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Title: Trump Wants $1 Billion For Private-Sector-Led Mars Exploration

Link: https://science.slashdot.org/story/25/06/03/0...

President Trump's 2026 budget proposes over $1 billion for Mars exploration
through a new Commercial Mars Payload Services Program, while simultaneously
slashing NASA's overall budget by 25%. Phys.Org reports: Under the proposal,
NASA would award contracts to companies developing spacesuits, communications
systems and a human-rated landing vehicle to foster exploration of the Red
Planet. Trump's proposed $18.8 billion NASA budget would cut the agency's
funding by about 25% from the year before, with big hits to its science
portfolio. The fleshed-out request on Friday builds upon a condensed budget
proposal released earlier this month. "We must continue to be responsible
stewards of taxpayer dollars," NASA Acting Administrator Janet Petro wrote in
a letter included in the request. "That means making strategic decisions --
including scaling back or discontinuing ineffective efforts." The new Mars
scheme is modeled after NASA's Commercial Lunar Payload Services program that
has benefited Intuitive Machines LLC, Firefly Aerospace Inc. and Astrobotic
Technology Inc., though it has achieved mixed results. According to the
budget, the contract to land on Mars would build upon existing lander
contracts. America's Next NASA Administrator Will Not Be Former SpaceX
Astronaut Jared Isaacman

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

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