A new Congressional Budget Office report says a proposed Senate bill that would require NASA to create a transition plan to facilitate the involvement of industry partners and partner countries in the International Space Station would cost $19.4 billion to implement over five years.
CBO said in a report published Monday that the NASA Transition Authorization Act of 2016 would result in the application of pay-as-you-go procedures since its passage would lead to a $35 million increase in net direct spending from 2017 through 2026.
According to the report, the proposed legislation would authorize $19.5 billion in fiscal year 2017 appropriations for NASA and require the agency to develop propulsion systems and strategic framework designed to facilitate human space flight to Mars.
The passage of the proposed legislation “would not increase net direct spending or on-budget deficits by more than $5 billion in any of the four consecutive 10-year periods beginning in 2027†and would not impose costs on local, state and tribal governments, CBO added.
CBO noted that the bill also lacks private-sector or intergovernmental mandates based on the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act and would not have an impact on revenues.
