Artykuły o Space policy of the United States

[Orionid]

From the moon to the Earth: How the Biden administration might reshape NASA
by Jeff Foust — November 20, 2020
This article originally appeared in the Nov. 16, 2020 issue of SpaceNews magazine.


“As president, I look forward to leading a bold space program that will continue to send astronaut heroes to expand our exploration and scientific frontiers through investments in research and technology to help millions of people here on Earth,” Joe Biden said. Credit: Adam Schultz / Biden for President

NASA Deputy Administrator Jim Morhard had perhaps one of the more understated public reactions to the outcome of the presidential election.

“It’s quite a day for everybody, to say the least,” he said at the start of a presentation Nov. 7 to the Space Generation Advisory Council’s SpaceGen Summit, just three hours after a range of media projections, from The Associated Press to Fox News, declared Joe Biden the winner. He didn’t elaborate on that comment and dove into his previously scheduled talk about the agency’s activities.

Whether the outcome prompted elation or disappointment, the election of Joe Biden has left the space industry wondering what comes next. While Biden is a familiar figure in politics, after decades in the Senate and eight years as Barack Obama’s vice president, his views on space, and his plans for NASA, are far less clear.

BIDEN SPACE POLICY

The Biden campaign said almost nothing about space during the race for the White House, other than a couple statements congratulating NASA on the successful launch and return of the Demo-2 commercial crew mission this summer. “As president, I look forward to leading a bold space program that will continue to send astronaut heroes to expand our exploration and scientific frontiers through investments in research and technology to help millions of people here on Earth,” he said in one of those statements.

“One of the things that I found surprising is that the Biden campaign did not issue a space policy statement,” said John Logsdon, founder and former director of George Washington University’s Space Policy Institute. “So, we’re left with the Democratic Party platform said.”

That platform included one paragraph about space which Logsdon considered “very positive,” if not without much detail. The platform endorsed, in broad terms, much of what NASA was currently doing, from science and technology development to continued operation of the International Space Station and human space exploration.

Most in the space industry who read that passage took away two major changes a Biden administration would pursue. The platform mentions “strengthening” Earth observation programs at both NASA and NOAA “to better understand how climate change is impacting our home planet.” That fits into a broader interest in climate change, which is one of four priorities identified by the incoming Biden administration alongside COVID-19, economic recovery and racial equity.

“Managing the Earth’s ability to sustain human life and biodiversity will likely, in my view, dominate a civil space agenda for a Biden-Harris administration,” predicted Lori Garver, a former NASA deputy administrator during the Obama administration, during a Nov. 7 speech at the SpaceVision 2020 conference by Students for the Exploration and Development of Space.


Biden’s focus on climate change doesn’t bode well for putting NASA’s underfunded Human Landing System back on track for reaching the moon by 2024, a Trump mandate few took literally. Credit: NASA illustration

Exactly how that will be implemented remains unclear. One possibility would be to accelerate implementation of the Earth science decadal survey though additional funding. “NASA is a national asset, and if properly directed and incentivized, we can make meaningful contributions to sustaining humanity,” Garver said.

The other change is in human space exploration. While the platform stated the party supported “NASA’s work to return Americans to the moon and go beyond to Mars,” it made no mention of a date for doing so, in particular the 2024 date set by the Trump administration last year. That’s led to speculation that the Biden administration will, at the very least, slow down the Artemis program, perhaps freeing up money for Earth science and other priorities elsewhere in the agency.

“I don’t think Artemis will get canceled. I also don’t think it will get any more money than what it’s currently getting,” said Wendy Whitman Cobb, a professor at the U.S. Air Force School of Advanced Air and Space Studies whose research includes space policy.

A 2024 human lunar landing might be ruled out even before Biden is sworn in on Jan. 20. NASA’s fiscal year 2021 budget proposal requested $3.2 billion for the Human Landing System (HLS) program to develop the landers needed to transport astronauts to and from the surface of the moon. The House, though, provided only about $600 million for HLS in a spending bill it passed in July.

NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine, while publicly thanking the House for providing at least some money for HLS, lobbied the Senate for full funding to keep a 2024 landing on schedule. “Accelerating it to 2024 requires a $3.2 billion budget for 2021 for the Human Landing System, which is in the president’s budget request,” he told Senate appropriators in September.

