NASA head says without $3.2 billion soon, NASA won’t hit 2024 moon landing target

NASA this week released an update of its Artemis moon mission plans, but NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine said without Congress approving another $3.2 billion in funds for 2021, the 2024 target to land the next humans on the moon won’t be met.

The plan released on Monday outlined the plans for the first three launches of the Space Launch System and its Orion capsule, with an uncrewed Artemis I flight from Kennedy Space Center by November 2021; the crewed flight of Artemis II in 2023 that will fly to the moon, but not land; and the 2024 flight of Artemis III, which NASA said will land the “first woman and next man” on the lunar surface.

In a press call after the plan’s release, though, Bridenstine said that 2024 target needs congressional approval of another $3.2 billion in funding for 2021 to the Human Landing System aspect of the Artemis missions to ensure astronauts can actually land there.

“We need that $3.2 billion for the Human Landing System,” Bridenstine said. “I think that if we can have that done before Christmas, we’re still on track for a 2024 moon landing.”

His expectation is that Congress may approve temporary budget extensions before the end of the month and that the $3.2 billion could be included in an omnibus package before the end of the year, but any delay beyond March 2021 of that funding would threaten the timeline.

“I would argue that we’re still within the realm of possibility because we do have our work underway right now," Bridenstine said, citing the three contracts with private companies to develop lunar landing systems. “If we go beyond March and we still don’t have the Human Landing System funded, it becomes increasingly more difficult.”

NASA awarded contracts to SpaceX, a Blue Origin-led team that also included Northrop Grumman and Lockheed Martin, as well as the company Dynetics to compete for the final HLS product. Bridenstine said that one would be sufficient, but that NASA would like to have at least two teams be viable options, similar to how both Boeing and SpaceX were awarded contracts for crew missions to the International Space Station.

The overall costs for Artemis from now until 2024 will be $28 billion, according to NASA, which combines the costs for the Space Launch System rocket, the Orion capsule, Exploration Ground Systems programs, the space suits and Human Landing System.

Estimates for SLS rose to $9.1 billion, up from close to $7 billion in 2014, according to a report to Congress in July from human space flight program director Kathy Lueders. The estimate for Exploration Ground Systems, which includes the apparatus to launch SLS from Kennedy Space Center, is now $2.4 billion, up from an estimate of $1.84 billion in 2014.

Bridenstine said the pace of the missions is an effort to not fall victim to political changes, such as when President Barack Obama canceled the Constellation program begun under President George W. Bush, although the Orion capsule survived that to become part of the Artemis program.

“The challenge that we have is the political risk, the programs that go too long, that cost too much, and that end up getting cast out later in the development program,” Bridenstine said. “To save money, and to reduce political risk, we want to go fast."

He said 2024 is indeed an aggressive timeline, and any hitches could delay it.

“Is it possible? Yes. Does everything have to go right? Yes,” Bridenstine said. “We are targeting that right now to achieve that goal ... My goal is to make sure that we can get to the moon by 2024 and that we’re sustainable by the end of the decade, and I think we’re on track to achieve those items.”

He said if the human landing system funding gets pushed past March, NASA will still be focused on its lunar goals, just without a concrete deadline.

“If they push the funding off, our goal will be to get to the moon at the earliest possible opportunity," Bridenstine said. "Speed is still of the essence and and sustainability follows speed. What I would tell you is if they keep delaying the funding, we will go to the moon at the earliest possible opportunity.”

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