"The amendment concerns acquisition powers bestowed upon NASA by Congress, stating in part: "The Administrator may, subject to appropriations, procure from United States commercial providers operational services to carry cargo and crew safely, reliably, and affordably to and from deep space destinations, including the Moon and Mars." That language is fairly general in nature, but the intent seems clear. NASA's initial missions to the Moon, through Artemis V, have a clearly defined architecture:"
"The legislation must still be approved by the full House before being sent to the Senate, which may take up consideration later this month. Congress passes such reauthorization bills every couple of years, providing the space agency with a general sense of the direction legislators want to see NASA go. They are distinct from appropriations bills, which provide actual funding for specific programs, but nonetheless play an important role in establishing space policy."
A House committee unanimously passed a NASA reauthorization bill that frames congressional direction for the agency but does not appropriate funds. An amendment permits the Administrator, subject to appropriations, to procure operational services from U.S. commercial providers to carry cargo and crew to deep-space destinations, including the Moon and Mars. The amendment’s language is deliberately general, potentially allowing commercial end-to-end solutions or alternative launch and lander pairings after Artemis V. Artemis V missions remain tied to SLS, Orion, and a contractor lander, while future missions could see competition among commercial architectures and providers.
Read at Ars Technica
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