NASA announces new $21B budget proposal, plans for moon and Mars

(WASHINGTON, D.C.) NASA is going to the Moon and on to Mars, in a measured, sustainable way. And an extra billion and a half dollars in the budget is going to help. NASA is working to establish a permanent human presence on the Moon within the next decade to uncover new scientific discoveries and lay the foundation for private companies to build a lunar economy. President Donald Trump shared his enthusiasm for the budget update on Twitter Monday: “Under my Administration, we are restoring @NASA to greatness and we are going back to the Moon, then Mars. I am updating my budget to include an additional $1.6 billion so that we can return to Space in a BIG WAY!” NASA also announced the name of the large scale moon mission on Twitter: “ARTEMIS: Twin sister of Apollo and goddess of the Moon. Now, the name for our #Moon2024 mission to return @NASA_Astronauts to the surface of the Moon by 2024, including the first woman and next man.” The budget includes $21 billion, including $10.7 billion to continue building the key components of the Exploration campaign that will send astronauts to the Moon and beyond, including: The Space Launch System rocket, a heavy-lift expendable launch vehicle, to ensure the rocket is operational in the early 2020s when it will be needed to carry astronauts on board the Orion crew capsule to the vicinity of the Moon. The Lunar Gateway, an outpost orbiting the Moon in the mid-2020s. Commercial launch capabilities to enable regular, low-cost access to the lunar vicinity and surface. Lunar landers to enable cargo delivery and human access to the lunar surface by the late 2020s. Building commercial and international partnerships “ President Donald Trump has asked NASA to accelerate our plans to return to the Moon and to land humans on the surface again by 2024.” NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine said. “We will go with innovative new technologies and systems to explore more locations across the surface than was ever thought possible. This time, when we go to the Moon, we will stay. And then we will use what we learn on the Moon to take the next giant leap - sending astronauts to Mars.”

2020 Budget Highlights: Develops the first elements of Lunar Gateway, the Power and Propulsion Element, ready for launch in 2022, and the Utilization module and ESPRIT enabling crew to stay aboard starting in 2024. Develops and grows emerging technology and commercial capabilities to deliver science and technology payloads to the Moon in preparation for exploration and further enhance human lunar lander capabilities The Lunar Surface Innovation Initiative (LSII) serves as a catalyst for enabling critical technologies required for humans to successfully operate on the lunar surface. These include surface power and in situ resource utilization. Utilizes public-private partnerships to develop a human-class lunar lander system that will, along with other Exploration Campaign activities, re- establish U.S. preeminence to, around, and on the lunar surface leading to a human lunar landing by 2028. Continues robotic exploration of the Solar System including funding for the next Mars rover launch in 2020 and a Europa Clipper mission to launch in 2023. Initiates a Mars Sample Return Mission to retrieve samples from Mars, and return those samples with the first launch from another planet. Continues exploring the universe with launch of James Webb Space Telescope in 2021. Provides no funding for WFIRST space telescope while Webb is still being built. You can find more information about NASA’s 2020 budget here: https://www.nasa.gov/budget