According to a Saturday statement by the White House, a next-month conference in Florida will witness President Barack Obama delineating his administration’s vision for NASA – especially after the recent submission of a budget that proposes the annihilation of the space agency’s Constellation program.

With his administration seeking the termination of the NASA program to return US astronauts to the Moon, Obama wants to reiterate his commitment to the space agency, suggesting a refocus of its efforts on technologies for preparing for human missions to other destinations in the solar system, particularly a trip to Mars.

Noting that the proposed budget calls for spending billions of dollars on technology development, the White House statement said that such an expenditure would facilitate programs pertaining to “travel from the Earth's cradle to our nearby Solar System neighborhood in a more effective and affordable way, thus laying the foundation to support journeys to the Moon, asteroids, and eventually to Mars.”

Further revealing that Obama administration’s budget will allocate nearly $6 billion will be spent over five years to turn over space transportation to commercial companies, the statement also said: “After years of underinvestment in new technology and unrealistic budgeting, the President's plan will unveil an ambitious plan for NASA that sets the agency on a reinvigorated path of space exploration.”