Members of Congress are seeking to increase funding for Mars Sample Return

WASHINGTON — Members of Congress are asking NASA not to slow down work on the Mars Sample Return (MSR) program now while also pressing their fellow members to provide more money for the effort in 2024.

in Letter dated November 21 to NASA Administrator Bill NelsonSix members of California’s congressional delegation expressed their “strongest opposition” to NASA’s directive earlier this month to slow work on MSR due to uncertainty about how much funding will be available for the program in fiscal year 2024.

The letter was signed by Sens. Alex Padilla (D) and LaFonza Butler (D) and Reps. Adam Schiff (D), Judy Chu (D), Mike Garcia (R), and Yong Kim (R). All four House members represent districts in Southern California, home to JPL, which is leading the overall MSR effort.

At a Nov. 13 advisory committee meeting, agency officials said they recently instructed the centers working on the MSR — Goddard Space Flight Center, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, and Marshall Space Flight Center — “to begin ramping up activities” related to the MSR because of the wide gap. in spending between the House spending bill, which would provide the full $949.3 million request for the program, and the Senate version, which provides only $300 million.

“It is extremely unfortunate that we have to make this decision at this point. The goal is to provide sufficient funding to carry us through the year so that we can continue working on “This mission and its design.”

NASA is operating under a Continuing Resolution (CR) that funds NASA at fiscal year 2023 levels, $822.3 million, through February 2. The concern expressed by Connelly and other agency officials was that if NASA spent at the 2023 rate but ended with the number falling in the Senate when Congress eventually approves the full-year spending bill for 2024, there would be very little money left for MSR until the end of Fiscal year in September.

In the letter, the bipartisan group said they were “perplexed” by NASA’s decision, pointed to language in the House bill that provides full funding for MSR and directs NASA to launch remaining missions to return samples to Earth by 2030, and argued that… The reduction “violates Congress’ appropriations authority.”

“If they are forced to operate at the unnecessarily low funding level directed by NASA prematurely, JPL will not be able to meet the 2030 launch window, billions of dollars in contracts supporting American companies will be at risk of being cancelled, and hundreds of related jobs will be lost,” they wrote. High skills in California. Contents of the message It was first reported by Politico.

The letter also argued that the MSR was part of a broader geopolitical competition with China in space. “The MSR mission is essential to staying ahead of the competition in strategic space technologies, meeting the national security challenge posed by China, and maintaining our current competitive advantage,” they wrote.

Padilla and Butler join seven other senators Letter dated October 31not previously reported, to Senate appropriators asking them to increase funding for the MSR in 2024. They specifically requested at least $822 million from the MSR budget in 2023.

“Without adequate funding next year, the 2028-2030 launch window cannot be achieved, putting the mission in doubt and potentially eliminating nearly 1,300 highly skilled jobs across the globe,” they wrote in the letter to Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.). All over the country.” .) and Susan Collins (R-Maine), Chair and Ranking Member of the Senate Appropriations Committee.

Other senators who signed the appropriations letter are Krysty Sinema (D-Ariz.), Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.), Ben Ray Luján (D-Ariz.), and Mark Warner (D-Ariz.). State of Virginia). .) Tim Kaine (D-Va.) and Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.).

The funding debate over MSR comes as NASA develops a response to an independent review board report published in September that concluded that the current approach to the mission has little chance of staying within budget or schedule, and that costs for the overall MSR program could continue. Up to $11 billion. NASA is evaluating several alternative architectures for the MSR and expects to select a new approach to the mission by next March.

Both the letter to Nelson and the letter to Senate Appropriations leaders mentioned the independent review and NASA’s response, and argued that inadequate funding either during the CPR or in the FY 2024 spending bill jeopardizes NASA’s response to it.

“Combined with changes to NASA’s program management structure for MSR and rapid completion of the revised mission architecture, funding levels consistent with fiscal year 2023 levels are necessary to ensure a launch no later than 2030 to get samples into Mars orbit,” the letter told Nelson.

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