NASA’s Plans for 2023

The White House’s request for NASA’s 2023 budget is sizable.  $26-billion, an 8% increase over the agency’s 2022 budget.

What’s NASA planning to accomplish with those dollars?  Let’s take a look.

To the Moon!

NASA’s Artemis program is in full swing, and 2023 will be a critical year for the program.  NASA’s uncrewed Artemis I rocket recently rolled onto the launchpad for the first time, and currently has a launch window of August of this year.

During 2023, NASA will be reading for the 2024 launch of Artemis II, the first crewed Artemis mission.

Of course, private companies like Motiv play a critical role in NASA’s Artemis program as well.  Our research and development of the COLDArm will support operations on the surface of the moon during the lunar night, and our DEEDS platform could be a powerful tool for transportation and construction on the lunar surface.

All of this leads towards the eventual landing of astronauts on the moon in the Artemis III launch,, currently scheduled for 2025.

On Mars

While NASA’s 2023 Mars budget is slightly scaled back ($161 million down from $195 million this year), the agency still has big plenty in store for the red planet.

Currently, the Perseverence rover is still active on the Martian surface, carrying out important scientific operations with the help of a robotic arm and other components developed by Motiv.  That rover’s surface operations are scheduled to be completed in early 2023, but that only serves as a jumping off point for work on the Mars sample return mission, which will bring the samples collected by Perseverance back to earth.

Understanding Climate Change on Earth

2023 will also mark the launch of NASA’s Earth System Observatory, a constellation of satellites that will “work in tandem to create a 3D, holistic view of Earth, from bedrock to atmosphere.”

The system is designed to help improve our understanding of climate change, and will focus on specific aspects like aerosols, clouds and precipitation, water use, biology and geology and more.

And Much More

Of course, these are just a few highlights. NASA’s 2023 plans also include furthering its all-electric X-plane aircraft project, work on mitigating sonic booms and a $220 million initiative to support commercial destinations in low Earth Orbit.

We’re excited to see NASA’s plans for next year, and to support them with innovative space robotics solutions whenever possible.