President Donald Trump touched down in Houston Thursday afternoon ahead of a private fundraiser before a Friday ceremony at NASA’s Johnson Space Center on his third visit to Texas since returning to the White House.

The two-day trip puts Trump at the center of two consequential Texas stories: Republicans’ effort to hold a U.S. Senate seat in an unexpectedly competitive election and NASA’s push to return astronauts to the moon through the Artemis program.

After arriving at Ellington Field Joint Reserve Base, Trump was scheduled to headline a Republican National Committee reception to raise money ahead of the midterm elections. He is also scheduled to visit NASA Johnson Space Center on Friday.

Trump’s visit to help raise money for Republicans in Texas come as his endorsed candidate, Ken Paxton, is neck and neck with James Talarico in the race for U.S. Senate. The RNC Chair previously told the Houston Chronicle that Texas is a “treasure trove” for finding Republican conservative donors.

According to a copy of the invitation for Thursday’s event obtained by a New York Times reporter, donors must pay $10,000 to attend the reception and more than $88,000 for a photo opportunity.

At NASA, Trump will honor the Artemis II crew and award the Congressional Space Medal of Honor to astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover and Christina Koch. Only 30 astronauts have received the honor, according to NASA.

Experts said Trump has shown a particular interest in space policy over his two terms in office.

“He’s certainly, particularly among modern presidents, one of the more energetic and impactful drivers of national space policy,” said Casey Dreier, chief of space policy for the Planetary Society, a space advocacy organization.

He redirected NASA to the moon with the Artemis Program and created the U.S. Space Force during his first term. In his second term, Trump worked to streamline regulatory paperwork required by companies seeking to launch rockets.

Many presidents have enjoyed the symbolic power of NASA and human spaceflight, Dreier said. Trump seems to understand that returning NASA astronauts to the moon is a “very potent symbol of American capability,” he said.

“He understands the power of symbolism and of a story and narrative,” Dreier said of Trump. “One of his great strengths is understanding how to sell an idea.”

Andrea Leinfelder contributed to this report.