WASHINGTON – A key senator says he will push for the passage of the lame-duck session of NASA’s official bill, which supports the Artemis lunar research program, but does not necessarily aim to return to the moon by 2024.
In a Nov. November conversation at a conference hosted by Washington’s Space Policy and Research Center (SPARC) University, Senator Rhea Cantwell (D-Wash), a ranking member of the Senate Commerce Committee, said he hopes Congress will do more before the end of the year. Pass the bill.
“We are trying to pass the 2019 NASA Authorization Act,” he said. Cantwell is one of the co-sponsors of the bill, which the Commerce Committee reported in favor of about a year ago, but has yet to be passed by the full Senate.
Cantwell said he believes that despite the lack of progress, the bill could be passed by Congress before the end of the year. “I hope we get this bill threshed. “I can’t promise it will be completed in the lame-duck session of Congress, but if it doesn’t, I assure you it will be done in early 2021,” he said.
Cantwell did not elaborate on the issues that prevented the bill from passing, but Capitol Hill sources said a stumbling block was the language in the bill that required NASA to review its contractors’ relationship with China. Some objected that the language could affect companies like SpaceX, which has no links to China but is run by Eloken Musk, whose electric car company Tesla has business activities there.
This provision sen. Supported by Corey Gardner (R-Col.), 30 Sept. Jim Brydenstein, NASA’s administrator, was pressured about it during the Senate Commerce Committee hearing. Gardner, however, lost his bid for a second term on November 3. Election.
That provision is only part of a broader bill that addresses a wide range of NASA programs. “What we’re trying to do is ensure that NASA’s priorities are authentic and fully funded,” Cantwell said.
This includes NASA’s Artemis lunar research program. Cantwell said she supported the program widely. He said, ‘I’m very excited about this program.’ “We’re usually very excited about Artemis.”
She had reservations about NASA’s timetable to return humans to the moon by 2024. “While there is a lot of excitement in Congress, there is not always a consensus on when and within what time frame we should meet this Artemis goal.” Said. He warned that by 2024, “abundant resources will be needed.”
“I think we should set an exact timeline for what it will really take our NASA administrators and others to get back to the moon.” The bill itself does not explicitly set a 2024 target for a return to the moon, instead stating that NASA will “collaborate with commercial and international partners to establish a sustainable lunar exploration by 2028.”
These comments are noteworthy as it becomes increasingly likely that former Vice President Joe Biden will be elected President. While the results of many states remain undecided, the turnout trend is in favor of Biden.
The Biden mission said little about space policy other than paragraphs on the Democratic Party’s platform about NASA, published in July. “We support NASA’s work for Americans to return to the moon and go to Mars, taking the next step in exploring our solar system,” the platform said. However, it has not been able to support the 2024 goal of humans returning to the moon.
It suggests to space policy observers that the Biden administration will continue the Artemis program, but at a slower pace. “I don’t think Artemis will be canceled. I don’t think he’s going to get more money than he’s getting now, “said Wendy Whitman Kobe, a professor at the US Air Force School of Advanced Air and Space Studies, during the panel discussion. Later in the Spark Conference.
He added, “I think given the history of large-scale space projects, the 2024 deadline has always been a bit vague.” “The Biden administration feels a little better about letting it go a little bit.”
She speculated that given Biden’s efforts to push for a commercial crew program when he was vice president in the Obama administration, the Biden administration could support more commercialization efforts. However, she did not think there would be significant changes beyond the limits of her funding in the Artemis program.
“There is a momentum that has already developed. It’s hard to speed it up, but it’s also hard to slow it down at this point. “
