Quote from: yg1968 on 12/15/2022 01:51 pmI am not sure how much of an impact that it will have but Kevin McCarthy is against the deal, he prefers to wait for the next Congress in order for Republicans to get a better deal. But in the Senate, Shelby is in favor of it.There won't be a "better deal". Republicans will demand the moon and force a government shutdown.
I am not sure how much of an impact that it will have but Kevin McCarthy is against the deal, he prefers to wait for the next Congress in order for Republicans to get a better deal. But in the Senate, Shelby is in favor of it.
Appropriators released overnight the fiscal year 2023 omnibus spending bill. For NASA, the bill includes $25.384 billion, slightly less than the House version ($25.446B) but well below the request of $25.974B. It’s a 5.6% increase over FY22; less than inflation.
No surprises I noticed in the report accompanying the bill about funding for specific programs. NEO Surveyor, for example, gets $90M, more than requested but less than needed to maintain a 2026 launch. HLS and commercial LEO are fully funded.
One interesting bit of fiscal legerdemain: appropriators gave NASA nearly the full request for construction & environmental ($414.3M) but put $367M of it in a separate disaster supplemental. That supplemental also has $189.4M for NASA for damages from Hurricanes Ian & Nicole.
Nuclear Thermal Propulsion.-The agreement provides not less than $110,000,000 for the development of nuclear thermal propulsion, of which $45,000,000 is for reactor development, $45,000,000 is for fuel materials development, and $20,000,000 is for non-nuclear systems development and acquisition planning. NASA is encouraged to develop innovative nuclear technologies that enable a regular cadence of extended duration robotic missions to thelunar surface and Mars. Nuclear Electric Propulsion (NEP).-The House language on '"Nuclear Electric Propulsion" is adopted, and the agreement provides up to $15,000,000 to begin a systematic approach to NEP technology development.
Lunar Surface Power.-ln addition to the reporting requirement in the House report, the agreement urges NASA to devote the resources required to ensure that lunar surface power systems, such as vertical solar arrays and fission surface' power, are fully developed and prepared for deployment when the time for surface missions arrives in the mid-2020s. In lieu of the funding provided in the House report, the agreement provides up to $40,000,000 for payload development and delivery to the lunar surface via the Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) program to execute a surface power demonstration by 2026. NASA is also encouraged to identify areas of alignment between nuclear propulsion and fission surface power research.
Human Landing System (HLS).- The agreement provides not less than $1,485,600,000 for HLS, including the request level for Sustaining Lunar Development activities, and no less than the requested amount for the Lunar Lander office. NASA is expected to ensure redundancy and competition in the HLS program for research, development testing and evaluation of multiple HLS systems.
Spacesuits.-The agreement provides the requested funding for Extravehicular Activity and Human Systems Mobility Program (EHP) and notes that in 2022 NASA began the process for developing the spacesuits that will be necessary for the crewed landing on the Moon and for future use in low-Earth orbit. Within the funds provided for EHP, NASA is encouraged to continue promoting redundancy and competition, including robust support for research, development, testing, and evaluation for multiple competitively awarded space suit capabilities.
Habitat Systems Research and Development.-As part of NASA's plan for a sustained lunar presence, NASA may need to establish a habitation systems program office as part of the Artemis program with expertise in systems engineering development and science and exploration systems integration. NASA is encouraged to continue its planning to support the launch readiness of a lunar surface habitat and establish a program office, should one become necessary.
Commercial Crew.-NASA is expected to certify a new commercial crew carrier in fiscal year 2023, bringing much-needed competition to the Commercial Crew program. NASA is encouraged to continue efforts to enhance competition to generate savings within theCommercial Crew program.
Commercial low-Earth Orbit (LEO) Development.-The agreement provides up to $224,300,000 for LEO commercialization. NASA shall continue to follow directives contained in the explanatory statement accompanying division B of Public Law 116-260 under the heading ''Commercial LEO Development."
Lunar Discovery.-NASA 's Lunar Discovery and Exploration program shall adhere to the lunar science priorities established by decadal surveys and the National Research Council's report, "Scientific Context for the Exploration of the Moon." Accordingly, the agreement includes up to $486,300,000 for Lunar Discovery and Exploration, including up to the request level for Commercial Lunar Pay load Services (CLPS), $22,100,000 for the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, and not less than $97,200,000 for the Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover (VIPER) mission. Further, NASA is encouraged to leverage the resources and expertise of both private industry and universities in advancing its lunar science and exploration agenda.
Orion Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle.- The agreement includes $1,338,700,000 for the Orion Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle and does not include transfer authority for a portion of Orion funds to the Space Operations Mission Directorate.Space launch System (SLS).- The agreement provides $2,600,000,000 for SLS, of which not less than $600,000,000 is for concurrent SLS Block 1 B Development, including Exploration Upper Stage development and associated stage adapter work. The agreement is supportive of fully developing the capabilities of SLS, and directs NASA to continue the simultaneous development of activities as authorized under sections 302( c )(1 )(a) and (b) of Public Law 111-267. Further, as NASA continues to refine its strategy for a sustainable presence and exploration of the lunar surface, the agreement encourages NASA to continue its exploration of a cargo variant of SLS for use in the Artemis program and for other purposes.Exploration Ground Systems (EGS).-In lieu of the House funding for EGS, the agreement provides not less than $799,150,000 for EGS, including up to $281 ,350,000 for the Mobile Launch Platform-2 (ML-2), which includes half of the additional need NASA has identified since its fiscal year 2023 budget submission. NASA is expected to find the other half of the estimated need from within other resources provided without proposing reductions in Congressional priorities, both in fiscal year 2023 and beyond. The agreement also retains a provision limiting the use of funds for ML-2.
At 2:30 pm ET today, just about 12 hours after it was introduced, the Senate will take a procedural vote to move forward with consideration of the FY2023 omnibus appropriations bill.
Tuesday, December 20th at 7pm ET: The U.S. Senate voted 70-25 to officially begin debate on the $1.7T omnibus spending package, funding the federal government through September 30, 2023. Current funding expires Friday at midnight.