US President Joe Biden has proposed a $27.2 billion budget for NASA in 2024, which is nearly $1.8 billion more than the organization received this year.
According to the US space agency, the increased funding will enable NASA to carry out projects like Artemis, the Mars Sample Return mission, and others as it continues to discover the universe’s mysteries.
NASA Administrator Bill Nelson stated in a statement that the budget “details a blueprint to grow the economy from the bottom up and middle out”.
NASA’s budget enables the agency to monitor and protect the planet, expand sustainable aviation, improve orbital debris management, create breakthrough new technologies, and inspire the Artemis Generation.
“President Biden’s budget will help us explore new cosmic shores, continue to make strides in travelling to and working in space and on the Moon, increase the speed and safety of air travel with cutting-edge technologies, and help protect our planet and improve lives here on Earth,” said Nelson.
The proposal seeks $8.1 billion for NASA’s Moon to Mars exploration strategy’s Artemis program, which intends to send people to Mars.
The Biden administration has also set aside roughly $2.5 billion for Earth Science and $949 million for a mission to return rock and soil samples from Mars.
The budget also includes $39 million for research into the orbital debris environment and measures to ensuring safe access to space.
It invests more than $500 million on a portfolio of technologies to help the United States achieve its goal of net-zero carbon emissions from the aviation sector by 2050, and $1.39 billion in research and development to expand space exploration capabilities.
With an additional $158 million designated for NASA’s Office of STEM Engagement, the agency will be able to engage more students through better partnerships and platforms.
News Source: Siasat