Those appropriators released their draft spending bills Nov. 10, which will serve as the basis for negotiations with the House on a final version. For NASA, they provided $1 billion for the HLS program, more than the House but still far short of the budget request. In the report accompanying the bill, Senate appropriators noted the uncertainty surrounding the program “makes it difficult to analyze the future impacts that funding the accelerated Moon mission will have on NASA’s other important missions.”

The HLS funding was just one obstacle to a 2024 human landing identified in a report by NASA’s Office of Inspector General Nov. 12 that discussed the agency’s top challenges, also citing delays in the Space Launch System and Orion. It concluded that NASA “will be hard-pressed to land astronauts on the Moon by the end of 2024.”

“I don’t know anyone who thinks we’re going to get there by 2024,” Garver said. “No matter who won, this was going to be an impossible goal.”

TRANSITION TEAM

While the incoming administration’s plans for NASA aren’t certain, it is working quickly on that transition. On Nov. 10, it announced the rosters of the agency review teams, or transition teams, that will fan out across the federal government to gather information to guide the new administration’s planning.

“The transition teams really come in to see how things are doing and make recommendations going forward,” said Garver, who led the NASA transition team for the incoming Obama administration in 2008.

The agency review team for NASA is filled with people who either used to work at the agency or who are otherwise very familiar with it. Leading the team is Ellen Stofan, a planetary scientist who served as NASA chief scientist during the Obama administration and is now director of the National Air and Space Museum. Waleed Abdalati, her predecessor as NASA chief scientist, is also on the team. He was co-chair of the most recent Earth science decadal survey.

Others have a range of NASA experience. Pam Melroy is a former NASA astronaut who flew on three shuttle missions and later worked at the FAA’s commercial space office and at DARPA. Dave Noble, Shannon Valley and David Weaver all held policy and communications posts at NASA during the Obama administration; Valley is also a climate scientist.

Bhavya Lal, a researcher at the Science and Technology Policy Institute, has studied a wide range of space-related topics for NASA and other government agencies. Jedidah Isler, an assistant professor at Dartmouth, hasn’t previously worked for NASA, but her research in astrophysics complements the scientific backgrounds of other members of the team.

When the team will be able to start work, though, isn’t clear. The Trump administration has been slow to recognize Biden’s win, and the head of the General Services Administration, which controls the resources for presidential transitions, has yet to release those resources to the Biden transition. NASA officials did not respond to questions Nov. 12 about whether it had started discussions with the agency review team or what guidance it had received from the White House about supporting the transition.



ADMINISTRATOR CANDIDATES

Another priority for the Biden transition is picking a new NASA administrator. Despite being confirmed on a close, party-line vote in the Senate in April 2018, Bridenstine had won over members of Congress on both sides of the aisle for his leadership of the agency. Some in the space community hoped that, even in the event of a Biden victory, Bridenstine could be kept on.

Bridenstine, though, plans to leave the agency at the end of the Trump administration, telling Aerospace Daily that he “would not be the right person” to lead the agency in a Biden administration. President-elect Biden’s NASA Transition Team The NASA administrator, he said, needed to have a “close relationship” with the White House, something that he, a former Republican congressman, lacked.

While the Biden transition has been quiet about its choice for a new administrator, there’s been plenty of speculation, dating back long before the election, about potential candidates for the job. That list is dominated by women, such as Melroy, the former astronaut on the transition team. Others include Wanda Austin, former president and chief executive of The Aerospace Corporation; Gretchen McClain, a former NASA official who later worked in industry and serves on the board of several companies, such as Booz Allen Hamilton; and Wanda Sigur, former vice president and general manager for civil space at Lockheed Martin.

Another possibility is Rep. Kendra Horn (D-Okla.), who lost her bid for a second term in November’s elections. Horn serves as chair of the House Science space subcommittee and has expressed skepticism about aspects of the Artemis program, including NASA’s ability to achieve a 2024 landing.

