NASA funding cut by 8.5% in 2024



03/12/2024 2:21 AM


According to NASA's director Bill Nelson, the US Congress approved an 8.5% reduction in the agency's current year budget on Monday.



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Speaking at a presentation on the agency's development possibilities under the new budget, he said that NASA will receive money in the amount of $24.9 billion instead of the requested $27.2 billion.

The cuts affected planetary research projects, which include those on the Moon and Mars.

"In FY 2025, the budget is scheduled to increase to $25.4 billion, an increase of $0.5 billion over the current fiscal year," said Nelson.

NASA would fight for even more funds in the upcoming October fiscal year 2026, he said. Nelson added that this is essential "to support our work to get man back to the moon and then to the red sands of Mars."

Kathryn Kerner, NASA's deputy chief of mission management for research systems, said that the budget nevertheless leaves open the possibility of planetary missions in the future: "Returning a man to the moon is a reality now more than ever. Additionally, this budget gives us the potential to create the means to transport the first humans to Mars and establish a permanent presence there for scientific research," she stated.

source: cnn.com


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