The US Senate has threatened the delivery of Martian soil samples to Earth. This is due to the reduction
What is known
Senators don't like technical problemsthat have arisen in the course of the mission. NASA has received $1.7 billion to conduct the MSR, but will probably not be able to complete it as scheduled. This may affect other space agency projects.
NASA has requested $949 million for 2024 tocontinuation of the MSR mission. However, the US Senate approved the allocation of only $300 million, which is more than three times less than the amount requested. Moreover, funding could be reduced to zero if the US Congress does not receive guarantees to keep the mission budget within 5.7 billion. Otherwise, funds will be redirected to the Artemis lunar program.
Concern about the cost of the MSR mission did not arise out of nowhere. Recently, NASA considered a scenario in which the delivery of Martian soil samples could cost the US budget $9 billion.
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Threats from the US Congress do not mean thatthe project will be closed. For example, 12 years ago, congressmen jeopardized the James Webb Space Telescope program. As you know, the $10 billion observatory has been successfully launched, is pleased with the results, and recently celebrated its first anniversary of operation.
The report will have an important impact on the decision of CongressInstitutional Review Board, which consists of independent scientists. It was created to evaluate the MSR and find options for successfully completing the mission. The report will be ready by the end of this quarter.