When a new administrator would take office isn’t clear, but experience suggests it may be months after inauguration day. The Obama administration did not nominate Charlie Bolden as administrator (and Garver as deputy administrator) until May 2009; the Senate confirmed them in July. Bridenstine, despite emerging as a top candidate for NASA administrator days after Trump won the 2016 election, was not nominated until early September of 2017.

Morhard, the current deputy administrator, will also likely be departing, something he quietly acknowledged in his SpaceGen Summit talk hours after Biden won. “Things are changing in the United States, we know that,” he said. “I’m certainly looking forward to the future and what comes next.”

Source: https://spacenews.com/from-the-moon-to-the-earth-how-the-biden-administration-might-reshape-nasa/

NASA receives $23.271 billion in fiscal year 2021 omnibus spending bill
by Jeff Foust — December 21, 2020 [SN]


The omnibus fiscal year 2021 spending bill includes $505 million for the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope (formerly WFIRST), after the administration sought once again to cancel the mission. Credit: NASA

WASHINGTON — Congress will provide NASA with nearly $23.3 billion in the final fiscal year 2021 omnibus spending bill, restoring several science programs but falling far short of the funding sought for a lunar lander program.

Congress released the omnibus spending bill Dec. 21, a day after congressional leaders announced they had reached an agreement on a companion coronavirus relief package. The omnibus spending bill, a compromise between House and Senate bills, had been completed days earlier but its release was delayed until a deal was struck on the relief package.
https://spacenews.com/nasa-receives-23-271-billion-in-fiscal-year-2021-omnibus-spending-bill/

[Orionid]

Op-ed | Sen. Nelson is strong choice to advance 21st century space priorities
by Frank LoBiondo — April 29, 2021


Former U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson (D-Fla.) at his April 21 Senate confirmation hearing on Capitol Hill. Credit: NASA/Bill Ingalls

Nelson's age and experience are an asset, not a liability, when it comes to leading NASA through the budget battles ahead

When looking to strategically position the United States. as the dominant force in space for the 21st century, it made perfect sense to select a nominee to lead NASA  who  literally served our nation in space. Former Sen. Bill Nelson, who flew on the space shuttle in 1986 while a member of the House of Representatives, is a pragmatic yet inspired selection. He intimately knows the agency, its mission, its workforce, and its reputation in Congress. So why is there pushback rather than praise?

Source: https://spacenews.com/op-ed-sen-nelson-is-strong-choice-to-advance-21st-century-space-priorities/

[Orionid]

Nelson sworn in as NASA administrator
by Jeff Foust — May 3, 2021 [SN]


Vice President Kamala Harris swears in Bill Nelson as NASA administrator May 3. Credit: NASA/Aubrey Gemignani

WASHINGTON — Former senator Bill Nelson formally became NASA’s 14th administrator in a short ceremony May 3.

Vice President Kamala Harris gave the oath of office to Nelson at the Eisenhower Executive Office Building in Washington. Only a handful of guests and a media pool were in attendance, and the swearing-in ceremony was not broadcast live on NASA TV.



Source: https://spacenews.com/nelson-sworn-in-as-nasa-administrator/

[Orionid]

Cabana to succeed Jurczyk as NASA associate administrator
by Jeff Foust — May 11, 2021 [SN]


Bob Cabana (right), seen here at an April 21 press conference for the Crew-2 mission, will become associate administrator May 17, succeeding the retiring Steve Jurczyk (left). Credit: NASA/Aubrey Gemignani

WASHINGTON — Bob Cabana, a former astronaut and longtime head of NASA’s Kennedy Space Center, will become NASA associate administrator later this month, replacing the retiring Steve Jurczyk.

In separate announcements May 10, NASA said that Jurczyk will retire from the agency effective May 14. Cabana will take over as associate administrator, the top civil service position at the agency, May 17.

Source: https://spacenews.com/cabana-to-succeed-jurczyk-as-nasa-associate-administrator/

[Orionid]

Nelson uses Chinese Mars landing as a warning to Congress
by Jeff Foust — May 19, 2021 [SN]


NASA Administrator Bill Nelson shows an image taken by China’s Zhurong Mars rover, which he used as evidence of China’s growing capabilities in space exploration during a May 19 House appropriations hearing. Credit: House Appropriations Committee webcast

WASHINGTON — NASA Administrator Bill Nelson congratulated China for successfully landing a rover on Mars, but also used the milestone to warn Congress of China’s competitive threat to American leadership in human spaceflight.

