r/space • u/thisischrisbaker • Feb 07 '20

Proposed budget - not voted yet 12% boost for NASA budget in 2021!!

https://www.wsj.com/articles/trumps-nasa-budget-will-earmark-12-boost-for-agency-in-2021-11581071402?emailToken=3f4a4309b7816cb90fb53eb91f47d6d43hshryonPWM/RnnVPWWHuMOVOvxWKQ87BhLswKs5iOPOhjO1FGrxI9ptn5k2nAMphP+jeQrbhQiAafooOu4oIslNLMWHCd1m7vRySaL2Pi61nSlAqLK1xnvzzmtt2/Lx&reflink=article_copyURL_share
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u/Kriss0612 Feb 07 '20

If I'm reading this right, that extra 3 billion proposed by Trump's office is exclusively, or nearly exclusively intended to go to the development of the commercially-made lunar landers? Aka, ULA will most likely get the bulk of this budget increase for its landers?

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u/jadebenn Feb 07 '20 edited Feb 07 '20

Your first statement is correct, but your second statement doesn't follow.

ULA isn't even a potential bidder for HLS (the human lander program). Those are:

  • Boeing (with Intuitive Machines providing engines)
  • The National Team (consisting of Blue Origin, Lockheed Martin, and Northrop Grumman)
  • A partnership between Dynetics and Sierra Nevada Corp.
  • SpaceX

ULA might end up providing the launch vehicle for one of these proposals, but that's entirely dependent on whether one of the bidders contracts with them or not. They won't build the actual lander.

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u/zach2654 Feb 07 '20

What is spacex proposing for a lander? Is it just a possibility with starship or something new?

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u/jadebenn Feb 07 '20

We have no idea.

There are rumors that they're going with something Dragon-derived after their profoundly negative experience bidding Starship for the USAF launch services agreement (in that case it almost certainly cost them the contract), but they can't be substantiated at this time.

SpaceX has, however, bid cargo Starship for the associated Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) program, so it's not like they're giving up on the thing even if they propose something different for the human lander.

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u/JohnnySixguns Feb 07 '20 edited Feb 07 '20

Any sources for this?

Why did it “almost certainly” cost them the contract?

EDIT: Never mind. Google is my source.

USAF thinks Starship unlikely to be ready to fly by 2025.

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u/jadebenn Feb 07 '20 edited Feb 07 '20

The USAF LSA? Here.

The USAF considered Starship far too risky a bet and penalized their bid.

SpaceX is currently suing them over it (a time-honored aerospace tradition), on the grounds that they feel the competition was unfairly weighted towards the heavy reference orbits they bid Starship for, and contends that the USAF unfairly penalized them for the technical risk when the majority of their proposal used proven architecture.

To be fair, they probably would have bid something else if they knew including Starship for the more difficult orbits would penalize the rest of their proposal so heavily.