DEEP SPACE EXPLORATION SYSTEMS

($ in Millions) FY 2023 FY 2024 FY 2025 FY 2026 FY 2027 FY 2028 FY 2029

Deep Space Exploration Systems 7,447.6 7,468.9 7,618.2 7,803.7 7,959.8 8,119.0 8,281.4

Moon to Mars Transportation System 4,213.0

Orion Program 1,031.0

Space Launch System 2,423.2

Exploration Ground Systems 758.8

Moon To Mars Lunar Systems Development 3,288.1

Gateway 817.7

xEVA and Surface Mobility Program 434.2

Human Landing System 1,896.1

Advanced Exploration Systems 140.2

Human Exp Requirements & Architecture 117.1

Strategy and Architecture 71.2

Future Systems 45.9

Grand Total 7,618.2

FY 2023 reflects the funding amount specified in Public Law 117-328, Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2023, as 

revised in NASA's FY 2023 final Operating Plan, September 2023.

A full-year 2024 appropriation for this account was not enacted at the time the budget was prepared; therefore, the 

budget assumes this account is operating under the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2023 (Division B of P.L. 117-

328, as amended). The amounts included for 2024 reflect the annualized level provided by the continuing resolution.

Totals may not add due to rounding.

The FY 2025 Budget Request includes 

$7.618 billion for the Deep Space 

Exploration Systems account. This funding 

directly supports the Moon to Mars (M2M) 

Program, which is focused on returning 

humans to the Moon, conducting pioneering 

research and technology development 

activities on the lunar surface, and enabling 

eventual missions to Mars and beyond. In 

collaboration with its commercial and 

international partners, NASA will create the 

capabilities necessary to sustainably explore 

high priority destinations on the lunar 

surface, including in-situ science and 

resource utilization, surface transportation, 

and habitation capabilities. The operational 

knowledge, technological advances, and 

scientific discoveries NASA gains from 

exploring the Moon in collaboration with international and commercial partners will position the agency 

to take the next giant leap — sending astronauts to Mars and returning them safely back to Earth.

Shown here, NASA’s Space Launch System, carrying the 

Orion spacecraft, lifts off the pad at Launch Complex 39B at 

the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida at 1:47 a.m. 

EST on November 16, 2022.
DEEP SPACE EXPLORATION SYSTEMS

The Exploration Systems Development Mission Directorate (ESDMD) will leverage the Science Mission 

Directorate's development of smaller landers for capabilities such as navigation and precision landing of 

cargo and data about the lunar surface. ESDMD will also leverage technological investments to prove and 

verify concepts through the Space Technology Mission Directorate's lunar exploration activities. Finally, 

ESDMD will leverage the Space Operations Mission Directorate's capabilities, such as ISS and the Space 

Communications and Navigation Program, as a technology and human system testbed and 

communication capability provider, respectively.

The FY 2025 President’s Budget Request manifest supports an Artemis II mission in September 2025, 

Artemis III mission in September 2026, Artemis IV mission in September 2028, and Artemis V mission 

in 2030 with subsequent flights on a yearly basis.

The Deep Space Exploration Systems account consists of three themes which provide for the 

development of systems and capabilities needed for human exploration of deep space: 

• M2M Transportation System;

• M2M Lunar Systems Development; and

• Human Exploration Requirements & Architecture (HERA).

M2M Transportation System programs work together to develop three of the key space transportation 

systems that will enable the agency’s Artemis Campaign to land the first woman and first person of color 

on the Moon and extend human presence into the solar system. The systems being developed are the 

Orion crew vehicle, Space Launch System (SLS) launch vehicle, and Exploration Ground Systems (EGS). 

The first uncrewed launch of SLS and Orion occurred in November 2022 and the first launch returning 

humans to the lunar vicinity in fifty years will occur September 2025.

• The Orion Program is developing the spacecraft which will carry crew to deep space, sustaining the 

crew during space travel, providing emergency abort capability, and providing safe re-entry from 

deep space return velocities for Artemis missions.

• The SLS Program is developing the human-rated launch system capable of sending the crewed Orion 

spacecraft to the Moon, which will be used in each of the Artemis missions.

• The EGS Program is responsible for developing and operating the systems and facilities necessary to 

process, integrate, transport, and launch NASA’s SLS rocket, Orion spacecraft, and any comanifested SLS payloads for Artemis missions.

M2M Lunar Systems Development is developing the systems that will be used to land humans on the 

Moon, explore the lunar surface, and prepare for Mars exploration. The theme is developing and testing 

prototype systems and planning flight missions to the Moon to develop systems and operational practices

that will enable an eventual mission to Mars. M2M Lunar Systems Development is comprised of four

programs: Gateway; Exploration Extravehicular Activity (xEVA) and Human Surface Mobility Program 

(EHP); Human Landing System (HLS); and Advanced Exploration Systems (AES). The work done by 

these programs work will create the exploration infrastructure in lunar orbit and on the lunar surface that 

astronauts will utilize during Artemis missions and that will inform future missions to Mars. 

• Gateway is a platform that will orbit the Moon and support orbital activities, lunar landers, and 

surface activities. Gateway will initially consist of a Power and Propulsion Element (PPE) and the 

Habitation and Logistics Outpost (HALO); with later configurations including at least two modules 

contributed by NASA’s international partners; and may be supported by U.S. commercial logistics 

services.
DEEP SPACE EXPLORATION SYSTEMS

• EHP is formulating the systems that NASA will use to explore the surface of the Moon. These surface 

systems include: the Lunar Terrain Vehicle; the Pressurized Rover; and xEVA surface suits; 

providing lessons learned and expertise that will support future Mars missions.

• HLS utilizes commercial partnerships to develop and jointly deploy the integrated landing system that 

will transport crew to and from the lunar surface and conduct a series of lunar missions using that 

capability. The budget provides funding for the HLS Program to maintain competition for lunar 

landing services by supporting the development of multiple different lunar landing systems.

• AES will continue work to identify and address knowledge gaps and deliver fundamental capabilities 

to provide astronauts a place to live and work with integrated life support systems, radiation 

protection, food, fire safety, avionics and software, logistics management, and waste management 

systems.

HERA is identifying the exploration infrastructure required for Artemis missions that will inform future 

missions to Mars. It also works to ensure that lunar exploration systems are extensible to Mars 

exploration where technically feasible and cost-effective. HERA is comprised of the Strategy & 

Architecture Office (SAO) and Future Systems.

• SAO manages the architecture strategy activity that supports mission manifest planning and overall 

architecture requirements and capability identification.

• Future Systems is conducting trade studies to reduce risk and identify required technologies to be 

utilized as part of the Artemis Campaign and act as precursor systems for future missions to Mars.

EXPLANATION OF MAJOR CHANGES IN FY 2025

To fully implement the Moon to Mars Program Office concept and effectively manage content across the 

M2M portfolio, the following changes are being proposed:

• Rename Common Exploration Systems Development as M2M Transportation System;

• Rename Artemis Campaign Development as M2M Lunar Systems Development;

• Retire the Advanced Cislunar and Surface Capabilities (ACSC) program, with all follow-on M2M 

Integration, Moon & Mars Architecture, and Future Systems content previously in program being realigned to appropriate programs;

• Establish Future Systems as a stand-alone program under HERA theme;

• Rename Moon & Mars Architecture as Strategy and Architecture Office (SAO);

• Rename Exploration Capabilities as Advanced Exploration Systems (AES) and move to M2M Lunar 

Systems Development theme;

• Retire the Mars Campaign Development theme; and

• M2M Program Office and integration funding have been re-aligned across the M2M themes.

For more information, go to: https://www.nasa.gov/directorates/exploration-systems-development
SPACE OPERATIONS

($ in Millions) FY 2023 FY 2024 FY 2025 FY 2026 FY 2027 FY 2028 FY 2029

Space Operations 4,266.7 4,250.0 4,389.7 4,497.6 4,587.6 4,679.4 4,773.0

International Space Station 1,269.6

Space Transportation 1,862.1

Crew and Cargo Program 1,761.5

Commercial Crew Program 100.6

Space and Flight Support (SFS) 1,088.4

Space Communications and Navigation 627.7

Communications Services Program 59.4

Human Space Flight Operations 105.0

Human Research Program 143.4

Launch Services 104.3

Rocket Propulsion Test 48.6

Commercial LEO Development 169.6

Grand Total 4,389.7

FY 2023 reflects the funding amount specified in Public Law 117-328, Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2023, as 

revised in NASA's FY 2023 final Operating Plan, September 2023.

A full-year 2024 appropriation for this account was not enacted at the time the budget was prepared; therefore, the 

budget assumes this account is operating under the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2023 (Division B of P.L. 117-

328, as amended). The amounts included for 2024 reflect the annualized level provided by the continuing resolution.

Totals may not add due to rounding.

The Space Operations account is dedicated to 

sustained human presence in low-Earth orbit 

(LEO), enabling future exploration and advanced 

operations in our solar system, and advancing 

scientific discoveries that benefit life on Earth. In 

the near term, this includes support of 

International Space Station (ISS) operations and 

research, while laying the foundation for America 

to develop and maintain a commercial economy 

in LEO. This budget request continues to prepare 

for a smooth transition in 2030 from ISS 

operations to new LEO destinations that are 

commercially owned and operated and to safely 

deorbit the ISS. 

Space Operations is comprised of four themes:

• ISS;

• Space Transportation;

• Space and Flight Support; and

• Commercial LEO Development. 