In a statement May 19, hours after the China National Space Administration (CNSA) released the first images taken by the Zhurong rover since its May 14 landing on Mars, Nelson congratulated China for being only the second country, after the United States, to land a spacecraft on Mars and operate it there for more than a brief period.

Sourse: https://spacenews.com/nelson-uses-chinese-mars-landing-as-a-warning-to-congress/

[Orionid]

NASA seeking more than $10 billion in infrastructure bill
by Jeff Foust — May 19, 2021 [SN]


NASA Administrator Bill Nelson said the agency would seek $5.4 billion in the upcoming infrastructure and jobs bill to fund competition for future missions in the Human Landing System program beyond the single award made to SpaceX in April. Credit: SpaceX

WASHINGTON — NASA Administrator Bill Nelson told House appropriators May 19 that the agency is requesting more than $11 billion in an upcoming infrastructure bill that would go for the agency’s Human Landing System program and upgrading center facilities.

Nelson, testifying in a virtual hearing by the House Appropriations Committee’s commerce, justice and science subcommittee about NASA’s fiscal year 2022 budget proposal, said the agency has submitted to Congress requests for funding to be included in legislation to enact what the White House calls the American Jobs Plan, which has a total value of $2.3 trillion over 10 years.

Source: https://spacenews.com/nasa-seeking-more-than-10-billion-in-infrastructure-bill/

[Orionid]

Melroy wins strong support at hearing to be NASA deputy administrator
by Jeff Foust — May 20, 2021 [SN]


Pam Melroy, nominee to be NASA deputy administrator, testifies at her May 20 Senate confirmation hearing, after being introduced by another former astronaut, Sen. Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.) Credit: NASA/Bill Ingalls

WASHINGTON — The former astronaut tapped by the White House to serve as NASA deputy administrator told senators she supported extending the International Space Station and continuing limitations on the agency’s ability to cooperate with China.

Pam Melroy, nominated by the Biden administration April 16 to be deputy administrator, enjoyed strong support at a May 20 confirmation hearing by the Senate Commerce Committee that featured two other nominees for positions at other agencies.

Source: https://spacenews.com/melroy-wins-strong-support-at-hearing-to-be-nasa-deputy-administrator/

[Orionid]

Op-ed | Beijing’s Troubling Space Ambitions
by  Maj. Jared Thompson — May 20, 2021 [SN]


Illustration of China's Tianwen-1 Mars lander. Credit: Twitter/ @CNSA_en

The moon and Mars on course to become the next disputed islands

Through partnerships and scientific collaboration, the United States should encourage the growth of UAE and Indian space programs – as well as the programs of traditional allies such as Japan and the European Space Agency – as a hedge against Chinese ambitions in space. In so doing, the United States must take prudent steps to ensure allied space programs are aligned with American interests and adhere to international norms and law.

Source: https://spacenews.com/op-ed-beijings-troubling-space-ambitions/

[Orionid]

Nelson cites China’s growing space prowess, calls for sustained NASA funding
May 19, 2021 William Harwood [SFN]


NASA Administrator Bill Nelson holds up a picture of China’s Zhurong Mars rover during a virtual hearing with a House of Representatives subcommittee Wednesday. Credit: NASA/U.S. House of Representatives

Holding up a photo taken by China’s new Mars lander, NASA Administrator Bill Nelson warned Congress Wednesday that his agency faces increasingly stiff competition on the high frontier and that sustained funding for a new moon lander, infrastructure upgrades and other critical programs is vital for America’s space program.

Source: https://spaceflightnow.com/2021/05/19/nelson-cites-chinas-growing-space-prowess-calls-for-sustained-nasa-funding/

[Orionid]

Biden seeks $2 billion funding boost for U.S. Space Force
by Sandra Erwin — May 28, 2021 [SN]


Acting Secretary of the Air Force John Roth visits the launch operations center at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Fla., May 17, 2021. Credit: U.S. Space Force

The Space Force accounts for about 2.5% of the Defense Department's $715 billion budget proposal.

