Posted: Sat, Jan 2, 2021, 12:29 PM ET (1729 GMT)
An omnibus spending bill passed Monday will give NASA nearly $23.3 billion in fiscal year 2021, but cuts funding in some key programs. The spending bill, passed by the House and Senate late Monday, allocates $23.271 billion for NASA, $642 million above what it received in 2020 but nearly $2 billion less than its original request for 2021. The Human Landing System program to develop lunar landers for Artemis will get $850 million, about one-fourth its original request; NASA officials said earlier the agency needed full funding for that program to keep a 2024 lunar landing on track. NASA's commercial LEO development program received only $17 million, compared to a request of $150 million. The bill does fully fund other major NASA exploration and science programs, including restoring funding for several Earth science and astrophysics missions as well as NASA's education program.
