Posted: Sun, Jul 27, 2025, 12:52 PM ET (1652 GMT)
House appropriators want NASA to study alternatives for a new SLS upper stage. In a report accompanying the commerce, justice and science spending bill that funds NASA, the House Appropriations Committee directed NASA to evaluate alternatives for the Exploration Upper Stage (EUS), which NASA is developing for the Block 1B version of SLS that will first launch on the Artemis 4 mission. Appropriators said they are interested in options that reduce cost and schedule while maintaining performance. Other provisions in the report include $300 million for Mars Sample Return, a mission that the administration sought to cancel, and increased funding for development of commercial space stations.

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