"NASA predicts cost increase for Mars Sample Return mission."
NASA's Mars Sample Return program may require an additional $250 million in funding for the 2023 fiscal year and 2024 to stay on track, according to NASA Administrator Bill Nelson. The program received $822.3 million in the fiscal year 2023 omnibus spending bill and requested $949.3 million in its fiscal year 2024 budget proposal. The additional funding would require reprogramming money from elsewhere in the agency, which would require congressional approval. The budget pressures could also affect the Dragonfly spacecraft mission, which received $327.7 million in the 2024 budget request, compared to $400.1 million in 2023.