WASHINGTON — President Biden’s $715 billion defense budget proposal for 2022 includes $17.4 billion for the U.S. Space Force, about $2.2 billion more than what Congress enacted in 2021.

The proposed $715 billion defense budget is $11.3 billion more than what Congress appropriated in 2021.

Source: https://spacenews.com/biden-seeks-2-billion-funding-boost-for-u-s-space-force/

[Orionid]

Senate confirms NASA deputy administrator, NOAA administrator
by Jeff Foust — June 17, 2021 Updated 6 p.m. Eastern with NASA and Coalition for Deep Space Exploration statements. [SN]


Rick Spinrad, nominee to be NOAA administrator, and Pam Melroy, nominee to be NASA deputy administrator, appear at a May 20 confirmation hearing. The Senate confirmed both nominations June 17. Credit: NASA/Bill Ingalls

WASHINGTON — The Senate confirmed the nominations June 17 of a former astronaut to be the deputy administrator of NASA and of an ocean scientist to lead the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

Source: https://spacenews.com/senate-confirms-nasa-deputy-administrator-noaa-administrator/

House appropriators approve NASA spending bill with revised lunar lander and nuclear propulsion language
by Jeff Foust — July 16, 2021 [SN]


Rather than direct NASA to select a second Human Landing System provider, as one amendment proposed, the report accompanying the spending bill simply "urges NASA to bolster competition in lander development and production." Credit: NASA

WASHINGTON — The House Appropriations Committee passed a spending bill July 15 that leaves intact overall funding for NASA but tweaks language regarding the Human Landing System and nuclear thermal propulsion.

The committee voted 33–26 to advance the commerce, justice and science (CJS) appropriations bill to the full House. The bill allocated $81.3 billion in funding for fiscal year 2022, including $25.04 billion for NASA.
https://spacenews.com/house-appropriators-approve-nasa-spending-bill-with-revised-lunar-lander-and-nuclear-propulsion-language/

[Orionid]

House budget reconciliation package funds NASA infrastructure but not lunar lander work
by Jeff Foust — September 6, 2021 [SN]


A draft of a multitrillion-dollar spending package that the House Science Committee will mark up Sept. 9 includes $4 billion for NASA infrastructure projects but nothing for its Human Landing System program. Credit: NASA

WASHINGTON — The House Science Committee will mark up its portion of a multitrillion-dollar spending bill this week that includes several billion dollars for NASA infrastructure but nothing for lunar lander development.

The House Science Committee is scheduled to meet Sept. 9 to mark up a portion of a $3.5 trillion spending bill being considered under a process known as budget reconciliation. That procedure allows the bill to pass the Senate with a simple majority without the threat of a filibuster.

Source: https://spacenews.com/house-budget-reconciliation-package-funds-nasa-infrastructure-but-not-lunar-lander-work/

[Orionid]

NASA splits human spaceflight directorate into two organizations
by Jeff Foust — September 22, 2021 [SN]


Jim Free (left) will be the associate administrator leading the new Exploration Systems Development Mission Directorate, whlie Kathy Lueders runs the Space Operations Mission Directorate. Credit: NASA/Aubrey Gemignani

WASHINGTON — NASA announced Sept. 21 that it is dividing the mission directorate responsible for human spaceflight into two organizations, one responsible for exploration systems development and the other for space operations, undoing a merger of two similar organizations a decade ago.

At a town hall meeting, NASA leadership announced that the Human Exploration and Operations Mission Directorate (HEOMD) would be split into two organizations. One, the Exploration Systems Development Mission Directorate, will be responsible for developing programs for the agency’s Artemis lunar exploration initiative and future Mars exploration. The other, the Space Operations Mission Directorate, will handle the International Space Station and low Earth orbit commercialization efforts.

Source: https://spacenews.com/nasa-splits-human-spaceflight-directorate-into-two-organizations/

[Orionid]

NASA leasing bill transformed into voting rights legislation
by Jeff Foust — January 14, 2022 [SN]


Rep. Don Beyer (D-Va.) spoke in favor of H.R. 5746 during debate on the House floor Jan. 13. The bill, which he originally introduced to extend NASA's ability to lease property, was converted into a vehicle for voting rights legislation. Credit: C-SPAN

WASHINGTON — NASA’s ability to lease property at its facilities to companies or other organizations remains in limbo after a bill meant to reauthorize it was transformed in the House into voting rights legislation.

