EXPLORATION
The recommendation includes $9,715,800,000 for Exploration, which is $2,499,600,000 above fiscal year 2025 and $1,402,900,000 above the OMB Budget request.
Space Launch System (SLS).—The recommendation includes $2,500,000,000 for SLS, including no less than the fiscal year 2025 enacted level for the continuation of the Block 1B Capability Upgrade. The Committee remains committed to maintaining U.S. leadership in deep space human exploration. The Committee prohibits the reallocation of funds from the Artemis Moon to Mars Transportation account or any modification to the Artemis mission directive unless and until a commercial alternative is proven to meet or exceed the capabilities provided by the SLS and Orion system, as demonstrated by the successful completion of Artemis III. The Committee directs NASA to preserve funding necessary for the procurement of spares and long-lead hardware to support a sustained annual flight cadence of the SLS and Orion spacecraft. This cadence is essential to avoid any disruption in the nation’s ability to conduct human missions beyond low Earth orbit and shall continue until such time as commercially developed, human-rated launch vehicle and crew vehicle are successfully demonstrated. The commercial alternative must be capable of delivering no less than 42 metric tons to a Trans-Lunar Injection (TLI) trajectory, sending astronauts to lunar orbit, and safely returning them to Earth.
Orion Program.—The recommendation includes no less than the OMB Budget request level of $1,370,000,000 for the Orion Program.
Human Landing System (HLS).—The Committee recognizes the national importance of America’s return to the Moon and provides $2,050,900,000 to achieve all contracted HLS missions, as well as development of heavy cargo landing services derived from these crewed landers to support sustainable human exploration of the Moon and Mars. Competition between industry partners will drive long-term affordability and necessary redundancy for the HLS program. The Committee supports NASA’s acquisition of heavy cargo landing services under existing HLS contracts as an example of leveraging and maximizing government investment. As NASA considers deep space exploration, including Mars, the Committee directs NASA to leverage existing HLS contracts and investments when developing deep space capabilities. Within 30 days of the enactment of this Act, and quarterly thereafter, the Committee directs NASA to provide a briefing detailing any updates on the HLS program, the progress made in the HLS program, any anticipated changes to program cost or schedule, and any other relevant issues related to the HLS program.
Exploration Upper Stage.—The Committee directs NASA to evaluate alternatives to the current Exploration Upper Stage (EUS) design for SLS, with a focus on reducing development and production costs, shortening the schedule, and maintaining the required lift capability of at least 130 tons to low-Earth orbit as specified in Section 302(c)(1)(B) of the NASA Authorization Act of 2010. NASA should also evaluate how alternative designs could support the long-term evolution of SLS and broader exploration goals beyond low-Earth orbit, consistent with Section 302(c)(2) of the Act. NASA is directed to assess various propulsion systems, stage configurations, infrastructure compatibility, commercial and international collaboration opportunities, and the cost and schedule impacts of each alternative. This plan shall outline how NASA intends to utilize the remaining flight-proven components of SLS for human and cargo missions in support of lunar and Mars mission activities. NASA is directed to report to the Committee on its findings no later than 180 days after the enactment of this Act.
xEVA and Human Surface Mobility Program.—The recommendation includes $641,600,000 for the Exploration Extravehicular Activity (xEVA) and Human Surface Mobility Program to ensure that all task orders necessary to maintain schedule for the International Space Station (ISS) demonstration missions and Artemis missions to the Moon and later Mars are fulfilled. NASA shall only procure next generation EVA spacesuits and services for NASA and international partner government astronauts for Low Earth Orbit, Artemis and deep space missions through a provider that has developed, tested and certified an EVA spacesuit through NASA’s xEVA program to ensure any commercially procured EVA capability meets the strict safety and mission criteria required for this program. Further, the HLS, Gateway, and Lunar Terrain Vehicle developed for Artemis missions must ensure compatibility with the EVA spacesuits developed under NASA’s xEVA program. NASA is directed to report to the Committee within 180 days of enactment of this Act on how the providers of these elements are working with the xEVA program to ensure integration and compatibility.
Lunar Terrain Vehicle.—The Committee remains supportive of NASA’s Artemis efforts as they are critical to countering China’s influence on the lunar surface. The Committee therefore supports full funding for the Human Surface Mobility Program to support the selection of no fewer than two contractors for the Lunar Terrain Vehicle program.
Mars.—The Committee recognizes that it has long been NASA’s priority human exploration goal to safely land American astronauts on Mars, and it strongly supports NASA’s renewed efforts to accelerate this objective and reduce costs by maximizing commercial innovation and fixed-price development partnerships followed by commercial services procurements. The ability to launch from Earth and land large cargo on the Martian surface is vital to enabling both crewed and uncrewed missions. Of the amounts made available for Mars exploration, NASA shall prioritize and accelerate the development of commercial systems capable of performing entry, descent, and landing of human class cargo and later crew on Mars, with a goal of a launching an initial system demonstration to Mars by the 2026 Earth-Mars transfer window.
Fabrication Laboratory (FabLab) Demonstration.—The recommendation includes up to $10,000,000 for the FabLab demonstration of metal and electronic manufacturing in space.
Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) Program.—The Committee continues its strong support for the CLPS program and provides no less than the fiscal year 2025 level of $250,000,000 for CLPS. The Committee notes the ability of the CLPS program to provide innovative lunar surface demonstrations, including demonstrations of lunar surface power. Within 60 days of the enactment of this Act, the Committee directs NASA to provide a briefing on any CLPS program modifications resulting from the move of the program from the SMD to ESDMD.
Advanced Environmental Control and Life Support System (ECLSS).—The recommendation includes no less than 25,000,000 to develop the critical Moon to Mars ECLSS open mission systems capabilities that will be necessary for successful and safe missions in the deep space environment, including open mission system ECLSS architectures, highly resilient and redundant systems, small and lightweight form factors, regenerative capabilities, enhanced operational autonomy, and in situ repair capabilities assuming a deep space mission in which there is little ground intervention possible and no cargo or spares are available. The Committee directs NASA to identify the key technologies necessary for development, test, and certification for long duration Moon and Mars crewed missions, and to determine how these technologies can help accelerate development and testing of these critical capabilities. Additionally, the Committee directs NASA to identify which NASA Center facilities can help support industry testing of these advanced capabilities.
Fission Power Systems (FPSs).—The Committee notes the possibility of FPSs technology to advance exploration and Mars technology development.
Habitation and Logistics Outpost (HALO) Program.—The Committee understands that the HALO module is a vital part of the NASA Gateway station program to support extended human habitation around the Moon and to serve as a remote test bed for eventual Mars-capable systems. Given the critical importance of HALO to the overall mission to return Americans to the Moon and onto Mars, as well as to maintain the high ground in the eventual U.S. protection of the Moon, the recommendation continues support for Gateway and provides up to the fiscal year 2025 enacted level for HALO.
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Here is his shuttle cockpit mock-up:
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