Nasa needs its annual $18bn budget boosted by $3bn if astronauts are to conduct meaningful missions like trips to the Moon and beyond, a panel warns, BBC reported.
The panel, convened by the White House to review human spaceflight plans, has delivered its summary findings.
It says the spaceship and rocket programmes being developed to replace the shuttle are not presently viable.
The group has given President Barack Obama a series of options to help him shape the US space agency's future.
But the panel, led by retired aerospace executive Norm Augustine, says only a funding increase can truly get Nasa back on track.
"The committee finds that no plan compatible with the [Financial Year] 2010 budget profile permits human exploration to continue in any meaningful way," it said.
"The committee further finds that it is possible to conduct a viable exploration program with a budget rising to about $3bn annually above the FY 2010 budget profile."
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