Congressional Support For Artemis Commercial Partnerships

Rubio, Blumenthal Urge NASA to Expand Partnerships With Private Sector to Support Lunar Exploration Programs
“U.S. Senators Marco Rubio (R-FL) and Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) urged NASA Administrator James Bridenstine to expand partnerships with the private sector to support the Artemis program and NASA’s Human Landing System (HLS) program. In the letter, the senators highlight the importance of continued lunar exploration to support the goal of developing a sustainable presence on the Moon. “Under your leadership, the Artemis program will help our space industry validate human safety protocols, learn to use the Moon’s vast resources, and undertake meaningful technology development and demonstration in support of the next giant leap to Mars.” the senators wrote. “While the scale of these undertakings is significant, NASA has at its disposal a diverse and growing private, domestic space industry. Indeed, America’s commercial space industry is a key enabler of our nation’s endeavor to return to the Moon and journey on to Mars”.