Image via Ashley Moody.

Sen. Ashley Moody held a town hall with Space Coast residents and workers to promote her commitments to space program legislation on Capitol Hill.

Moody met with residents and employees of L3Harris, a major technology company working with space program projects, in Melbourne to provide updates on her legislative priorities in the nation’s capital. She highlighted priorities she has set for Florida’s space industry and national defense.

Moody fielded questions Thursday about Florida’s leadership in those fields and highlighted the Secure U.S. Leadership in Space Act, which she helped draft and became law as part of the “One Big Beautiful Bill” that was approved by Congress in July. Moody also outlined her concept of moving the NASA headquarters to the Space Coast itself through her legislation called the Consolidating Aerospace Programs Efficiently (CAPE) Canaveral Act.

“Florida’s space industry is fueling our economy and bolstering our national defense. I am happy to report a few recent legislative victories that I was able to help achieve, like my Secure U.S. Leadership in Space Act, which will ensure Florida and the U.S. remain leaders in space exploration and innovation,” Moody said.

“Since being sworn into the Senate, supporting our Space Coast has been a priority of mine, and I enjoyed speaking about our legislative priorities in this field with employees of L3Harris today.”

The Secure U.S. Leadership Space Act is designed to ensure that Florida and the United States remain at the forefront of space exploration and innovation. It elevates the level of spaceports to the level of other transportation hubs, such as seaports and airports.

The CAPE Act seeks to relocate NASA headquarters to the East-Central Florida stretch of the coast, where Moody believes is a natural fit for the central operations, given all the launch activity in Brevard County. NASA’s headquarters is currently in Washington, D.C.