H.R. 5746 was introduced in October by Rep. Don Beyer (D-Va.), chair of the House Science Committee’s space subcommittee. The bill extended NASA’s authorization to enter into what are known as enhanced use leases, or EULs, of agency property to companies, government agencies, or educational institutions, for 10 years. The House passed the bill by a voice vote Dec. 8.
https://spacenews.com/nasa-leasing-bill-transformed-into-voting-rights-legislation/

Op-ed | Space race with China is not just a military competition
by Mike Rogers — January 29, 2022 [SN]


Liftoff of the Long March 3B from Xichang, carrying the ChinaSat-9B (Zhongxing-9B) communications satellite, September 9, 2021. Credit: CASC

If we are to compete with China in space then Congress must be unified and bipartisan in giving direction, guidance and support

Military space isn’t the only domain where China is catching up, if not passing us by. While we are having discussions about the future of the International Space Station, China launched, deployed and presently inhabits the Tiangong space station in near Earth orbit.
https://spacenews.com/op-ed-space-race-with-china-is-not-just-a-military-competition/

Senators make new push for NASA authorization bill
by Jeff Foust — February 10, 2022 [SN]


Sen. John Hickenlooper (D-Colo.), chair of the space subcommittee of the Senate Commerce Committee, said at a Feb. 9 hearing he hoped to get a NASA authorization bill enacted this year. Credit: Senate Commerce Committee webcast

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. — Senators used a NASA hearing Feb. 9 to once again advocate for an authorization bill for the agency, arguing it is vital for giving the agency direction and securing funding.

Leaders of the Senate Commerce Committee and its space subcommittee lobbied for passage of a NASA authorization bill, like one included in a broader Senate competitiveness bill last year, during a hearing by the space subcommittee on agency accountability and oversight.
https://spacenews.com/senators-make-new-push-for-nasa-authorization-bill/

Omnibus spending bill includes $24 billion for NASA for 2022
by Jeff Foust — March 9, 2022 Updated 10:10 a.m. Eastern with table and enhanced used lease extension.  [SN]


The fiscal year 2022 omnibus spending bill gives NASA a little more than $24 billion, $760 million less than the original request. Credit: SpaceNews illustration

WASHINGTON — House and Senate appropriators completed work March 9 on an omnibus spending bill for fiscal year 2022 that would give NASA a little more than $24 billion, $760 million below the administration’s request.

The spending bill, which funds the federal government for a fiscal year that started the previous Oct. 1, provides $24.041 billion for NASA. The agency’s original request last spring sought $24.8 billion for the agency. NASA received $23.271 billion in fiscal year 2021.
https://spacenews.com/omnibus-spending-bill-includes-24-billion-for-nasa-for-2022/

White House requests $26 billion for NASA for 2023
by Jeff Foust — March 28, 2022 Updated 9:30 p.m. Eastern with additional comments. [SN]


The White House's budget proposal for fiscal year 2023 seeks an 8% increase for NASA, to nearly $26 billion.

WASHINGTON — The Biden administration’s fiscal year 2023 budget proposal seeks nearly $26 billion for NASA, with increases for exploration, Earth science and space technology.

Budget documents released by the White House’s Office of Management and Budget (OMB) March 28 showed the administration is seeking $25.974 billion for the agency, an increase of $1.93 billion, or 8%, over the $24.041 billion the agency received in the final fiscal year 2022 omnibus spending bill earlier this month.
https://spacenews.com/white-house-requests-26-billion-for-nasa-for-2023/

House committee leaders ask White House to withdraw proposed NTSB regulations on commercial launch investigations
by Jeff Foust — April 10, 2022 [SN]


An Astra Rocket 3.3 lifts off Feb. 10. The rocket failed to reach orbit. A proposed regulation that would give the NTSB authority to investigate such failures is opposed by key members of Congress, who argue it is “plainly unlawful.” Credit: Astra Space/NASASpaceFlight.com

WASHINGTON — The leaders of the House Science Committee have asked the Biden administration to withdraw a controversial proposed rule regarding commercial spaceflight investigations, calling it “plainly unlawful.”

