Washington, D.C. - With today’s advancement of H.R. 5666, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Authorization Act of 2020, the House Science, Space and Technology Space and Aeronautics Subcommittee took the first steps in establishing a concrete goal and timeline for getting astronauts to Mars.

The NASA Authorization Act of 2020 authorizes NASA programs to ensure NASA’s continuation as a multi-mission agency with a sustainable civil space program for decades to come.  The legislation includes several specific goals for the future of human space exploration such as a crewed mission to the moon’s surface by 2028, continued International Space Stations operations until at least 2028, and a crewed mission to Mars orbit by 2033. The Moon to Mars program outlined in H.R. 5666 is the first time a bill includes an explicit goal of landing humans on Mars, beginning with a human mission to orbit Mars by 2033, if not sooner. Perlmutter has been a longtime advocate of sending humans to Mars by 2033 and has pushed NASA to develop a long-term plan for such a journey.

“Exploration is in our DNA as Americans and as humans. We don’t necessarily know where our exploration will take us, but the benefits we’ve seen right back here on Earth from our investment in exploration over the last half-century has been tremendous,” said Perlmutter. “We have a skilled and driven workforce we are investing in, and the inspiration for the next generation will open doors for new technologies and answer new questions we can’t even imagine today.”

During the subcommittee markup Perlmutter offered two amendments, both of which were adopted:

1. Amendment to support NASA’s Commercial Cargo program

This amendment reaffirms support for NASA’s Commercial Cargo program serving the International Space Station (ISS) and ensures NASA’s continued commitment to the commercial cargo program through multiple commercial providers which all have a diverse set of capabilities. The ISS is an important asset to allow our astronauts to operate in space, conduct important scientific research, and demonstrate new technologies and capabilities. The Cargo program has proven very successful with NASA supporting the development of these technologies and allowing NASA to purchase commercial cargo delivery services to meet its needs. The program is also important to several Colorado companies, including Sierra Nevada Corporation and United Launch Alliance.

2. Amendment to support and establish a Space Resources Institute

This amendment directs NASA to study the possible establishment of a research institute on space resources.  This institute would coordinate the study of In-Situ Resource utilization, or the practice of using materials found or manufactured on other astronomical objects like the Moon and Mars to replace materials that would otherwise have been brought from Earth. Supporting the extraction, understanding and utilization of materials in space will be an important capability and could lead to more affordable and safer human spaceflight missions. The amendment mirrors legislation previously introduced by Perlmutter and Rep. Scott Tipton (R-CO), developed in partnership with the Colorado School of Mines.

“For Colorado, not only are we a mile closer to space, we are one of the largest space economies in the country with some of the best minds, companies and capabilities in the aerospace industry,” Perlmutter said. “This bill and these amendments are important to ensuring we structure these lunar efforts to support the commercial space industry – who are important partners and important to Colorado’s economy – as we go back to the Moon and onto Mars by 2033. I look forward to the continued dialogue with the commercial space industry and NASA as we work to improve the bill.”

Perlmutter is a cosponsor of H.R 5666, and the legislation is expected to be marked up and voted on by the full House Science, Space and Technology Committee in the coming weeks.

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