NASA astronauts, Loral O'Hara (left) and Jasmin 

Moghbeli (right), pose for a portrait while installing 

helmet lights on spacesuits and checking the functionality 

of their spacesuit's components - (October 27, 2023).
SPACE OPERATIONS

Collectively, these themes are developing and operating American-led space infrastructure enabled by a 

commercial market, enhancing space access and services to both government and commercial entities, 

and researching and developing capabilities to safeguard astronaut explorers. These activities, which 

support existing and future space operations for both NASA and non-NASA missions, are catalysts for 

economic development and lay the groundwork for a commercial future in LEO in which NASA is one of 

many customers for commercial services. Additionally, these activities continue to return medical and 

environmental benefits to humanity, advance scientific knowledge, and foster new technologies that 

improve American lives.

ISS continues to demonstrate American leadership in global space exploration, enabling a U.S.-led 

multinational partnership to advance shared goals in space. As a testbed for deep space exploration, ISS is 

helping us learn how to keep astronauts healthy during long-duration space travel and demonstrating 

technologies for human and robotic exploration beyond LEO, to the Moon, and to Mars. The ISS:

• Promotes commerce in space as new commercialization concepts are explored and stimulates 

non-NASA demand to support development of commercial destinations under the Commercial LEO 

Development Program;

• Enables scientists to identify and quantify risks to human health and performance, develop 

countermeasures, and develop and test technologies that protect astronauts during extended human 

space exploration;

• Supports NASA research and development in the areas of biological and physical science, as well as 

Earth and space science missions;

• Conducts research to benefit humanity through the ISS National Lab;

• Continues American leadership in low-Earth orbit in the face of increased human spaceflight activity 

by foreign competitors; and 

• Maintains the ISS international partnership that has brought together astronauts and scientists from 

dozens of spacefaring nations in peaceful and cooperative activity.

Space Transportation’s objective is to transport U.S. Orbital Segment (USOS) astronauts and cargo safely 

to and from space, including the ISS. Working with industry to develop and provide human transportation 

services to and from space lays the foundation for more affordable and sustainable future human space 

transportation. These commercial partnerships bolster American leadership in space, have ended sole 

reliance on foreign providers for crew transportation services, help stimulate the American aerospace 

industry, and allow NASA to focus on building the capabilities and expertise necessary for missions to 

the Moon and Mars. This theme includes the Commercial Crew Program (CCP) and Crew and Cargo 

Program, which includes the ISS U.S. Deorbit Vehicle (USDV). 

• The CCP partners with the U.S. commercial sector to develop and operate safe, reliable, and 

affordable crew transportation systems capable of carrying humans to and from the ISS and other 

LEO destinations. Working with industry to develop and provide human transportation services to 

and from space lays the foundation for more affordable and sustainable future human space 

transportation. 

• The Crew and Cargo Program manages transportation services provided by both international 

partners and domestic commercial providers. Through the program, NASA has greatly strengthened 

U.S. competitiveness by awarding ISS cargo resupply contracts to multiple vendors, as well as 

continuing to advance commercial spaceflight and support American jobs. The Crew and Cargo 

Program also includes funding for the ISS USDV that will be competitively awarded to U.S. industry.
SPACE OPERATIONS

The Space and Flight Support Theme (SFS) continues to provide mission critical space communication

and navigation services, launch and test services, and astronaut training to support its customer missions. 

The theme is comprised of the Space Communications and Navigation (SCaN) Program, 

Communications Services Program, Launch Services Program, Rocket Propulsion Test Program, Human 

Space Flight Operations Program, and Human Research Program.

• The SCaN Program provides communication to missions in LEO, including ISS, suborbital missions, 

and some lunar orbital missions, utilizing the Near Space Network. The Deep Space Network 

communicates with missions most distant from Earth and will initially provide primary 

communication links to early Artemis missions. SCaN is planning for expanded services for missions 

to the Moon, including lunar relay capability for missions that cannot communicate directly with 

Earth and enhanced position, navigation, and timing services that are less dependent on tracking 

stations on Earth.

• The Communications Services Program focuses on demonstrating the feasibility of using 

commercially provided satellite communications (SATCOM) services to support NASA missions 

near Earth. 

• The Launch Services Program provides expertise and active launch mission management for more 

than 70 NASA and other government missions in various stages of development. 

• The Rocket Propulsion Test Program manages a wide range of facilities capable of ground testing 

rocket engines and components under controlled conditions. 

• The Human Space Flight Operations Program provides the training and readiness to ensure crew 

health and safety and mission success. 

• The Human Research Program improves astronauts' ability to collect data, solve problems, respond to 

emergencies, and remain healthy during and after extended space travel.

NASA's Commercial LEO Development effort focuses on the development of a robust commercial space 

economy in LEO. It is stimulating development of commercially owned and operated LEO destinations 

from which NASA can purchase services to meet enduring LEO human spaceflight and research 

requirements. The program:

• Ensures NASA can meet its needs in LEO as it transitions in 2030 from ISS operations to new LEO 

destinations that are commercially owned and operated. NASA’s future requirements that will persist 

beyond the lifetime of the ISS include crew accommodation and training, human research, physical 

and biological research, technology demonstration and science, and a National Laboratory;

• Prepares for a sustained human presence in LEO and U.S. leadership in LEO after the ISS;

• Ensures the capability to maintain an American presence in LEO;

• Drives down costs through LEO commercialization so NASA can free up resources to be used for 

future human space operations and exploration; and

• Utilizes inventive, non-traditional agreements for acquiring commercial space goods and services to 

meet NASA requirements.

The budget funds ISS operations and research, a vehicle to safely de-orbit ISS after it is retired in 2030, 

and commercial space stations that NASA will use as soon as they become available. The budget 

gradually reduces research and other activities on board the ISS in the outyears, beginning in FY 2026, to 

provide the funding necessary for USDV development and Commercial LEO Development efforts. As a 
SPACE OPERATIONS

result of this budget re-balancing, an assessment will be carried out to determine the full trade space of 

potential changes needed to meet outyear funding levels; such options should include discussion of 

reducing the number of science payloads/investigations to ISS and/or decreasing the number of astronauts 

on board the USOS, among other options.

For more information, visit: https://www.nasa.gov/directorates/space-operations-mission-directorate

EXPLANATION OF MAJOR CHANGES IN FY 2025

None.
SPACE TECHNOLOGY

($ in Millions) FY 2023 FY 2024 FY 2025 FY 2026 FY 2027 FY 2028 FY 2029

Space Technology 1,193.0 1,200.0 1,181.8 1,205.4 1,229.5 1,254.1 1,279.2

Space Technology 1,181.8

Early Stage Innovation and Partnerships 140.1

Technology Maturation 340.8

Technology Demonstration 459.1

SBIR and STTR 241.8

Grand Total 1,181.8

FY 2023 reflects the funding amount specified in Public Law 117-328, Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2023, as 

revised in NASA's FY 2023 final Operating Plan, September 2023.

A full-year 2024 appropriation for this account was not enacted at the time the budget was prepared; therefore, the 

budget assumes this account is operating under the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2023 (Division B of P.L. 117-

328, as amended). The amounts included for 2024 reflect the annualized level provided by the continuing resolution.

Totals may not add due to rounding.

The Space Technology Mission Directorate 

(STMD) serves as the national technology base 

for civil space. STMD transforms NASA 

missions and ensures American leadership in the 

space economy, rapidly developing, 

demonstrating, and transferring revolutionary, 

high-payoff space technologies that enhance 

mission capabilities and reduce cost. NASA 

partners with the nation’s aerospace industry, 

including small and large businesses, as well as 

academia, in its high-risk, high-reward 

investment activities across the technology 

development spectrum. 

EXPLANATION OF MAJOR CHANGES IN 

FY 2025

This budget funds the close-out of the On-orbit 

Servicing, Assembly, and Manufacturing 

(OSAM-1) Project, which was cancelled in 

FY 2024. Please see the Technology 

Demonstration section for more details.

This request proposes to establish Space Nuclear Propulsion Technology as a stand-alone program and is 

consistent with Public Law 117–167 of August 2022.

Shown here, teams with NASA, Honeybee Robotics, and 

Intuitive Machines work to install The Regolith and Ice 

Drill for Exploring New Terrain (TRIDENT) drill and the 

Mass Spectrometer Observing Lunar Operations 

(MSOLO) instrument with Intuitive Machines’ Nova-C 

lander for NASA's Polar Resources Ice Mining 

Experiment-1 (PRIME-1) demonstration.
SPACE TECHNOLOGY

KEY ACHIEVEMENTS PLANNED FOR FY 2025

Early-Stage Innovation and Partnerships (ESIP)

• Space Technology Research Grants supports a robust portfolio across academic researchers, from 

graduate students to senior faculty members. This program challenges academic researchers to 

examine the theoretical feasibility of ideas and approaches that are critical to making science and 

space activities more effective, affordable, and sustainable. In FY 2025, STMD plans to issue over 

300 grants similar to prior fiscal years. 

• Early Career Initiative engages the early-career NASA workforce in the management and 

development of two-year, $2.5 million technology projects. In addition to providing leadership 

opportunities for the early-career NASA workforce, it also helps build and maintain unique skillsets 

in support of NASA missions. In FY 2025, STMD expects to have nine active awards, an increase of 

four over FY 2023.

• Center Innovations Fund provides low-cost seed funding to develop new technologies and capabilities 

at all NASA centers including Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Partnerships with academia, industry, other 

NASA centers, as well as other government agencies are encouraged. In FY 2025, STMD plans to 

grant over 120 awards, about 20 awards fewer than FY 2023.

• NASA Innovative Advanced Concepts nurtures highly innovative, visionary ideas that could one day 

change the possible in aerospace over the next 10 to 20 plus years. In FY 2025, STMD expects about

38 active awards, an increase of about 20 over FY 2023. 

