WASHINGTON — The top of NASA’s area expertise directorate warned an advisory group of a “vital impression” to some packages if the Senate model of an appropriations invoice for 2024 turns into legislation.
Talking at a Nov. 30 assembly of the NASA Advisory Council’s expertise, innovation and engineering assembly, Prasun Desai, appearing affiliate administrator for area expertise on the company, mentioned that each Home and Senate spending payments for fiscal yr 2024 fall wanting the administration’s request of $1.392 billion for area expertise.
The Home model would offer the House Know-how Mission Directorate (STMD) with $1.205 billion. That may be basically the identical as what area expertise obtained in 2023, excluding inflation changes.
The Senate invoice, although, provides $1.118 billion, a 7% discount from 2023. “The Senate proposal may be very problematic if it involves fruition,” he warned. “It would have a big impression if it’s close to the Senate proposal.”
That impression can be distributed inconsistently throughout the directorate’s portfolio. Each the Home and Senate payments totally fund the biggest single mission in STMD, the OSAM-1 satellite tv for pc servicing demonstration mission, at $227 million. NASA small enterprise packages, positioned in STMD, would even be totally funded at about $300 million.
Each the Home and Senate payments sharply improve proposed funding for nuclear thermal propulsion. The company requested $17.5 million for that work in its proposal, however the Home and Senate payments as a substitute present $110 million.
Different packages, although, might undergo sharp funding cuts. Desai’s presentation acknowledged that STMD packages not talked about in both the Home or Senate payments might face a 22% minimize if the directorate receives the general funding within the Home invoice and a 27% minimize if it will get the Senate funding. Some packages with directed funding in both invoice additionally face reductions.
NASA is working beneath a seamless decision (CR) that funds the company at 2023 ranges via Feb. 2. He mentioned STMD is taking a “conservative” method with how it’s spending that funding now to guard in opposition to any cuts under 2023 ranges within the ultimate 2024 spending invoice.
“If a quantity considerably under 1.2 [billion dollars] arises, it’s going to be troublesome, however it will likely be more easy as a result of we’re being a bit conservative,” he mentioned.
Different components of the company are taking comparable approaches. NASA introduced earlier this month it was ramping down work on the Mars Pattern Return program beneath the CR due to the big hole between funding provided within the Home and Senate payments for 2024. Price range uncertainty additionally prompted NASA to delay formal affirmation of the Dragonfly mission to Titan this month.
“We’re ready to see what occurs,” he mentioned.
