Fairfax County leaders have put in writing their concerns about the possibility of the Space Shuttle Discovery moving from Chantilly to Texas.
The Board of Supervisors voted 10-0 on Tuesday (Sept. 9) to send a letter to U.S. Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy, asking him to carefully consider whether a move is in best interests of the nation.
Duffy also currently serves as acting NASA administrator, and “Fairfax views his role as pivotal,” said Board Chairman Jeff McKay, who proposed sending the letter.
The county’s letter asks Duffy to carefully consider the legal, logistical and financial challenges of relocating the craft, as well as the “risk of irreparable damage” if it is moved.
“A recent report by the Congressional Research Service highlights these challenges, and the Smithsonian has affirmed that moving the shuttle could compromise its preservation,” the letter notes.
Discovery flew 39 missions totaling 148 million miles in space from 1984 to 2011. In 2012, the retired craft was relocated to the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly near Dulles International Airport. The center is an annex to the National Air and Space Museum, drawing about 1.2 million visitors annually.
As part of the omnibus “Big Beautiful Bill” legislation signed into law in July, Texas’s two U.S. senators inserted an $85 million appropriation to potentially relocate Discovery from the National Air and Space Museum’s soon-to-expand Udvar-Hazy Center to the Space Center Houston Museum.
The legislation does not specifically target Discovery, speaking more generally about any available space shuttle, but that has been the focus of Sens. John Cornyn and Ted Cruz’s lobbying.
Cornyn announced on Aug. 5 that he had “secured” the relocation of a retired space shuttle to Houston, stating that the “intent of the law” was clearly aimed at Discovery. NASA has told FFXnow that Duffy has identified a shuttle for relocation, but the agency declined to confirm which one.
Whether Congress and the Trump administration have the power to mandate a move remains an open question, since ownership of the craft was transferred to the Smithsonian Institution, and therefore, it no longer is considered federal property.
Also among the retired space-shuttle fleet, Atlantis can be found at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, while Endeavour is enjoying retirement at the California Science Center in Los Angeles.
Enterprise, the prototype shuttle that was displayed at the Udvar-Hazy Center before Discovery’s arrival, is found at the USS Intrepid Museum in New York City.
The county board’s letter was celebrated by Keep the Shuttle, a campaign started by a local resident who opposes Discovery’s possible relocation.
Thank you @JeffreyCMcKay and the @fairfaxcounty Board of Supervisors for the support! With the Shuttle Carrier Aircraft retired, the only way to take Discovery to Houston starts with a 25+ mile tow through Fairfax County and Northern Virginia – and that is not going to happen! pic.twitter.com/qNEs4kHRVa
— KeepTheShuttle (@KeepTheShuttle) September 9, 2025
Advocate for animal welfare lauded
At yesterday’s meeting, Fairfax County supervisors honored Elaine Miletta for five decades of service to animal welfare in Fairfax County.
Miletta’s broad-based efforts have included work supporting care for cats across the community through the Animal Allies nonprofit organization she has led.
“We have come a long way because of people like you,” McKay said.
Miletta agreed that animal-welfare efforts in the county have improved considerably over the past half-century. She expressed hope that the county would “move things forward even more.”