In an April 6 letter to President Biden, Reps. Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-Texas) and Frank Lucas (R-Okla.), the chair and ranking member, respectively, of the House Science Committee, called on the administration to withdraw proposed regulations by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) that would give the board new authority to investigate launch failures.
https://spacenews.com/house-committee-leaders-ask-white-house-to-withdraw-proposed-ntsb-regulations-on-commercial-launch-investigations/

House appropriator promises to mark up NASA spending bill on schedule
by Jeff Foust — April 22, 2022 [SN]


Rep. Matt Cartwright (D-Pa.), chair of the appropriations subcommittee that funds NASA, said April 20 that his committee will produce fiscal year 2023 spending bills "on time" but offered few hints about what support NASA will get. Credit: SpaceNews/Jeff Foust

PITTSBURGH — The chairman of the House appropriations subcommittee that funds NASA says he expects his committee to develop spending bills “on time” this year but was noncommittal about the level of support NASA will receive.

Speaking at an April 20 event here where Astrobotic unveiled its Peregrine lunar lander, Rep. Matt Cartwright (D-Pa.), who chairs the commerce, justice and science (CJS) subcommittee of the House Appropriations Committee, said he would work in a bipartisan manner to develop a fiscal year 2023 spending bill but offered few hints about what might be included for NASA in the bill.
https://spacenews.com/house-appropriator-promises-to-mark-up-nasa-spending-bill-on-schedule/

NASA space technology programs face “constraining” budget
by Jeff Foust — April 23, 2022 [SN]


Rep. Matt Cartwright (D-Pa.), chair of the appropriations subcommittee that funds NASA, said April 20 that his committee will produce fiscal year 2023 spending bills "on time" but offered few hints about what support NASA will get. Credit: SpaceNews/Jeff Foust

PITTSBURGH — The chairman of the House appropriations subcommittee that funds NASA says he expects his committee to develop spending bills “on time” this year but was noncommittal about the level of support NASA will receive.

Speaking at an April 20 event here where Astrobotic unveiled its Peregrine lunar lander, Rep. Matt Cartwright (D-Pa.), who chairs the commerce, justice and science (CJS) subcommittee of the House Appropriations Committee, said he would work in a bipartisan manner to develop a fiscal year 2023 spending bill but offered few hints about what might be included for NASA in the bill.
https://spacenews.com/nasa-space-technology-programs-face-constraining-budget/

Nelson criticizes “plague” of cost-plus NASA contracts
by Jeff Foust — May 4, 2022 [SN]


NASA Administrator Bill Nelson criticized traditional cost-plus contracts at a May 3 Senate hearing, calling them a "plague" on the agency. Credit: NASA/Bill Ingalls

WASHINGTON — NASA Administrator Bill Nelson offered a surprisingly strong endorsement of fixed-price contracts and competition at a congressional hearing May 3, calling traditional cost-plus contracts a “plague” on the agency.

Testifying at a Senate appropriations subcommittee hearing on the agency’s fiscal year 2023 budget proposal, Nelson said the use of competition and fixed-price contracts was essential in its efforts to select a second commercial lunar lander alongside SpaceX’s Starship for the Human Landing System (HLS) program, something that many in Congress have sought.
https://spacenews.com/nelson-criticizes-plague-of-cost-plus-nasa-contracts/

Industry pushes for NASA reauthorization
by Jeff Foust — May 23, 2022 [SN]


Sen. Jerry Moran (R-Kan.) emphasized the importance of a NASA authorization in his remarks at a May 12 conference committee meeting to work out differences between House and Senate competitiveness bills. Credit: U.S. Senate

WASHINGTON — As House and Senate conferees begin work to reconcile competitiveness bills, industry groups are pushing Congress to either include a NASA authorization bill in that legislation or pass a standalone bill.

