President Biden signed the Consolidated Appropriations Act into law today, finalizing funding for FY2023. The $1.7 trillion legislation funds the departments and agencies that execute space programs — NASA, NOAA, DOD, and the FAA — plus all the others in the discretionary part of the U.S. budget through September 30, 2023.
A decision on whether Soyuz MS-22 is safe enough to transport crews or must be replaced by a new vehicle will wait until January according to Russia’s space agency. Earlier, Roscosmos head Yuri Borisov said a decision would be made by today.
The House today joined the Senate in passing the $1.7 trillion FY2023 Consolidated Appropriations bill. This 4,155-page “omnibus” legislation combines all 12 regular appropriations bills that fund most government agencies, including those that execute space programs. The funding covers the rest of FY2023, through September 30, 2023. President Biden is expected to sign it soon.
Russia’s space agency Roscosmos is still deciding whether the Soyuz MS-22 spacecraft is safe enough to bring three ISS crew members back to Earth in March. The spacecraft sprang a coolant leak last week and whether safe thermal conditions can be maintained is still being determined. Sergei Krikalev, head of Roscosmos’s human spaceflight program, said decisions are expected next week.
The Senate passed the $1.7 trillion Consolidated Appropriations Act for FY2023 this afternoon. The next stop is the House, which is expected to pass it tomorrow before the Continuing Resolution keeping the government open expires at midnight. While waiting for the deal to be made, the Senate also passed the ORBITS Act to address the problem of space debris.
Two NASA astronauts were suited up and getting ready to begin a 7 hour spacewalk this morning when it was suddenly cancelled because a piece of space debris was closing in on the International Space Station. The spacewalk has been rescheduled for tomorrow, but the incident is another illustration of the growing problem of debris in low Earth orbit.
The final version of the FY2023 defense appropriations bill will boost funding for the U.S. Space Force not only above FY2022, but over President Biden’s request — a new total of $26.3 billion. The defense appropriations bill is incorporated in the FY2023 Consolidated Appropriations bill introduced in the early hours this morning and currently being considered by the Senate. The funding is a little higher than what was recommended in the National Defense Authorization Act last week.
NASA is slated to get $25.4 billion for FY2023 in the Consolidated Appropriations bill introduced at about 2:00 am ET this morning. While an increase over the $24 billion for FY2022, it is less than the $26 billion requested. Coupled with inflation and COVID-related costs, the agency will continue to be challenged in executing its broad portfolio of science, technology, aeronautics and human spaceflight programs.
The head of Russia’s space agency said today a decision will be made next week on what to do about the damaged Soyuz MS-22 spacecraft docked at the International Space Station. Soyuz MS-22 is the ride home for two Russian cosmonauts and an American astronaut as well as their lifeboat while they’re onboard. Last week all the coolant leaked out of an exterior cooling loop due to a tiny hole that could have been caused by a micrometeoroid or space debris.
Here is SpacePolicyOnline.com’s list of space policy events for the next two weeks, December 18, 2022-January 2, 2023, and any insight we can offer about them. The House and Senate will be in session this week. If they complete their work by Friday they will be in recess the last week of the year except for pro forma sessions. The 117th Congress ends and the 118th Congress begins at noon on January 3, 2023.