Sen. Nelson: Congressional budget deal a “win” for NASA

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Included in the massive budget bill unveiled last night by congressional leaders from both sides of the political aisle is enough money for NASA to continue its deep space exploration program and other priorities, according to U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson (D-FL).

Nelson, who chairs the Senate subcommittee that oversees the nation’s space program, is one of the leading architects of a plan to build a new monster rocket and crew capsule for deep space exploration.  The $1.1 trillion budget includes $4.1 billion for exploration, or, as Nelson said Tuesday, enough to keep the new space launch system on track.

“This is a big win,” the lawmaker added.

Overall, the space agency would get $17.65 billion, which is significantly higher than the roughly $16.2 billion NASA would have received had the so-called sequester or across-the-board budget cuts remained in effect.

In addition to funding the space launch system, there’s also nearly $700 million for the continued development of commercial space ventures.