“Early cost estimates are approximately $2.1 billion, and NASA will continue refining that figure through the acquisition process.”
-NASA statement quoted by Politico regarding the estimated cost to send a nuclear-powered spacecraft to Mars. These costs would only cover the recently disclosed Space Reactor-1 Freedom spacecraft, but not the payload of three helicopters called SkyFall. This comes at a time when NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman is meeting with Congress and stating the agency does not need any additional funds at this time. Congress has been good at restoring funds the White House has tried to cut, so maybe Mr. Isaacman feels lucky he has what he has and does not want to seem ungrateful. It appears Congress is making a trip to Mars possible and not the White House, no matter what the president might say on stage about the importance of America’s space program.
Our Awesome Universe 