Mark Kelly Urges Mars Exploration Funding for NASA

Senator Mark Kelly (D-AZ) led several lawmakers in urging that funds for NASA's Mars exploration programs remain in place as the Trump Administration considers cutting NASA funding.

In a letter to Senate Appropriations Committee Chairman Jerry Moran (R-KS), Sen. Kelly asked for at least $400 million in Fiscal Year 2027 for the Mars Sample Return mission, which, as its name suggests, would bring samples of Martian soil and rocks back to Earth for the first time, deepening our understanding of its surface for eventual human exploration.

"While Congress provided funding for NASA's Science programs in last year's appropriations, Mars exploration initiatives remained significantly underfunded and well below the House Appropriations level of $300 million," Sen. Kelly wrote. "We are deeply concerned both by last year's constrained funding levels and by the prospect of further reductions to NASA Science in the upcoming President's budget request."

However, President Donald Trump is proposing a steep $3.4 billion cut to NASA's Science program and the termination of over 40 missions, which the Arizona Senator argues would jeopardize America's edge in space exploration and research, especially as China ramps up its own programs.

"As we set sights on the high ground of space exploration, we must preserve our presence and talent, tackle the next challenges that enable eventual human missions to Mars, and build upon a foundation of success as reflected by the numerous American flags that already sit on the Martian surface," Kelly's letter continues. "Any erosion of vital infrastructure and intellectual capital would deliver lasting damage to the U.S. economy and undermine our leadership on the global stage in science and technology. In addition, we cannot allow the U.S. to cede the high ground to the Chinese government, which is already working to land its own robotic Mars missions."

The proposed cuts come just days after Artemis II returned to Earth, which Kelly, a former astronaut himself, talked about at length on social media.