• Prizes, Challenges, and Crowdsourcing conducts public-facing challenges in support of all NASA 

mission directorates, addressing several agency priorities. Using a wide variety of avenues, including 

the NASA Tournament Lab, NASA@WORK, and Centennial Challenges, nearly every U.S. state has 

provided solutions. In FY 2025, STMD is planning for nearly 50 new awards, similar to prior years. 

• Early-Stage Innovation and Commerce provides the ability for ESIP programs to jointly explore 

innovative methods to increase the impact of NASA early-stage technology development. Examples 

include innovative pilots including enhanced support to underrepresented communities, evidencedriven programs, academic research to market, and partnerships. In FY 2025, STMD is planning for 

10 awards, similar to prior fiscal years. 

• Technology Transfer provides agency-level management and oversight of NASA-developed and 

NASA-owned intellectual property and manages the transfer of these technologies to external entities. 

NASA is seeking to accelerate commercialization through entrepreneurial initiatives and 

partnerships. In FY 2025, STMD has the goal to manage over 5,000 patents and software use 

agreements and to increase technology transfer activities to all NASA centers. 

Technology Maturation 

• Game Changing Development (GCD) aims to advance exploratory concepts and deliver transitionready solutions that enable new capabilities or radically alter current approaches such as High 

Performance Spaceflight Computing. GCD advances a broad range of mid-TRL technologies, 

including in the areas of entry, descent, and landing (e.g., Safe and Precise Landing – Integrated 

Capabilities Evolution and Dragonfly Entry Aerosciences Measurements (DrEAM); power and 

energy storage (e.g., Tipping Points In-Situ Resource Utilization [ISRU] power on the Moon and 

Harmonia Radioisotope power supply); propulsion systems (e.g., Liquid Oxygen/Liquid Hydrogen 
SPACE TECHNOLOGY

demonstration engine Announcement of Collaboration Opportunity); materials and structures (e.g., 

Superlight Aerospace Components); and robotic systems (e.g., ISRU Pilot Excavator).

• Lunar Surface Innovation Initiative develops transformative capabilities for lunar surface exploration 

across the Space Technology portfolio. Focus areas include in-situ resource utilization, sustainable 

surface power, excavation and construction, dust mitigation, and ability to operate in extreme 

environments. The Lunar Surface Innovation Consortium brings together NASA, universities, 

industry, non-profits, and other government agencies to ensure the United States is the leader in 

sustainable lunar exploration. In FY 2025, STMD expects to continue to mature technologies critical 

for a sustained human presence on the Moon. For example, the Moon-to-Mars Planetary Autonomous 

Construction Technologies (MMPACT) will utilize lunar in-situ materials for the on-demand 

construction of large-scale infrastructure elements such as habitats, berms, landing pads, and blast 

shields. Lunar Infrastructure Foundational Technologies (LIFT-1) will be an ISRU lunar surface 

demonstration of oxygen extraction technologies from lunar regolith for eventual production, capture, 

and storage of oxygen on the lunar surface.

Technology Demonstration (TDM)

TDM matures crosscutting system-level technologies through demonstration in operational environments. 

Examples of projects in TDM include high-power solar electric propulsion; cryogenic fluid management; 

sustainable lunar surface power; and space nuclear propulsion. These technologies are critical for a longterm, sustainable presence on the Moon and deep space exploration.

• The Solar Electric Propulsion Project seeks to develop and qualify an advanced 12 kilowatt-class 

Electric Propulsion thruster applicable to exploration and commercial spaceflight, and the 

Qualification System Acceptance Review 1 is planned for FY 2025.

• The Eta Space CFM Tipping Point launch is scheduled for November 2024 and the United Launch 

Alliance CFM Tipping Point launch readiness review is planned for July 2025.

• Research in both Nuclear Thermal Propulsion (NTP) and Nuclear Electric Propulsion (NEP) will 

enable robust and reliable energy to both human and scientific exploration missions.

o Subscale integrated NEP concept design is targeted for completion in FY 2025

o Final design and initial fabrication of a high-power electric thruster that could be used in a NEP 

system will be delivered in FY 2025 

o NASA is partnering with DARPA on a cislunar demonstration of NTP technologies, planned for 

FY 2027, and the mission Critical Design Review is scheduled in early FY 2025

Flight Opportunities (FO) and Small Spacecraft Technology (SST) will continue to increase the pace of 

space exploration and discovery by leveraging small spacecraft and responsive launch capabilities. By 

2025, the 12 current SST demonstrations, including the Starling mission and space traffic management 

experiment currently on orbit, will be completed. In FY 2024, SST is evaluating four industry-led mission 

concept studies for transition to one or more orbital demonstrations. During FY 2025, those new missions 

will be undergoing rapid hardware development in preparation for a target launch before the end of 2026. 

In FY 2025, FO anticipates using newly awarded Indefinite Delivery / Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ)

contracts to continue its rapid pace of technology demonstrate activities in partnership with the U.S. 

commercial space transportation industry. 
SPACE TECHNOLOGY

Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer 

(STTR)

SBIR and STTR will continue efforts to encourage participation of underrepresented groups across the 

nation to expand inclusive innovation. In FY 2025, STMD plans to select over 600 new awards, grants, 

and contracts to small businesses, as well as continue to incubate and mature NASA commercial 

partnerships through post Phase II activities through sequential Phase II awards. Additionally, STMD will 

pilot ways to reduce barriers to entry and streamline the experience throughout the program phases, 

including strategies to encourage transition to NASA, government, and/or commercial use beyond 

SBIR/STTR awards.
SCIENCE

($ in Millions) FY 2023 FY 2024 FY 2025 FY 2026 FY 2027 FY 2028 FY 2029

Science 7,791.5 7,795.0 7,565.7 7,717.0 7,871.3 8,028.7 8,189.3

Earth Science 2,378.7

Planetary Science 2,731.5

Astrophysics 1,578.1

Heliophysics 786.7

Biological and Physical Sciences 90.8

Grand Total 7,565.7

FY 2023 reflects the funding amount specified in Public Law 117-328, Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2023, as 

revised in NASA's FY 2023 final Operating Plan, September 2023.

A full-year 2024 appropriation for this account was not enacted at the time the budget was prepared; therefore, the 

budget assumes this account is operating under the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2023 (Division B of P.L. 117-

328, as amended). The amounts included for 2024 reflect the annualized level provided by the continuing resolution.

Totals may not add due to rounding.

NASA’s Science Mission Directorate (SMD) conducts 

scientific exploration enabled by space-based 

observatories, which observe the Earth, perform 

fundamental research, visit other bodies in the solar 

system, and gaze out into the galaxy and beyond. 

NASA's scientific exploration will inform human 

exploration of the Moon, Mars, and the solar system, 

providing valuable scientific data for such human 

missions. NASA also strives to drive discovery by 

studying biological and physical phenomena in space. 

SMD utilizes technological advances and partnership 

opportunities, including public-private partnerships that 

leverage commercial investments to further NASA's 

science objectives.

NASA’s science programs also help protect and 

improve life on Earth through research that enables 

innovative and practical applications for decisionmakers, including disaster response, natural resource 

management, and planetary defense. 

SMD uses the recommendations of the National 

Academies’ decadal surveys as important inputs in 

planning and prioritizing the future of its science 

programs. SMD uses these recommendations to 

prioritize future flight missions (including space observatories and probes), as well as technology 

development and proposals for theoretical and suborbital supporting research.

This massive Wolf-Rayet star, WR 124, is 15,000 

light-years away in the constellation Sagittarius. 

It is 30 times the mass of the Sun and has shed 10 

Suns worth of material so far. As the ejected gas 

moves away from the star and cools, cosmic dust 

forms and glows in the infrared light, detectable 

by the James Webb Space Telescope.
SCIENCE

The current decadal surveys informing mission priorities include the Decadal Survey for Earth Science

and Applications from Space 2018 to 2027; the Origins, Worlds, and Life: A Decadal Strategy for 

Planetary Science and Astrobiology 2023-2032; the Pathways to Discovery in Astronomy and 

Astrophysics for the 2020s; and the Decadal Survey on Biological and Physical Sciences Research in 

Space 2023-2032. The Heliophysics Division is expecting an updated decadal in 2024.

In determining the content of the Science portfolio, NASA also considers national priorities and policies, 

budgets, existing technological capabilities, partnership opportunities, and other programmatic factors.

EXPLANATION OF MAJOR CHANGES IN FY 2025

The Budget provides $7.6 billion for Science, a $229.3 million decrease from the FY 2023 enacted level. 

Within Earth Science, NASA is restructuring missions within the Earth System Observatory. The 

Atmosphere Observing System (AOS) missions will be restructured to retain the partnership with JAXA 

on their Precipitation Measurement Mission, formerly part of AOS-Storm. NASA is assessing options for 

implementing the remainder of the Aerosol and Cloud, Convection, and Precipitation designated 

observables. Similarly, the Surface Biology and Geology (SBG) mission will be split into two projects,

Surface Biology and Geology (SBG)-Thermal Infrared (TIR) and SBG-hyperspectral visible to shortwave 

infrared (VSWIR), to maximize execution flexibility and reduce near-term budget requirements. The 

Budget provides $150 million for Landsat Next. NASA will not be able to reliably estimate the launch 

readiness date until there is a final FY 2024 appropriation, but expects the launch date to be delayed 

compared to the prior estimate of CY 2030. NASA has established a new Responsive Science Initiatives 

program in Earth Science. This program consolidates and enhances current activities within Earth Science 

to increase the impact of NASA’s observations, Earth system science, and applied science by aligning, 

scaling and connecting with user needs. 

Within Planetary Science, the budget proposes an updated profile for the Near-Earth Object (NEO) 

Surveyor mission to support a June 2028 launch readiness date. NASA has also increased the Dragonfly 

budget request, consistent with the updated mission cost estimate expected to be reviewed at the 

upcoming mission confirmation, and consistent with a launch readiness date of July 2028. Given the need 

to increase the Dragonfly budget, NASA has delayed the New Frontiers 5 Announcement of Opportunity 

(AO) from November 2023 to no earlier than 2026. This budget request also extends the New Horizons 

mission until the spacecraft exits the Kuiper Belt in the 2028 to 2029 timeframe. NASA has also 

significantly expanded support for the ESA Rosalind Franklin ExoMars Rover mission in the wake of 

Russia's exit from the mission. The request includes $200M for Mars Sample Return that will allow the 

project to advance formulation of mission components and capabilities that have a high likelihood of 

being used in any future sample return architecture, and to evaluate and appropriately incorporate relevant 

findings from funded industry and center architecture studies.

Within Astrophysics, the budget supports increased investment in the Habitable Worlds Observatory 

Technology Maturation project, in direct alignment with the Great Observatories Mission and Technology 

Maturation Program (GOMAP) recommendation in the Astro2020 Decadal Survey. NASA has reduced 

the Explorer Future missions budget which will preclude the selection of Missions of Opportunity for the 

2021 and 2025 AOs. NASA proposes to reduce the budgets of the Hubble and Chandra observatories in 

order to balance investments in future Astrophysics missions and missions in operations. 

Within Heliophysics, the budget proposes the cancellation of Geospace Dynamics Constellation mission 

to fund higher priorities and increases funding for the Space Weather program. Within Biological and 

Physical Sciences, NASA has prioritized funding for the Commercially Enabled Rapid Space Science 
SCIENCE

Initiative (CERISS) project, which, while reduced in scope compared to the FY 2024 Request, will 

expand suborbital or orbital demonstrations compared to what was funded in FY 2023. 

KEY ACHIEVEMENTS PLANNED FOR FY 2025

In FY 2025, NASA plans to launch Europa Clipper; Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover

(VIPER); The Spectro-Photometer for the History of the Universe, Epoch of Reionization and Ices 

Explorer; The Interstellar Mapping and Acceleration Probe; Polarimeter to Unify the Corona and 

Heliosphere; The Sun Radio Interferometer Space Experiment; and Total and Spectral Solar Irradiance 

Sensor-2. In FY 2025, the Lunar Discovery & Exploration Program anticipates the launch and delivery of 

multiple new lunar science payloads to the surface of the Moon through the Commercial Lunar Payload 

Services project. The agency will make final selections for the next Heliophysics Small Explorers 

mission, the first Earth System Explorers missions, and the first Astrophysics Probe mission.

NASA will continue formulation of the Surface Biology & Geology and Gravity Recovery and Climate 

Experiment-Continuity (GRACE-C) missions and will reformulate the Atmosphere Observing System

missions. The Responsive Science Initiatives program will release its first research solicitation. Biological 

and Physical Sciences will analyze tissue chip samples returned from the Artemis II mission and share 

insights across NASA and with other government agencies.

NASA will continue development of the Dragonfly and the NEO Surveyor missions. The Lucy mission 

will continue its journey to explore the Jupiter Trojan asteroids and will encounter the main asteroid belt 

and observe asteroid Donaldjohansen in April 2025. The Roman Space Telescope will continue 

development activities and is expected to begin integration and testing as it progresses toward launch in 

2027. The Heliophysics division will evaluate the recommendations from the Heliophysics Decadal 

Survey, expected in 2024.

Themes

NASA’s Science budget, managed by SMD, includes five major science areas.

EARTH SCIENCE

NASA’s unique capabilities as a space and science agency ultimately enable decision makers to address 

the most pressing challenges posed by our rapidly changing planet such as changing agricultural 

conditions, and severe weather challenges, including droughts, tropical storms, and wildfires. NASA 

develops innovations in instrument, flight, data, and mission technology to improve capability, resolution,

and frequency of our remote sensing and in-situ Earth observations. NASA missions use the vantage 

point of space to observe our planet and continuously improve our scientific understanding of Earth’s 

interconnected systems, from Earth’s core to its atmosphere. Missions include continuity measurements

made for decades, and advances in observations to advance understanding of the Earth system. NASA 

selects and funds innovative research enabling the nation’s scientific community to build an 

ever-improving understanding of global-scale changes, connecting causes to effects. 

This budget supports translating Earth science into actionable data and information via investments in 

Applied Sciences, which will support applications and user engagement related to disaster response, 

wildfires, environmental justice, energy, and agriculture. NASA will work jointly with the Environmental 

Protection Agency and other agencies to integrate greenhouse gas data from a variety of sources with a 
SCIENCE

goal of making data more accessible to federal, state, and local governments, as well as other users. 

Visualization of the information and partnerships in a comprehensive Earth system framework will be 

enabled by open science and cutting-edge data science techniques. NASA will continue development of 

the Earth Information Center, a physical and virtual space that provides easily accessible, readily usable, 

and scalable Earth information – enabling global understanding of the Earth system.

The budget supports continued formulation of the Earth System Observatory missions and Landsat Next, 

continues the Earth System Explorers program, and supports sustained climate observations. The budget 

also supports the ongoing development of multiple missions in development within the Earth Venture 

element. The Applied Sciences program will continue to leverage Earth Science satellite measurements 

and new scientific knowledge to enable innovative and practical uses by public and private sector 

organizations, including expanded applications development work in support of agriculture.

PLANETARY SCIENCE

To answer questions about the solar system and the origins of life, NASA sends robotic space probes to 

the Moon, other planets and their moons, asteroids and comets, and the icy bodies beyond Neptune. 

NASA is operating spacecraft at Mars, Jupiter, and the Moon. NASA is preparing to deliver new 

instruments to the lunar surface; will launch the Europa Clipper mission to explore Jupiter's moon, 

Europa; will develop the Dragonfly mission to explore Saturn's moon, Titan; and will send two missions 

to explore Venus. The budget funds the Lunar Discovery and Exploration Program that supports Artemis 

science, commercial collaborations, and innovative approaches to achieving human and science 

exploration goals. The budget supports future competitive mission selections within Discovery and New 

Frontiers and a robust research program to support the scientists who use NASA mission data to make 

discoveries about our solar system.

The budget supports the Open Source Science initiative, an SMD-wide activity that advances open 

science, supports data science innovation, and increases the accessibility of scientific data through the 

development of efficient data and computing system capabilities for all SMD divisions.

ASTROPHYSICS

NASA stands on the threshold of new endeavors that will transform not only our understanding of the 

universe and the processes and physical paradigms that govern it, but also humanity’s place in it. Progress 

in understanding pathways to habitable worlds, opening new windows on the dynamic universe, and 

unveiling the drivers of galaxy growth require the essential vantage point of space. Building on the 

revolutionary advances in our observations of exoplanets, NASA now seeks to identify and characterize 

Earth-like exoplanets orbiting Sun-like stars, with the ultimate goal of obtaining imaging and 

spectroscopy of potentially habitable worlds. 

NASA aims to exploit the new observational tools of gravitational waves and particles, along with 

temporal monitoring of the sky across the electromagnetic spectrum and wide-area surveys to probe the 

most energetic processes in the universe and address the nature of dark matter, dark energy, and 

cosmological inflation. By linking observations and modeling of the stars, galaxies, and the gas and 

energetic processes that couple their formation, evolution, and destinies, NASA can revolutionize our 

understanding of the origins and evolution of galaxies, from the nature of the tenuous cosmic webs of gas 

that feed them, to the nature of how this gas condenses and drives the formation of stars. 
SCIENCE

The budget supports operation of the James Webb Space Telescope and the Hubble Space Telescope, as 

well as the development of the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope. Within the Explorers program, the 

budget includes funding for SPHEREx and initial selections of the first Astrophysics Probe mission. This 

budget expands precursor science and technology efforts in planning and preparing for the GOMAP 

recommendation contained in the Astro2020 Decadal Survey.

HELIOPHYSICS

The Sun, a typical small star midway through its life, governs our solar system. The Sun wields its 

influence through its gravity, radiation, solar wind, and magnetic fields, all of which interact with the 

Earth and its space environment. These processes are crucial for our understanding of the universe, and 

they relate directly to our ability to live in space as they produce space weather, which can affect 

technological infrastructure and human activities in space. Using a fleet of sensors on various spacecraft

in Earth orbit and throughout the heliosphere, NASA seeks to understand the fundamental processes of

how and why the Sun varies in many ways, how Earth and our solar system respond to the Sun, how the 

Sun and the solar system interact with the interstellar medium, and how human activities are affected by 

these processes. The science of heliophysics, including space weather, enables the predictions necessary 

to safeguard life and society on Earth and the outward journeys of human and robotic explorers.

The budget supports the development of the Interstellar Mapping and Acceleration Probe, the Carruthers 

Geocorona Observatory, and a competitive Explorers Program, including the recently selected Multi-slit 

Solar Explorer and HelioSwarm missions. The budget increases funding for the Space Weather program, 

which is focused on applied research and applications to enable the nation to better protect our technology 

and astronauts from space weather. The budget includes funding for the Diversify, Realize, Integrate, 

Venture, Educate initiative and funds orbital debris investments to enable characterization of the 

populations of small debris and dust in space to protect space-based critical infrastructure and humans 

working in space.

BIOLOGICAL AND PHYSICAL SCIENCES

NASA is a leader in performing fundamental biological and physical sciences research that contributes to 

transformational discoveries, improves life on Earth and in space, and enables sustained deep-space 

human exploration. NASA achieves this by pioneering research to understand how spaceflight affects 

living and physical systems in space and to prepare for future human exploration missions far from Earth. 

