NASA’s 2024 Budget Revealed: Artemis Program Funding Remains Intact, Uncertainty Surrounds Mars Sample Return Mission
NASA’s return to the Moon has been confirmed as a top priority for Congress, as the House and Senate appropriators released NASA’s final spending bill for the fiscal year 2024. The focus of the budget is on the Artemis program, which aims to bring astronauts back to the Moon. However, there is still uncertainty surrounding the agency’s plans for bringing back samples from Mars.
Budget Allocation
NASA’s budget for 2024 has been set at $24.875 billion, which is about half a billion less than what the space agency received in 2023. This amount falls short of the $27.2 billion that NASA had requested for its various programs in 2024. The budget cut can be attributed to the Fiscal Responsibility Act, which was signed into law in June 2023.
Artemis Program Funding
Despite the budget cut, the Artemis program has remained largely unaffected. NASA had initially requested $8.1 billion for its Moon program, and the final spending bill granted $7.67 billion towards the development of the Artemis missions. This includes $600 million for the Space Launch System rocket and $1.88 billion for the Human Landing System, which will transport astronauts from lunar orbit to the surface of the Moon.
Uncertainty Surrounding Mars Sample Return Mission
The budget report does not specify how much funding has been allocated towards NASA’s Mars Sample Return (MSR) mission. An independent review board had previously referred to the mission as “highly constrained and challenging,” with unrealistic budget and schedule expectations. The Senate Appropriations subcommittee responsible for overseeing NASA’s budget has directed the space agency to submit a year-by-year funding profile for MSR. The final budget report emphasizes that MSR remains a high priority but mentions that the mission is still under review until NASA submits its mission profile outlining a revised architecture.
Concerns Over Layoffs and Cancelled Missions
The budget report also raises concerns over recent layoffs at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, which were carried out in anticipation of the 2024 budget. The report notes that there was no consultation with some Members of Congress about the decision to move forward with workforce reductions before the budget was enacted, leading to losses in NASA’s high-skilled workforce.
Additionally, the budget includes $227 million for the On-Orbit Servicing, Assembly and Manufacturing (OSAM) 1 mission, which was recently cancelled by NASA due to cost and schedule challenges. The report recommends that NASA reduce testing requirements and non-essential capabilities and work with the Department of Defense on a potential alternative use for the mission.
Adjustments and Future Plans
Prior to the release of the final budget, NASA had already made adjustments to its spending for the current year. The space agency suspended work on the Geospace Dynamics Constellation, a group of satellites designed to study Earth’s upper atmosphere. As NASA continues its efforts to return astronauts to the Moon and bring back samples from Mars, further adjustments to its programs may be necessary. These endeavors mark significant milestones in space exploration and are expected to usher in a new era for NASA.
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