NASA’s finances received their first clean audit from outside accountants in nine years, the U.S. space agency announced Nov. 15.

“The agency has worked hard over the past nine years to ensure that we know where we stand with each program and have a firm footing as an agency to pursue our future goals,” NASA Chief Financial Officer Beth Robinson said in a statement. “This outside validation of our efforts gives the taxpayers and the Congress confidence that we will continue to keep America the leader in space exploration as we responsibly manage their investment.”

When Robinson was hired as NASA’s chief financial officer in late 2009, she inherited an office that last received an unqualified, or clean, independent audit in 2002.