Vice President Kamala Harris meets with NASA astronauts Shannon Walker and Joe Acaba at Kennedy Space Center in Florida during a tour on Aug. 29, 2022.
Bill Ingalls / NASA
President Joe Biden is searching for to extend the budget for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration to $27.2 billion next 12 months, in accordance with a proposed 2024 budget released Thursday.
The request represents a 7% increase from NASA’s budget in fiscal 12 months 2023, with more funds allocated for the space agency’s Artemis lunar program.
Along with $8.1 billion for Artemis, $500 million above the prior 12 months, the Biden administration goals to earmark $949 million for a mission to return Mars rock and soil samples.
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The request also adds $180 million so NASA can begin development of a “space tug” to assist deorbit the International Space Station when it is anticipated to retire in 2030, in addition to $39 million to check the danger related to debris in orbit across the Earth.
The White House request doesn’t represent what NASA’s budget might be in 2024, as Congress often adjusts budget amounts through the approval process.
Read more on Biden’s fiscal 12 months 2024 budget plan: