Will Joe Biden’s NASA budget request give major boost to Artemis Moon-Return Program?

NASA could be in line for a significant funding boost next year, according to the White House's federal budget request for fiscal year 2024, which was unveiled on March 9. The request allots $27.2 billion to the space agency, representing a 7% increase, or $1.8 billion more than its current budget, as per a report from Space.com. However, NASA's share of the overall budget is projected to be a small fraction of the total federal spending, which is expected to reach $6.8 trillion in 2024. These figures, while promising, are far from final, as they still require approval from Congress, which holds the power of the purse in Washington.

If the proposed budget is passed, NASA's Artemis program, which aims to explore the moon, will receive a significant funding boost. The agency will reportedly receive $8.1 billion for the program during fiscal year 2024, which starts on October 1, 2023, and runs through September 30, 2024. This represents an increase of $500 million from the funding allocated for the program in 2023.

What did White House officials say in the budget request?

"The Budget fully funds the rockets, crew vehicle, lunar landers, spacesuits and other systems needed to fly astronauts around the moon on the Artemis 2 mission and then land astronauts — including the first woman, first person of color and first astronauts from another nation — on subsequent Artemis missions on the lunar surface as America begins development of a lunar outpost and aims toward the eventual exploration of Mars," White House officials wrote in the budget request. 

Good news for Artemis?

The proposed funding boost for NASA's Artemis program could be interpreted as a vote of confidence in the agency's moon exploration efforts. The program achieved a major milestone last year when its uncrewed Artemis 1 mission successfully completed a 25-day journey to lunar orbit and back, demonstrating the capabilities of NASA's Space Launch System and Orion capsule. The next mission, Artemis 2, is slated to launch in 2024, with Artemis 3 expected to land astronauts near the moon's south pole a year or so later, if all goes according to plan.