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 seeking to increase the budget for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration to $27.2 billion next year, according to a proposed 2024 budget released Thursday.
The request represents a 7% increase from NASA’s budget in fiscal year 2023, with more funds allocated for the space agency’s Artemis lunar program.
In addition to $8.1 billion for Artemis, $500 million above the prior year, the Biden administration aims 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 help deorbit the International Space Station when it is expected to retire in 2030, as well as $39 million to study the risk associated with debris in orbit around the Earth.
The White House request does not represent what NASA’s budget will be in 2024, as Congress often adjusts budget amounts during approval.
Read more on Biden’s fiscal year 2024 budget plan:
