Members of Congress Criticize NASA’s Slowdown on Mars Sample Return Program
WASHINGTON — A bipartisan group of lawmakers is strongly opposing a decision by NASA to slow down work on the Mars Sample Return (MSR) program due to budget uncertainties for 2024. In a letter to NASA Administrator Bill Nelson, six members of California’s congressional delegation expressed their dismay over the directive given to NASA earlier this month.
The members, including Sens. Alex Padilla and Laphonza Butler, and Reps. Adam Schiff, Judy Chu, Mike Garcia, and Young Kim, argued that the decision to reduce funding for the MSR program violates Congress’s appropriations authority and could have severe repercussions for the future of the mission.
Their concerns were raised at a Nov. 13 advisory committee meeting where NASA officials acknowledged that the agency had instructed the centers working on MSR to slow down activities due to a significant gap in spending between a House spending bill and a Senate version.
The House spending bill would provide the full request of $949.3 million for the program, while the Senate version offers only $300 million. NASA is currently operating under a continuing resolution that funds the MSR at 2023 levels, but the concern is that a reduced budget could jeopardize the mission’s launch window and overall program.
The lawmakers emphasized the importance of the MSR mission in meeting the national security challenge posed by China and maintaining competitiveness in strategic space technologies. They also noted that insufficient funding for the program could result in job losses and the cancellation of contracts for American businesses.
The funding debate for MSR comes as NASA is evaluating alternative architectures for the mission following an independent review that concluded that the current approach had little chance of staying on budget or schedule. The bipartisan group of lawmakers also called attention to the need for funding consistency to ensure a launch no later than 2030 to get samples into the orbit of Mars.
In addition to their efforts to call for sustained funding for the program, the California congressional delegation is lobbying fellow members to allocate more resources for the MSR program in 2024. Their tireless advocacy underscores the critical importance of moving forward with the MSR program to advance scientific knowledge and maintain U.S. leadership in space exploration.