US president Bill Clinton has signed a bill assuring NASA of $28.8 billion in funding over the next two years rather than granting funding on the usual 12-month basis.
NASA will have a budget of $14.2 billion in 2001 and $14.6 billion in 2002. Spending on the International Space Station (ISS) has been capped at $25 billion and Space Shuttle missions at $17.7 billion over the two years.
Congress has pushed through the caps, even though Clinton objected in the belief that it would limit NASA's flexibility to "pursue a promising commercial habitation module for the ISS". He also opposed a law requiring NASA to notify Congress within 90 days of a decision to replace any Russian elements of the ISS programme.
The US president had previously cut NASA's budget in seven of eight years. He also stopped $200 million NASA funding for a commercial Transhab ISS module.
Source: Flight International