The experiments NASA conducts on the ISS and other platforms examine how astronauts, plants, 

animals, and physical systems respond to the extreme conditions of space, including microgravity, 

ionizing radiation, and altered atmosphere.

NASA examines processes of metabolism, reproduction, and development and studies how organisms 

repair cellular damage and protect themselves from infection and disease in the conditions of deep space. 

In addition to providing useful information on how living organisms respond and adapt to spaceflight, the 

discoveries NASA makes in space have significant implications for life on Earth.

NASA also conducts research to understand the fundamental laws of the universe, including quantum 

science, and determine how physical systems react in spaceflight environments. This research provides 

basic scientific knowledge and results leading to societal benefit, including contributions to the 

fundamental understanding of underlying space exploration technologies, such as power generation, 

storage, and fuel transfer; space propulsion; life support systems; and environmental monitoring and 

control. NASA research also contributes to scientific discoveries in novel areas, such as the fifth state of 
SCIENCE

matter, known as Bose-Einstein Condensates, material sciences, and soft matter. This physical sciences 

research has led to improved space systems and new products on Earth.
AERONAUTICS

($ in Millions) FY 2023 FY 2024 FY 2025 FY 2026 FY 2027 FY 2028 FY 2029

Aeronautics 935.0 935.0 965.8 985.1 1,004.8 1,024.9 1,045.4

Aeronautics 965.8

Airspace Operations and Safety Program 151.2

Advanced Air Vehicles Program 278.8

Integrated Aviation Systems Program 264.4

Transformative Aero Concepts Program 155.3

Aerosciences Eval. & Test Capab. Program 116.2

Grand Total 965.8

FY 2023 reflects the funding amount specified in Public Law 117-328, Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2023, as 

revised in NASA's FY 2023 final Operating Plan, September 2023.

A full-year 2024 appropriation for this account was not enacted at the time the budget was prepared; therefore, the 

budget assumes this account is operating under the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2023 (Division B of P.L. 117-

328, as amended). The amounts included for 2024 reflect the annualized level provided by the continuing resolution.

Totals may not add due to rounding.

NASA Aeronautics Mission Directorate (ARMD) 

leads the nation’s aviation community in research to 

maintain and advance American leadership in 

aviation. ARMD is working to improve efficiency 

and reduce the noise and emissions of commercial 

aircraft; advance the safety, capacity, and efficiency 

of air transportation; and enhance aviation as an 

economic engine. The Aviation sector is critical to 

the U.S. economy providing a positive 

manufacturing trade balance of $51 million in 2021 

and 2.1 million aerospace/defense jobs.

ARMD is working to enable transformation of future 

air travel in at least four major areas.

• Ultra-Efficient Airliners: NASA is committed to 

supporting the U.S. climate goal of achieving net-zero greenhouse gas emissions from the aviation 

sector by 2050. Under the Sustainable Flight National Partnership (SFNP), NASA is leading Federal 

agencies and industry to accelerate the development of sustainable technologies. The Advanced Air 

Vehicle Program (AAVP), Integrated Aviation Systems Program (IASP), and Airspace Operations 

and Safety Program (AOSP) execute the SFNP activities.

• High-Speed Commercial Flight: NASA's Quesst mission will demonstrate that supersonic aircraft (X59) can fly without generating loud sonic booms and survey what people hear when it flies overhead. 

Reaction to the quieter sonic "thumps" will be shared with regulators who will then consider writing 

new rules to lift the ban on faster-than-sound flight over land. AAVP and IASP execute the Quesst 

mission.

NASA’s X-59 supersonic aircraft sits on the apron 

outside Lockheed Martin’s Skunk Works. The X-59 

seeks to make sonic booms quieter. 

Credit: Lockheed Martin Skunk Works
AERONAUTICS

• Future Airspace and Safety: NASA is working with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), 

industry, and academia to transform air traffic management systems to safely accommodate the 

growing demand of new air vehicles entering the airspace, enabling them to perform a variety of 

missions no matter what airspace that mission may require. AOSP executes the future airspace 

activities.

• Advanced Air Mobility (AAM): NASA's AAM mission will help emerging aviation markets safely 

grow and integrate into the air transportation system, moving people and cargo between places 

previously not served or underserved by aviation, using revolutionary new aircraft and operational 

concepts that are only just now becoming possible thanks to converging technologies. AAM 

management technologies will be leveraged to improve responses to wildfires. AOSP and AAVP 

execute the AAM mission.

In addition to research that directly aligns with the four major transformation areas, ARMD conducts 

foundational research on crosscutting ideas and technologies. This research enables a broad range of 

aeronautics and aerospace applications and explores opportunities for technology convergence from 

disparate technology areas. Flight and ground capabilities for experimentation and feasibility 

demonstrations are additional elements that support the entire ARMD portfolio.

ARMD guides these transformation efforts through a strategic implementation plan. The plan lays out 

NASA’s approach to addressing the three key drivers of aviation transformation: the growing demand for 

global air mobility; energy efficiency and environmental sustainability; and the opportunity for 

convergence between traditional aeronautical disciplines and technology advances in information 

technology, communications, energy, and other rapidly evolving technologies. The strategic 

implementation plan identifies six research thrusts to comprehensively address the three key drivers.

For more information on the Aeronautics strategic plan, go to: https://www.nasa.gov/aeronautics/nasareleases-newest-vision-for-flight-research/

EXPLANATION OF MAJOR CHANGES IN FY 2025

NASA adjusted funding for elements of the SFNP. The Sustainable Flight Demonstrator project is being 

allocated increased funding as the X-66 aircraft moves into the design/build phase. Funding for the 

Electrified Powertrain Flight Demonstrations project is being decreased as it completes the build phase. 

Additionally, funding for the Hi-Rate Composite Aircraft Manufacturing (HiCAM) project is being 

increased by more than previously planned to enable the completion of major ground tests of both a wing 

and fuselage component.

NASA increased funding for the Low Boom Flight Demonstrator (LBFD) to cover rebaselined 

commitments for cost and schedule. The project was rebaselined due to poor contractor performance and 

COVID impacts from 2020 through 2022 that caused delays to X-59 aircraft delivery.

NASA increased funding for non-CO2 greenhouse gas emissions research and studies in AAVP. With 

increased scientific and engineering focus, this research could lead to completely eliminating a major 

aviation greenhouse gas effect in the relatively near-term.

KEY ACHIEVEMENTS PLANNED FOR FY 2025

The budget request supports five programs within the agency’s aeronautics portfolio:
AERONAUTICS

AOSP advances mobility through modernizing and transforming the national air traffic management 

system, in partnership with the FAA and the aviation community. The program develops and explores 

advanced technologies for more efficient gate-to-gate flight trajectories, leads research on increasingly 

autonomous aviation, and provides tools for the integration and analysis of data to support in-time 

system-wide safety assurance. The program has focused efforts to advance the safe integration of new 

advanced air mobility vehicles into the airspace. The program is also addressing the need for improved 

responses to wildfires by leveraging its UAS traffic management capabilities. In FY 2025, AOSP will:

• Evaluate operating standards and performance requirements for the safe operation of small drones in 

beyond visual line-of-sight missions to assist FAA rulemaking;

• Initiate development of the airspace management technology and mission capabilities needed to 

improve aerial responses to wildfires based on an interagency concept of operations;

• Deliver tools and methods to the FAA and industry that support safety certification of advanced 

aerospace technologies and systems; and

• Working with the FAA, mature the vision for future airspace operations in 2045 and establish critical 

research and development goals to meet desired outcomes.

AAVP develops the tools, technologies, and concepts that enable new generations of civil aircraft that are 

safer, faster, more energy-efficient, and have a smaller environmental footprint. The program pioneers 

fundamental aeronautics research and matures the most promising concepts for transition to the 

community. Key focus areas include: enabling major leaps in the safety, efficiency, and environmental 

performance of subsonic fixed and rotary wing aircraft; overcoming noise and other technology 

challenges to high-speed flight, including demonstration of quiet supersonic flight with the X-59 aircraft

via community response testing; and understanding and tackling critical challenges of hypersonic flight. 

In FY 2025, AAVP will:

• Evaluate and select high-rate composite aircraft manufacturing technologies for two major aircraft 

component demonstrations;

• Continue development of integrated small core aircraft engine technologies for demonstration in 

FY 2027;

• Conduct fundamental and applied research to enable a broad spectrum of hypersonic systems and 

missions; and

• Complete preparation for the initial X-59 supersonic aircraft community-response flight test, planned 

for FY 2026.

IASP explores, assesses, and demonstrates the benefits of the most promising technologies at an 

integrated system level, including in flight. The program has three major flight projects: Sustainable 

Flight Demonstrator, Electrified Powertrain Flight Demonstrations, and Low Boom Flight Demonstrator. 

Also, the program funds flight support capabilities and other aeronautics research related to flight tests. In 

FY 2025, IASP will:

• Conduct acoustic validation flight testing of the X-59 Low Boom Flight Demonstrator to prove that 

acoustic characteristics match design targets for quiet supersonic flight;

• Complete final stages of development of electrified powertrain flight demonstrators with 

GE Aerospace and magniX; and
AERONAUTICS

• Continue working with Boeing on the Sustainable Flight Demonstrator which has a planned first 

flight date in FY 2028.

The Transformative Aeronautics Concepts Program (TACP) demonstrates initial feasibility of concepts 

supporting the discovery and development of new transformative solutions supporting the NASA 

Aeronautics strategy, including exploring opportunities to create a net zero-emissions aviation future. The 

program encourages revolutionary concepts, creates the environment for researchers to become immersed 

in new ideas, performs ground and small-scale flight tests, allows failures and learns from them, and 

drives rapid turnover of new concept development. In FY 2025, TACP will:

• Advance state-of-the-art computational and experimental tools and technologies that are vital to 

aviation applications;

• Explore new concepts such as data and decision support tools and weather capabilities for advanced 

air mobility flight within the Convergent Aeronautics Solutions activity; and

• Fund up to three new University Leadership Initiative awards and will evaluate the results of five 

ongoing awards.