A conference committee that includes more than 100 members of the House and Senate met for the first time May 12 to discuss reconciling the Senate’s United States Innovation and Competition Act (USICA) with the House’s America Creating Opportunities for Manufacturing Pre-Eminence in Technology and Economic Strength (COMPETES) Act. Both are broad-ranging competitiveness bills, but with differences that conferees will seek to hammer out in the coming weeks.
https://spacenews.com/industry-pushes-for-nasa-reauthorization/

House bill trims NASA budget proposal
by Jeff Foust — June 22, 2022 [SN]


While the House bill increases NASA's budget by $1.4 billion from fiscal year 2022, its fiscal year 2023 spending bill is about half a billion dollars lower than the agency’s request. Credit: SpaceNews illustration

WASHINGTON — A draft House spending bill would provide NASA with a smaller spending increase than requested for fiscal year 2023, with cuts spread among exploration, science and technology programs.

The House Appropriations Committee released its commerce, justice and science (CJS) spending bill late June 21, a day before its CJS subcommittee will mark up the bill. The full appropriations committee will take up the bill June 28.

The draft bill includes $25.446 billion for NASA for fiscal year 2023. That is $1.4 billion, or 5.8%, more than what NASA received in fiscal year 2022, but $527 million less than what the agency requested in its budget proposal in March.
https://spacenews.com/house-bill-trims-nasa-budget-proposal/

House appropriators reduce proposed budget for FAA commercial space office
by Jeff Foust — June 30, 2022 [SN]


House appropriators directed the FAA to continue safety studies of liquid oxygen and methane propellants, used for engines like the Raptors on SpaceX’s Starship. Credit: SpaceX

WASHINGTON — House appropriators eliminated most of a proposed budget increase for the Federal Aviation Administration’s commercial space transportation office while also directing the agency on spaceports and cooperation with another agency on spaceflight investigations.

The House Appropriations Committee approved June 30 its version of a transportation and housing and urban development spending bill for fiscal year 2023. The bill funds several agencies, including the FAA.
https://spacenews.com/house-appropriators-reduce-proposed-budget-for-faa-commercial-space-office/

House appropriators partially restore funding for planetary defense mission
by Jeff Foust — June 27, 2022 [SN]


House appropriators partially restored funding for the NEO Surveyor mission in the report accompanying its fiscal year 2023 spending bill, calling on NASA to launch the mission before 2028. Credit: NASA/JPL

WASHINGTON — House appropriators partially restored funding for a planetary defense mission as part of a spending bill while also raising concerns about NASA’s closure of an airborne observatory and plans to return samples from Mars.

The House Appropriations Committee released June 27 the report accompanying its commerce, justice and science (CJS) spending bill for fiscal year 2023, due to be marked up by the full committee June 28. The CJS appropriations subcommittee approved the bill without debate June 22.
https://spacenews.com/house-appropriators-partially-restore-funding-for-planetary-defense-mission/

NASA authorization included in CHIPS Act
by Jeff Foust — July 20, 2022 [SN]


The NASA authorization language included in the CHIPS Act would formally establish a Moon to Mars Program for Artemis, to be run by a new office within the agency with responsibility for the various programs included within it. Credit: NASA

WASHINGTON — The Senate is moving forward with a revised version of a NASA authorization bill that formally authorizes the agency’s Artemis lunar exploration effort and extends operations of the International Space Station.

The Senate Commerce Committee released July 20 the text of the Creating Helpful Incentives to Produce Semiconductors (CHIPS) Act, a bill primarily intended to support domestic manufacturing of semiconductors. The release came a day after the Senate voted 64–34 in favor of a procedural motion to advance the legislation.
https://spacenews.com/nasa-authorization-included-in-chips-act/

[Orionid]

NASA chief to scientists on budget cuts: “I feel your pain”
Eric Berger - 8/13/2024, 11:32 PM


Administrator Bill Nelson delivering remarks and answering questions from the media at the OFT-2 prelaunch press conference.

"I can't go and print the dollars."

Ars Technica recently had the opportunity to speak with NASA Administrator Bill Nelson, who has now led the US space agency for more than three years. We spoke about budget issues, Artemis program timelines, and NASA's role as a soft power in global diplomacy. What follows is a very lightly edited transcript of the conversation between Senior Space Editor Eric Berger and Nelson.
https://arstechnica.com/space/2024/08/a-conversation-with-nasa-chief-bill-nelson-on-artemis-budget-holes-and-more/