PACE

Pandemic to cost NASA up to $3 billion
A NASA audit concluded that costs imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic on the agency could reach $3 billion, with several major science and exploration programs accounting for much of that cost.

Cubesat demonstrates Earth science instrument
A cubesat launched earlier this year has successfully tested a version of an instrument that will fly on a larger NASA mission in development.

White House requests significant NASA budget increase to fund Artemis program
The White House is proposing to increase NASA’s budget by more than two and a half billion dollars in fiscal year 2021, providing substantially increased funding for the Artemis program while seeking once again to cancel several science and education programs.

SpaceX wins NASA contract to launch Earth science mission
NASA awarded a contract to SpaceX Feb. 4 for the launch of an Earth science mission that has successfully staved off cancellation several times.

Senate bill offers $22.75 billion for NASA in 2020
A Senate appropriations subcommittee approved a spending bill Sept. 24 that would provide $22.75 billion for NASA in fiscal year 2020, including much, but not all, of what the agency sought in additional funding for the Artemis program.

House bill restores funding to Earth science and astrophysics missions
House appropriators criticized NASA for seeking to cancel “legacy” science and education programs in favor of new exploration efforts, moving money back to those missions while remaining silent on the administration’s accelerated lunar return.

NASA criticized for proposed budget cuts
NASA’s fiscal year 2020 budget request is facing scrutiny from nearly all quarters for its proposals to cut science missions and education programs as well as defer work on an upgraded version of the Space Launch System.

NASA missions press ahead despite budget uncertainty
As House appropriators prepare to take up a spending bill that funds NASA, some programs proposed for cancellation are pressing ahead despite fiscal uncertainty that one scientist described as “psychologically damaging.”