Aerosciences Evaluation and Test Capabilities Portfolio (AETC) manages NASA's portfolio of 12 large 

wind tunnels used for ground testing of advanced technologies and configurations across all speed 

regimes: subsonic, transonic, supersonic, and hypersonic. These test facilities also serve the needs of other 

NASA mission directorates, as well as non-NASA users. In FY 2025, AETC will:

• Conduct wind tunnel experiments for NASA and external customers to assess technology in 

simulated ground-test environments;

• Assess the condition and health of testing capabilities at Ames Research Center, Glenn Research 

Center, and Langley Research Center (LaRC) to identify and address equipment with a high-risk of 

failure due to age or maintenance issues; and

• Develop robust testing methodologies to reduce flight certification time in low-speed, high-lift flight 

envelope using the LaRC National Transonic Facility.
STEM ENGAGEMENT

($ in Millions) FY 2023 FY 2024 FY 2025 FY 2026 FY 2027 FY 2028 FY 2029

STEM Engagement 143.5 143.5 143.5 146.4 149.3 152.3 155.3

STEM Engagement 143.5

Grand Total 143.5

FY 2023 reflects the funding amount specified in Public Law 117-328, Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2023, as 

revised in NASA's FY 2023 final Operating Plan, September 2023.

A full-year 2024 appropriation for this account was not enacted at the time the budget was prepared; therefore, the 

budget assumes this account is operating under the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2023 (Division B of P.L. 117-

328, as amended). The amounts included for 2024 reflect the annualized level provided by the continuing resolution.

Totals may not add due to rounding.

NASA makes investments in Science, Technology, Engineering, 

and Mathematics (STEM) engagement, in direct alignment with 

NASA's Strategic Plan, Goal 4.3 to "build the next generation of 

explorers," as well as the Administration’s priority of building a 

future diverse STEM workforce. The Office of STEM 

Engagement (OSTEM) leads the agency's STEM engagement 

function, providing strategic guidance and direction in 

partnership with the mission directorates.

The scope of NASA STEM Engagement comprises all 

endeavors to attract, engage, and educate students and to support 

educators and educational institutions. STEM Engagement 

encompasses a broad and diverse set of programs, projects, 

activities, and products. This includes student internships and 

fellowships; student learning opportunities (e.g., challenges and 

competitions, camps, and other hands-on and virtual 

experiences); informal education and out-of-school learning 

activities; educational products, tools, and platforms; educator 

and faculty support; competitive grants and cooperative 

agreements to educational institutions for research and 

development and institutional support; and strategic partnerships 

with organizations to expand reach and impact.

NASA will continue to support federal STEM education priorities and drive strategic alignment of the 

agency's STEM engagement efforts through the NASA Strategy for STEM Engagement via three 

strategic goals:

1. Create unique opportunities for a diverse set of students to contribute to NASA’s work in exploration 

and discovery.

2. Build a diverse future STEM workforce by engaging students in authentic learning experiences with 

NASA's people, content, and facilities.

3. Attract diverse groups of students to STEM through learning opportunities that spark interest and 

provide connections to NASA's mission and work.

These photos illustrate a wide variety of 

NASA STEM student opportunities, 

including the Artemis Student 

Challenges, Students to Launch 

partnership, and Minority University 

Research Education Program (MUREP)

Innovation Tech Transfer Idea.

Competition (MITTIC).
STEM ENGAGEMENT

These goals, along with their corresponding objectives and strategies, guide the agency's STEM 

engagement efforts and are complemented by five design principles -- (1) mission-driven authentic STEM 

experiences, (2) evidence-based practices, (3) scalability, (4) outcome-driven, and (5) diversity and 

inclusion -- that guide the planning and execution of work in direct support of achieving the strategic 

goals.

OSTEM is accountable for the management of NASA's STEM Engagement program, which is composed 

of four projects: National Space Grant College and Fellowship Project (Space Grant); Established 

Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR); Minority University Research and Education 

Project (MUREP); and Next Generation STEM project (Next Gen STEM). These projects are outlined in 

detail in subsequent sections.

NASA will continue work begun in FY 2024 to advance its work around three priority focus areas:

• First, NASA will implement strategies to broaden student participation to increase diversity, equity, 

and inclusion in STEM through NASA opportunities and activities. NASA will continue to foster a 

culture and commitment across the STEM engagement community, including its grantees, partners,

and collaborators, to broaden student participation through implementation of an action plan that was 

developed in FY 2021.

• Second, NASA will continue to build productive strategic partnerships and networks, expanding 

NASA’s STEM ecosystem to magnify reach and impact. This will be accomplished through 

establishing formal partnerships with organizations through Space Act Agreements, in order to scale 

activities and expand results and impact, capitalizing on existing networks and distribution systems to 

deploy products and opportunities.

• Third, NASA will expand contributions in engaging K-12 students in STEM pathways, with an 

approach toward a continuum of experiences. This will include efforts to increase the accessibility 

and navigability of NASA opportunities and products for students and educators.

EXPLANATION OF MAJOR CHANGES IN FY 2025

Within a constrained budget, the request prioritizes funding for MUREP and Next Gen STEM to expand 

the reach and impact of NASA's STEM efforts, including expanding NASA programming targeting 

partnerships with external organizations.

WORK IN PROGRESS IN FY 2024

In FY 2024, OSTEM continues agency-wide coordination in support of agency and federal government 

priorities to attract, engage, and educate students toward building a future STEM workforce. OSTEM 

continues to implement enterprise initiatives to improve efficiency and strengthen standards and rigor in 

program management, fiscal accountability, and performance measurement. In FY 2024, NASA will 

continue to implement a mission-driven STEM Engagement program through its four projects. Details 

regarding project plans and activities are provided in dedicated subsequent sections.

In FY 2024, NASA's STEM Engagement enterprise remains committed to continuing the implementation 

of the following:
STEM ENGAGEMENT

• Drive strategic alignment and a mission-driven programmatic model. This includes conducting a 

comprehensive analysis of the portfolio and building on programmatic efforts established in 

partnership with the mission directorates.

• Implement cross-cutting strategies to more effectively reach and serve students, educators, and 

educational institutions, and to improve operations.

o NASA will continue to drive the continued use of STEM Gateway, a database to provide 

oversight and transparency to the agency's STEM activities.

o NASA will continue to further its work in significantly enhancing its digital footprint to better 

reach students, including improved products at https://stem.nasa.gov.

o NASA will continue to drive progress on the agency internships program, with objectives for 

growth and enhanced student experiences.

o NASA will continue the implementation of a partnership strategy, cultivating new partnerships to 

increase reach and impact.

o NASA will continue progress and evolution of the performance assessment and evaluation 

approach and Learning Agenda with continued cadence of focused evaluation studies to inform 

evidence-based program changes.

o NASA will continue the implementation of an integrated action plan toward broadening student 

participation in STEM engagement programs and activities.

• Further an enterprise operating model and focus on building skills and capabilities of the NASA 

STEM Engagement workforce.

• Continue its annual planning process and program management practices in defining and 

implementing a portfolio of projects, activities, and products directed toward achieving the agency’s 

strategy for STEM Engagement goals and objectives. Ultimately, the work dedicated to this strategy 

will contribute to achieving NASA’s STEM Engagement vision to immerse students in NASA’s 

work, attract students to STEM, and inspire the next generation to explore.

KEY ACHIEVEMENTS PLANNED IN FY 2025

NASA will enable student opportunities aligned with NASA STEM Strategy and objectives and continue 

to provide mission-driven competitive opportunities via Space Grant, EPSCoR, and MUREP in 

partnership with mission directorates.

NASA will continue to enhance and evolve the STEM Gateway, enable performance measurement and 

analytics, and implement the next stage of the STEM engagement learning agenda, with completion of 

targeted studies to drive design and evolution of products and activities.

Specific achievements planned for the Space Grant, MUREP, EPSCoR, and Next Gen STEM projects are 

summarized in subsequent sections.
SAFETY, SECURITY, & MISSION SERVICES

($ in Millions) FY 2023 FY 2024 FY 2025 FY 2026 FY 2027 FY 2028 FY 2029

Safety, Security, and Mission Services 3,136.5 3,129.5 3,044.4 3,105.3 3,167.4 3,230.7 3,295.3

Mission Services & Capabilities 2,058.1

Information Technology (IT) 628.6

Mission Enabling Services 732.7

Infrastructure & Technical Capabilities 696.8

Engineering, Safety, & Operations 986.3

Agency Technical Authority 180.3

Center Engineering, Safety, & Operations 806.0

Grand Total 3,044.4

FY 2023 reflects the funding amount specified in Public Law 117-328, Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2023, as 

revised in NASA's FY 2023 final Operating Plan, September 2023. Amounts include $8 million that was transferred 

to NASA's Information Technology Modernization Working Capital Fund.

A full-year 2024 appropriation for this account was not enacted at the time the budget was prepared; therefore, the 

budget assumes this account is operating under the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2023 (Division B of P.L. 117-

328, as amended). The amounts included for 2024 reflect the annualized level provided by the continuing resolution.

Totals may not add due to rounding.

The Safety, Security, and Mission Services (SSMS) account enables NASA’s missions by providing 

foundational support capabilities responsive to evolving mission needs. SSMS also funds independent 

oversight over NASA’s missions and programs to ensure the health, safety, and security of NASA people

and property as well as the public. SSMS programs provide the services and capabilities that ensure 

NASA has the technical skills, physical assets, financial resources, and top talent to be successful. The 

SSMS FY 2025 budget is comprised of two themes: Mission Services and Capabilities (MSaC) and 

Engineering, Safety, and Operations (ESO).

