NASA budget of $17.6 billion is approved

President Barack Obama has signed a budget that provides NASA with $17.6 billion for this year – fully funding both the heavy-lift Space Launch System and Orion capsule that will eventually take humans to Mars.

NASA's budget for 2014 was passed by Congress earlier this week and officially signed by the President on Friday. A total of $17.65 billion has been allocated to the space agency, which is slightly less than the $17.7 billion it had requested. However, some analysts had expected a figure as low as $16.1 billion, due to recent budget cuts and spending concerns arising from the sequester of 2013. For space enthusiasts, the final approved figure is therefore a welcome surprise.

Some highlights from the budget include:

• $1,918 million for the Space Launch System (SLS).

The SLS is a heavy launch vehicle intended to replace the Space Shuttle. It is designed to be upgraded over time with more powerful versions. Initially carrying payloads of 70 metric tons into orbit, the SLS will eventually be fitted with an upper "Earth Departure Stage" capable of lifting at least 130 metric tons. This will be 12 metric tons greater than the Apollo-era Saturn V, making it the largest and most powerful rocket ever built. It will take astronauts and hardware to asteroids, the Moon, Mars, and most of the Earth's Lagrangian points. A first unmanned test launch is planned for 2017, with NASA being allocated an extra $200 million to ensure this deadline is met. A manned flight around the Moon and possibly to an asteroid is expected to occur in 2021, with manned missions to Mars in the 2030s. The additional funding in this year's budget will "maintain critical forward momentum" on the program, according to legislators.

• $1,197 for the Orion Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle (MPCV).

Orion is a small capsule designed to transport up to six astronauts and cargo beyond Earth orbit. It will be integrated with and carried by the SLS rockets. A first unmanned test flight is scheduled for later this year, during which its altitude will reach higher than any spacecraft intended for human use since 1973. Manned flights will commence in the 2020s.

• $5,151 million for science.

This includes $80 million for planning and development of a Europa mission. The next Discovery-class mission will be announced by May 2014, with selection of the mission(s) in September 2015. Meanwhile, NASA's flagship project and Hubble successor – the James Webb Space Telescope – remains funded and on track for delivery in 2018. Among its primary objectives will be capturing images of reionization and "first light" from stars after the Big Bang.

The remaining budget will go towards operational maintenance, space technology, aeronautics, grants, education and other services provided by NASA. Despite this week's good news, however, the longer term picture is less clear for NASA. As shown in the graph below, its budget as a percentage of the federal budget has been gradually declining and is now a mere fraction of its peak in the 1960s. It will be interesting to see how the private sector can influence the agency's strategy in the coming decades.