At a US Congressional hearing on Tuesday, NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine said the agency was committed to sending astronauts to Mars in 2033. This date was not taken out of thin air. For a flight to Mars, favorable windows open approximately every 26 months, when Mars is closest to Earth. But even then, the mission will require about two years, which poses a challenge to current and near-future space technology.
Bridenstine appeared at the hearing because of a discussion about expanding NASA's budget. By the way, both houses of the US Congress passed a bill to expand funding for the agency in order to send astronauts to Mars back in the spring of 2017. But there is clearly not enough money. At the same time, the exploration of the Moon remains an important point in the flight plan to the Red Planet. At the end of March, US Vice President Michael Pence announced at the National Space Council that the US now plans to return to the Moon four years earlier than planned, namely in 2024. This will be the last year of Donald Trump's expected second term in office, and his entourage, like himself, is rushing to leave a noticeable mark on history. In fact, at the hearing, Bridenstine explained why additional funds are needed for the lunar program in light of the planned flight to Mars in 2033.
The Moon will be a test bed for a number of key developments that will be required for the success of the Mars mission. Bridenstein did not answer how much the organization's budget needs to be expanded. The required amount will be determined by April 15. There are a lot of questions regarding the budget. The agency may not be on time with the Lockheed Martin Orion super-heavy launch vehicle project it supports, and then the expense item will have to include the rental of rockets, which, for example, SpaceX and Boeing are promising to create by then. On the NASA website, as the source notes, 2033 is not listed as the target date for sending people to Mars. There are still official reports of a planned manned mission to Mars in the 2030s.
Source: 3dnews.ru