EXPLANATION OF MAJOR CHANGES IN FY 2025

None.

MISSION SERVICES AND CAPABILITIES

MSaC provides enterprise solutions under three programs: Information Technology (IT), Mission 

Enabling Services (MES), and Infrastructure and Technical Capabilities (I&TC). Strategically, these 

programs meet workforce, infrastructure, information technology, and business operations requirements 

necessary to enable NASA's mission. MSaC ensures critical Agency operations are effective, efficient, 

safe, and meet statutory, regulatory, and fiduciary responsibilities. These mission enabling services and

capabilities provide efficient and effective administration across all NASA centers and Headquarters 

(HQ).

• Information Technology (IT) provides the information services needed to fulfill NASA’s 

multifaceted missions and operations, including cybersecurity, IT asset planning and management, 
SAFETY, SECURITY, & MISSION SERVICES

and technical support. NASA's IT Program helps improve Agency outcomes by accelerating results 

through tools that increase productivity, sharing NASA’s data and discoveries, enabling access to 

transformational Artificial Intelligence capabilities, and increasing the quality, resiliency, and costeffectiveness of its information systems. Reliable, adaptable, and secure authorized cloud-based IT, 

data and AI services are increasingly important to NASA's mission portfolio because they are key 

enablers for advances in science, technology, aeronautics, and space exploration. In FY 2025, the 

Information Technology Program will:

o Strengthen the agency’s cybersecurity posture through the deployment of new tools and 

implementation of a strategy aimed to modernize and improve NASA’s overall network security.

o Transform IT business services through utilization of artificial intelligence, cloud adoption, and 

robotic process automation.

o Continue to invest in the high-tech tools needed to improve authorized collaboration capabilities 

across the agency, including transitioning to hybrid workspaces that will increase productivity 

through remote and virtual collaborative work.

o Appoint a Chief Artificial Intelligence (AI) Officer and establish AI governance to maximize 

NASA’s benefit from AI in a safe, secure, ethical, responsible, and respectful manner, in 

accordance with Executive Order 14110 on the Safe, Secure, and Trustworthy Development and 

Use of Artificial Intelligence and other Federal directives.

o Lead innovative adoption of AI use cases in direct support of advanced mission outcomes, 

improved cyber security detection and response, accelerated cyber security assessments, and to 

gain efficiencies across all mission support functions. 

• Mission-Enabling Services (MES) provides an enterprise approach to managing NASA business 

operations and mission support activities. Missions rely on these institutional services to provide the 

business services and skilled staff required to accomplish their objectives. Enterprise management of 

these areas ensures that critical agency operations are effective, efficient, and meet statutory, 

regulatory, and fiduciary responsibilities. Business services include financial management, human 

capital management, procurement, small business, legislative affairs, equal opportunity and diversity 

management, legal, communications, international and interagency relations, and protective services. 

In FY 2025, the MES program will:

o Continue to partner with all NASA Organizations in execution of their Diversity, Equity, 

Inclusion, and Accessibility (DEIA) implementation plans in accordance with the DEIA and 

Equity Strategic Plans.

o Enhance NASA's workforce by strengthening the professional development framework to build 

the current and future talent pool.

• Infrastructure and Technical Capabilities (I&TC) provides sustainment, operations, and 

maintenance for facilities and technical capabilities. The program also provides effective oversight 

and management of real property, environmental program activities, aircraft operations, and logistics 

functions. These capabilities enable NASA to meet statutory and regulatory responsibilities and 

ensures that the necessary infrastructure is available to meet mission requirements. This mission is 

accomplished through effective management of assets and capabilities, proactive coordination with 

NASA mission directorates, institutional planning, proactive deployment of sustainable practices, 

ongoing regulatory compliance, and reduction of current and future infrastructure-related risks. In FY 

2025, the I&TC Program will:
SAFETY, SECURITY, & MISSION SERVICES

o Maintain the agency’s most critical infrastructure capabilities and assets using condition-based 

maintenance to prevent failures and increase operational readiness while maintaining compliance

with environmental and mandatory standards.

o Optimize the agency’s infrastructure portfolio through implementation of the Agency Masterplan 

(AMP) processes, including divestment of facilities no longer needed to execute NASA’s mission 

thereby reducing future facilities maintenance costs.

o Continue agency efforts to transition to 100 percent Zero Emission Vehicle acquisitions by 2035, 

including 100 percent light-duty acquisitions by 2027.

ENGINEERING SAFETY AND OPERATIONS

ESO provides for the management and operations of NASA Headquarters, nine centers, and component 

facilities under two programs: (1) Agency Technical Authority (ATA); and (2) Center Engineering, 

Safety, and Operations (CESO). Both programs support scientific and engineering activities. They 

contribute to the reduction of program risks by ensuring that: technical skills and assets are ready and 

available to meet program and project milestones; mission and research endeavors are technically and 

scientifically sound; and center practices are safe and reliable, including the highly skilled staff and 

specialized infrastructure at the centers that facilitate NASA missions.

• Agency Technical Authority (ATA) provides the foundation for NASA’s system of checks and 

balances, defined in NASA’s Strategic Management and Governance Handbook, by providing 

independent technical authority over health, safety, and engineering requirements for the missions. 

Through independent analysis and deep subject matter expertise, ATA develops policy, designs 

procedural requirements, and provides recommendations to NASA's Administrator, mission 

directorates, center directors, and program managers, who are ultimately responsible for the safety 

and mission success of all NASA activities. In FY 2025, the ATA Program will:

o Work to improve orbital debris environment models, tools, and algorithms to improve orbit 

predictions, understand spacecraft anomalies, and better interpret sensor data.

o Continue providing key guidance, testing, and oversight over NASA missions and programs to 

ensure health, safety, and stewardship of resources.

• Center Engineering, Safety, and Operations (CESO) ensures NASA's unique, technical, and 

innovative capabilities are mission-ready by supporting center-level institutional and technical 

capabilities through independent research, development projects, and maintenance of facilities, 

laboratories, and other mission-critical assets. CESO fulfills a key component of NASA’s overall 

approach to risk management by providing center-level independent technical authority. Center-level 

oversight and reporting activities uphold the strategy and guidance from ATAs, putting checks on 

safety, engineering, and mission assurance that are separate from mission directorates. CESO funds 

NASA HQ operations and center management activities across the agency. Institutional 

administration and operational safety programs allow centers the flexibility to address and manage 

conditions unique and specialized to their facilities. CESO also ensures that agency policies and 

guidance are operationalized across centers with consistency and efficiency. In FY 2025, the CESO 

Program will:

o Continue to maintain critical strategic investments in laboratories, technical equipment, and 

facilities as aligned with agency goals and objectives in support of all NASA missions.
SAFETY, SECURITY, & MISSION SERVICES

BALANCING SSMS AND CECR

NASA's mission support portfolio is divided between two accounts: SSMS and Construction and 

Environmental Compliance and Restoration (CECR). The Mission Support Directorate (MSD) utilizes 

both accounts to maintain NASA's critical infrastructure. SSMS and CECR programs are dependent upon 

each other and there is a balance between maintenance of assets and infrastructure, repairs and renewal of 

failing assets, and the replacement and demolition of obsolete assets. Required maintenance activities 

drive SSMS spending decisions, while repairs, renewals (including new construction), and associated 

demolition drive CECR spending.

Much of NASA's infrastructure dates back to Apollo-era space exploration. Maintenance activities funded 

by SSMS are necessary to prevent costly delays to missions and risks to health and safety. Meanwhile, 

failures require immediate repairs and account for an increasing share of the SSMS facilities maintenance 

budget. These activities are vital to support evolving mission requirements. SSMS also funds proactive 

maintenance initiatives such as Condition Based Maintenance to identify issues and provide lower cost, 

scheduled maintenance. Without a sufficient facilities maintenance budget, assets and facilities worsen to 

a state requiring CECR funding for more expensive solutions. The increasing deep space exploration 

development and testing requirements place an additional strain on NASA's infrastructure and missionunique facilities. Both SSMS and CECR activities are vital to support mission infrastructure 

requirements. MSD takes an agency-wide approach to make difficult trade-off decisions that ensure 

critical capabilities and assets are mission-ready, while also investing in the long-term asset health, 

sustainability, and footprint reductions that ensure NASA's future mission success. This approach allows 

NASA the ability to prioritize investments in support of long-term asset health, sustainability, and 

footprint reductions that ensure NASA's future mission success.

MISSION SUPPORT PRIORITIES

NASA Strategic Plan 2022, Goal 4, directs NASA's mission support functions to enhance capabilities and 

operations to catalyze current and future mission success through three key objectives: 1) attract and 

develop a talented and diverse workforce; 2) transform mission support capabilities for the next era of 

aerospace; and 3) build the next generation of explorers. Functions and capabilities that align to these 

three priorities comprise the foundational business that supports NASA activities, including the agency’s 

mission goals.

Mission Support’s strategic approach ensures that critical services are mission-ready as requirements 

evolve and foundational services are keeping pace with cybersecurity, industry standards, and agency 

needs. NASA Mission Support will continue to support the critical capabilities needed for mission 

success by staying focused on mission needs, center conditions, and transformational opportunities. 

Mission support content is prioritized to achieve the Administration, NASA, and mission support goals 

and objectives, to include: 

• Workforce, Essential Services, Partners:

o Support mission-critical services that enable NASA's activities and address workforce needs, 

including procurement of essential goods and "best-in-class" contracts.

