The Senate Appropriations Committee has given NASA and its big Space Launch System rocket the funding needed to stay on track, U.S. Sen. Richard Shelby says.
NASA gets $19.5 billion for 2018 in the budget approved Thursday by the full committee. That's just $124 million below 2017 funding and $437 million above President Trump's budget request.
Before NASA exhales, however, this spending measure must pass the full Senate, a spending bill must pass the House, both bodies must reconcile their differences, and Trump must sign the final version.
SLS will receive $2.15 billion next year if the committee's budget survives the hurdles ahead. That's the same funding as this year and $212 million more than Trump's White House requested.
Significantly for SLS supporters, the committee budget includes no less than $300 million for development of the Exploration Upper Stage needed for the second SLS launch with a crew, Shelby said.
The budget also gives NASA $1.35 billion - the same as this year and $164 million more than Trump's budget - for development of the Orion capsule.
Shelby represents Alabama in the Senate, which is where NASA has placed lead responsibility for developing SLS at the Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville.
Other NASA projects included in the Appropriations Committee budget include:
- $75 million (an increase of $40 million) for developing nuclear propulsion systems for spacecraft to speed up space missions.
- $30 million for developing a small launch technology system (the same as this year's funding)
- $18 million for EPSCoR, a program to spread research opportunities to states and regions that haven't been involved equally. The White House wanted to cut EPSCoR completely.
- $40 million, the same as this year, for the NASA Space Grant program, which funds research, education and outreach programs. The White House also wanted to cut this program.