The White House is requesting $27.2B for NASA next year, a 7% (or $1.8B) increase from the 2023 enacted level. Highlights from the budget include a significant boost to the Artemis program and funding for the eventual deorbit of the ISS.
It’s worth noting the budget represents Biden’s wish list. With a divided Congress, the final allocation may look a little different.
Highlights from the NASA Budget Proposal
What Jumps Out?
Artemis program: The $8.1B lunar exploration proposal represents a $500M increase from last year’s enacted level. The budget fully funds the Artemis II mission to send astronauts to lunar orbit and the Artemis III mission to land astronauts on the Moon’s south pole.
- The budgetary bump comes just days after NASA confirmed that the Artemis II remains on track for a Nov. 2024 launch.
ISS deorbiting tug: NASA will begin developing a space tug on steroids, designed to safely deorbit the ISS when the time comes in 2030. This is the first time ISS deorbit and decommissioning funding has been sought.
Mars sample return: The budget allocates $949M to bring Martian soil back to Earth. Successful retrieval and return would allow scientists to examine the Red Planet under a microscope for the first time.
“These samples will help us answer the ultimate question, was there life on another planet,” said NASA chief Bill Nelson in yesterday’s State of NASA address.
+ Honorable mention : Although it’s a small line item, the budget request allocates $39M for NASA to address the issue of orbital debris.