• Critical Infrastructure:

o Conduct vital construction, repairs, and demolition to reduce risk in NASA's infrastructure 

portfolio and ensure the right capabilities are mission-ready at the right time.

• Business Transformation:
SAFETY, SECURITY, & MISSION SERVICES

o Introduce technologies and new processes to create strategic cohesion, service resilience, new 

efficiencies, and cutting-edge capabilities to enhance how people work and reduce costs

• Cybersecurity

o Strengthen NASA's IT infrastructure, monitoring, detection systems, encryption, cloud security, 

and authentication to enhance protection for data and telecommunications.
CONSTRUCTION AND ENVIRONMENTAL COMPLIANCE AND 

RESTORATION

($ in Millions) FY 2023 FY 2024 FY 2025 FY 2026 FY 2027 FY 2028 FY 2029

Construction and Environmental Compliance and 

Restoration

422.4 414.3 424.1 379.3 386.9 394.6 402.5

Construction of Facilities 344.7

Institutional CoF 292.5

Exploration CoF 32.5

Space Operations CoF 19.7

Environmental Compliance and Restoration 79.4

Grand Total 424.1

FY 2023 reflects Division B funding amount of $47.3 million and Division N funding amount of $367 million, as 

specified in Public Law 117-328, Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2023.

A full-year 2024 appropriation for this account was not enacted at the time the budget was prepared; therefore, the 

budget assumes this account is operating under the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2023 (Division B of P.L. 117-

328, as amended). The amounts included for 2024 reflect the annualized level provided by the continuing resolution.

FY 2025 reflects Division N funding amount of $296 million, designated for an emergency requirement pursuant to 

section 251(b)(2)(A)(i) of the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985.

Totals may not add due to rounding.
CONSTRUCTION AND ENVIRONMENTAL COMPLIANCE AND 

RESTORATION

Through the Construction and 

Environmental Compliance and Restoration 

(CECR) account, NASA manages two 

themes related to the agency's asset 

portfolio: capital repairs and improvements 

to NASA's infrastructure, and 

environmental compliance and restoration 

activities. Activities related to the design, 

construction, and demolition of 

infrastructure, including utility systems and 

facilities, are funded through Construction 

of Facilities (CoF). Environmental 

compliance, cleanup, and restoration 

activities are funded through Environmental 

Compliance and Restoration (ECR).

CECR funding enables NASA to address 

challenging infrastructure needs. More than 

83 percent of NASA's infrastructure is 

beyond its design life, posing significant 

risk of failure, inefficiency, and potential 

impacts to health and wellness. Apollo-era 

infrastructure is inefficient and costly to 

maintain, as well as insufficient to 

accomplish NASA's future missions that 

require facilities with leading-edge 

capabilities. The agency currently faces a 

deferred maintenance backlog of $3 billion, 

resulting in unscheduled maintenance that can cost up to three times more than scheduled maintenance to 

repair or replace equipment after it has failed. To address these growing challenges, CECR is focused on 

modernizing and consolidating NASA’s infrastructure into fewer, more efficient, and more sustainable 

facilities, and on repairing and upgrading infrastructure before it has failed.

CECR funding also enables NASA to address its commitment to environmental stewardship by 

conducting critical cleanup efforts, maintaining compliance with regulatory requirements, and managing 

environmental issues. NASA's estimated current environmental liability, excluding asbestos removal that 

is not funded by the ECR appropriation, is approaching $2.3 billion and is expected to grow as plans to 

address 173 areas of potential concerns for emerging per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) 

contaminant are developed.

CECR funding ensures that NASA’s assets are ready, available, and appropriately sized to conduct 

NASA’s current and future missions, while remaining compliant with the agency and governmental 

environmental regulations. This funding is critical to fulfill NASA's 2022 Strategic Plan Objective 4.2 to 

"Transform mission support capabilities for the next era of aerospace." CECR programs strive to execute 

construction priorities identified in the Agency Master Plan and reduce the agency’s physical footprint 

and environmental burden.

The Aerospace Communications Facility at the NASA Glenn 

Research Center, completed in 2023, is a state-of-the-art 

research facility consisting of efficient, flexible laboratories, 

anechoic test chambers, an RF-shielded high-bay space, collaboration spaces, information technology support areas, and both 

a rooftop and ground-based platforms for communication 

antennas. The new facility consolidates more than 80 

researchers in over 50 labs located in seven separate buildings 

across Glenn’s main campus into one cutting-edge 55,000 

square-foot building. Inside the new building, researchers and 

scientists will develop advanced communication methods for 

use on Earth as well as supporting the agency’s Artemis and 

Advanced Air Mobility missions. 
CONSTRUCTION AND ENVIRONMENTAL COMPLIANCE AND 

RESTORATION

CECR Priorities

CECR focuses on ensuring the viability and readiness of mission-critical infrastructure, while also 

supporting NASA's commitment to environmental stewardship and sustainability. The activities below 

outline how CECR allocations are made:

• Construct new facilities and replace, repair, or upgrade existing infrastructure to support NASA's 

mission requirements and timeline.

• Design facilities and infrastructure solutions to support construction and repairs, while optimizing 

sustainability, increasing efficiency, and reducing NASA's footprint.

• Demolish unneeded and degraded facilities to avoid costs and improve sustainability.

• Invest in energy and water savings opportunities to improve NASA's environmental stewardship.

• Comply with mandates, regulations, and best practices to protect the health and wellness of the 

environment, NASA's workforce, and the general public.

EXPLANATION OF MAJOR CHANGES IN FY 2025

None.

KEY ACHIEVEMENTS PLANNED FOR FY 2025

CECR will continue to enable critical mission work in FY 2025, while maintaining NASA's dedication to 

environmental stewardship. The following list highlights high-priority FY 2025 projects. A more robust 

list with project descriptions is available in each program section.

• Construct, repair, or revitalize institutional infrastructure and facilities that have capabilities and 

impacts that span NASA centers and enable mission directorate priorities:

o Upgrade Mechanical Systems, Component Refurbishment and Chemical Analysis Facility at 

Kennedy Space Center (KSC).

o Repair canal impoundment system - inlet/outlet valves at Stennis Space Center (SSC).

o Natural gas system gas replacement at White Sands.

o Renew the High-Pressure Gas Facility at SSC (Phase 1 of 2), which supports all rocket engine 

testing programs.

o Sanitary sewer repairs at Langley Research Center (LaRC).

o Electromagnetic interference / compatibility Relocation at LaRC.

o Sewage system conveyance and treatment repairs at SSC (Phase 3 of 3)

• Support Exploration Systems Development Mission Directorate (ESDMD) priorities with the 

construction, repair, or revitalization of critical facilities and infrastructure:

o Modification to KSC launch infrastructure for The Space Launch System (SLS).

o Sustainment of Exploration Ground Systems Infrastructure for Artemis.

• Support Space Operations Mission Directorate (SOMD) priorities with the construction, repair, or 

revitalization of critical facilities and infrastructure:
CONSTRUCTION AND ENVIRONMENTAL COMPLIANCE AND 

RESTORATION

o Continue the Deep Space Network Aperture Enhancement Project Beam Wave Guide (DAEP 

BWG) antenna projects with the construction of DSS-23 at Goldstone, DSS-33 at Canberra and 

pedestal replacement of DSS-54 at Madrid.

o Continue underground tank replacements, replace aging generators, and replace heating,

ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) and mechanical systems.

o Replace obsolete BWG antenna drives and cabinets and provide additional BWG redundant 

power feed Apollo substations at Goldstone Deep Space Communications Complex (GDSCC).

• Demolish unneeded or degraded facilities to support a more sustainable NASA with a smaller 

footprint while avoiding repair and operational costs.

• Invest in energy savings projects that reduce operational costs and utility usage across NASA.

• Conduct facility planning and design associated with all construction and revitalization projects to 

ensure optimal consolidation, energy savings, cost effectiveness, and mission success.

• Maintain NASA's commitment to environmental stewardship by conducting critical cleanup efforts, 

maintaining agency-wide compliance with regulatory requirements, and managing environmental 

issues.

Balancing SSMS and CECR

NASA's mission support portfolio is divided between two accounts: Safety, Security, and Mission 

Services (SSMS) and CECR. The Mission Support Directorate (MSD) utilizes both accounts to maintain 

NASA's critical infrastructure. SSMS and CECR programs are dependent upon each other and there is a 

balance between maintenance of assets and infrastructure, repairs and renewal of failing assets, and the 

replacement and demolition of obsolete assets. Required maintenance activities drive SSMS spending 

decisions, while repairs, renewals (including new construction), and associated demolition drive CECR 

spending.

Much of NASA's infrastructure dates back to Apollo-era space exploration. Maintenance activities funded 

by SSMS are necessary to prevent costly delays to missions and risks to health and safety. Meanwhile, 

failures require immediate repairs and account for an increasing share of the SSMS facilities maintenance 

budget. These activities are vital to support evolving mission requirements. SSMS also funds proactive 

maintenance initiatives such as Condition Based Maintenance to identify issues and provide lower cost, 

scheduled maintenance. Without a sufficient facilities maintenance budget, assets and facilities worsen to 

a state requiring CECR funding for more expensive solutions. The increasing deep space exploration 

development and testing requirements place an additional strain on NASA's infrastructure and missionunique facilities. Both SSMS and CECR activities are vital to support mission infrastructure 

requirements. MSD takes an agency-wide approach to make difficult trade-off decisions that ensure 

critical capabilities and assets are mission-ready, while also investing in the long-term asset health, 

sustainability, and footprint reductions that ensure NASA's future mission success. This approach allows 

NASA the ability to prioritize investments in support of long-term asset health, sustainability, and 

footprint reductions that ensure NASA's future mission success.