House Appropriators to Fully Fund NASA’s Mars Sample Return Program but Halt Cooperation with European Mission
In a recent development, House appropriators have announced their intention to fully fund NASA’s Mars Sample Return (MSR) program, despite ongoing problems with the mission. However, the House report accompanying the commerce, justice and science (CJS) spending bill for fiscal year 2024 also includes a provision to halt NASA’s plans to cooperate with a European Mars mission.
The delayed publication of the report comes as the full House prepares to take up the bill in mid-November without an appropriations committee markup. The House Rules Committee is currently soliciting amendments for the bill, which will be considered during the week of November 13.
One of the most significant differences between the House and Senate bills is the allocation for the MSR program. While the Senate bill provided only $300 million for the program, less than a third of NASA’s $949.3 million request, the House report would fully fund MSR at $949.3 million. The report instructs NASA to request the necessary funding in 2025 to ensure the MSR sample retrieval lander and Earth return orbiter missions launch by 2030.
However, it is important to note that the House report refers to the “pending Independent Review Board’s results,” which concluded in September that there was a “near zero probability” of MSR staying on cost and schedule. The review board also estimated that the overall cost of the MSR program would range from $8 billion to $11 billion, well above the $5.3 billion threshold mentioned in the Senate report.
The funding allocation for MSR in the House bill has implications for other NASA programs. While the House bill provides slightly more funding for NASA science programs compared to the Senate bill, it reduces funding for Earth science, astrophysics, heliophysics, and biological and physical sciences.
The House report does not provide detailed guidance on Earth science, astrophysics, or heliophysics programs. However, the proposed cut in funding was a factor contributing to considerations of reductions in operating budgets for the Chandra X-Ray Observatory and Hubble Space Telescope.
Interestingly, while the House bill fully funds the MSR program, it would block funding for another Mars program. The report states that it “does not support the requested funding for the Rosalind Franklin ExoMars rover,” which is a reference to proposed NASA support for a European Space Agency mission. ESA sought NASA’s cooperation after terminating its collaboration with Russia last year.
Negotiations for NASA’s support for the Rosalind Franklin ExoMars rover are still ongoing but would likely include thrusters for a new landing platform for the rover, radioisotope heating units, and a launch. NASA’s 2024 budget proposal did not specify a funding amount for this cooperation, but rather included it as part of a “Mars Future Missions” program line that also encompasses planning for a receiving facility for MSR samples. NASA’s budget proposal requested $49.9 million for Mars Future Missions.
The House report includes specific language regarding the location of the receiving facility, directing NASA to prioritize proximity to the current curator for all NASA-held extraterrestrial samples. It suggests that the new facility be placed within 30 miles (50 kilometers) of the Johnson Space Center, where the current facility is located. NASA has yet to determine a potential location for the receiving facility, but it specified in the budget proposal that it must have a Biosafety Level 4 rating and could potentially be housed in an existing government facility.
Furthermore, the House bill reduces funding for space technology and space operations, albeit to a lesser extent than the Senate bill. The report does not mention specific funding levels for the commercial low Earth orbit development program, which the Senate bill fully funds. However, it does provide the requested $180 million for an International Space Station deorbit vehicle.
On the other hand, the House bill fully funds NASA’s exploration account, which includes the Space Launch System, Orion, ground systems, and other capabilities such as the Human Landing System and spacesuits.
The divergence between the House and Senate bills will need to be resolved through a conference committee before a final spending bill is sent to the President for his signature.