NASA said it is pushing ahead with the launch of the next Mars mission, but it will certainly need more funds to do it. The mission is scheduled to be carried out in 2009 and will launch the Mars Science Laboratory (MSL), the biggest planetary rover yet, and land it on the Red Planet.

While NASA engineers are working hard to cope with the technical challenges of the mission, the space agency is considering another funds boost. The mission’s budged has already grown from $1.6 billion to $1.9 billion and now it will go even higher. NASA officials wouldn’t say how high.

The agency’s engineers are currently working on the nuclear battery-powered Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) and it will take some time until completion, said Doug McCuistion, director of Mars exploration at NASA. The MSL launch was scheduled for next year and, if all goes as planned the rover will touch down on Mars in 2010 and will continue the exploration currently being undertaken by the two NASA Mars rovers: Spirit and Opportunity.

Dr. McCuistion wouldn’t say how much money NASA still needs to complete the mission and also did not say how it would affect the agency’s next planetary missions.

“Congress to date has been very supportive,” Dr. McCuistion said. “I fully believe Congress will support us as we go forward.”

Last week, Dr. McCuistion told the members of a planetary science subcommittee of the NASA Advisory Council that the funds would be about $100 million higher than last estimated.

The MSL would be dropped on Mars by a rocket-powered "skycrane" because the usual bouncing bags would not support its weight of about 2,000 pounds. The MSL would operate for at least one Martian year and would continue the exploration and the experiments currently carried out by the other two NASA rovers.