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NASA unveiled plans to accelerate human exploration of the moon, including a $ 1.6 billion increase in the requested budget for 2020, larger spending increases proposed for future years and better commercial opportunities for rocket and spacecraft suppliers.
At a press conference on Monday evening, NASA administrator James Bridenstine released a package, confirming that the White House is committed to bringing astronauts back to the lunar surface by 2024 and creating fleets rockets, landing gear and other reusable vehicles for long-term, sustainable crew missions. and robotic missions from here 2028.
Although Bridenstine stressed the "need to inspire a new generation" 50 years after Apollo Moon's first landing, the spending forecast reflected a harsh political reality. In addition to the initial request for a down payment, he said that the National Aeronautics and Space Administration was not prepared to present Congress with a detailed multi-billion dollar package detailing the expected total price. of this initiative.
THE BROWN MOON, AN IMPRESSIVE STUDY IS REVEALED
White House advisers ended up spending about $ 650 million of the revised budget request on a pair of delayed and over budget projects supported by Boeing Co. and Lockheed Martin Corp. This decision was taken despite the desire to revive the commercial space efforts.
"Everyone wins here," said Bridenstine, describing Boeing's enhanced space launch system (SLS) launch program funding, promising simplified procurement procedures for NASA's new space companies and stating that the agency would adopt business solutions because "we will not find a predefined way to get there. The NASA chief revealed that one female astronaut would be part of the first two-person crew destined to land on the moon.
Referring to the realities that previously predicted that NASA's global budgets would remain essentially stable at around $ 21 billion a year, Bridenstine said: "Over the next five years, we will need more money . we all understand that. "
The source of these additional funds will be explained in a complete package including proposed changes to other agencies' expenditures. It should be officially unveiled Tuesday by the White House.
THE COST OF 2024 LANDING LANDING IS STILL A MYSTERY
Monday's announcement highlights a fierce political and financial struggle within NASA, according to industry and government officials. The fight is between political representatives pushing commercial options against career managers who generally favor traditional contracts with long-standing suppliers.
In seeking additional funding outside NASA's existing budget, Bridenstine said his goal was to avoid the kind of partisan and geographic battles on Capitol Hill that had sabotaged many of the program's changes to the program. NASA over the years.
Click here to read more about The Wall Street Journal, where this story was first published.
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