US Senate Asks Two Landing Teams To The Moon, NASA Can't Accomplish, What's The Reason?

NASA astronauts are having trouble funding to send a team to the Moon. (photo: NASA)

JAKARTA – The saga of human landers on the moon by NASA, SpaceX, and Blue Origin has entered a new chapter, as the US Senate directed NASA to select at least two developers for the lander but only offered an additional US$100 million which was barely enough to get the job done. Recently, NASA clashed with Congress over its leadership role in the international space race.

SpaceX won a NASA contract for a lunar landing module with a $2.9 billion project. Blue Origin lost contract with the $5.9 billion project, then sued NASA, and to suspend the entire Artemis Moon Mission, which is still waiting for a Federal Judge's decision. The case is used as an example of the negative impact of the entry of private companies into the space sector.

Through the designation bill that governs NASA's budget, the US Senate ordered NASA to have at least two teams for the human landing system from the Artemis mission.

The Senate gave NASA a $100 million push. The extra funding won't even cover the development of a blueprint for the moon landing module, let alone its construction and launch. However, the bill clearly says that NASA can petition for more funding through requests submitted "in a timely manner."

The Senate denounced NASA for describing the government's language as "blank" and "rhetoric" and for "blaming Congress and the Committee for a lack of resources." They reminded NASA that they recommended committing to the program more than $4.3 billion for the next fiscal year.

The Senate also warned that it expects NASA to ensure competitive, strong support for research, development, testing, and evaluation of no less than two teams for a human landing system on the Moon with the funds provided. One of the expected moon landing teams is SpaceX.

The Senate pushed NASA and said it was looking for a "real investment" and not an "additional study." NASA is given 30 days to present the plan to the Committee and release it to the general public.

The plan, which should detail all resources from the 2023 to 2026 fiscal year, according to experts, is unlikely to be produced in such a short time. The US Senate said that while they fully supported NASA and the Artemis program, there were many challenges delaying crewed flights to the Moon.

The international space race casts a shadow over the Senate bill. NASA had urged Congress to allow ties between NASA and the China Space Agency, ensuring that the cooperation would be fruitful, but the Senate clearly stated its position on the matter.

The bill outlines laws that prohibit the use of NASA funds to engage in bilateral activities with China or Chinese companies and/or entertain authorized Chinese visitors at NASA facilities without appropriate permission.

The Senate is clearly concerned about China's "evil influence" and Russia's role in space and technology has not gone unnoticed. How this new bill and direction will impact humanity's return to the Moon is still unknown, the human moon landing saga is expected to continue.