Next week's release of a new federal government budget request is expected to include new direction for NASA, taking steps toward "innovative new opportunities, industries and jobs," the White House said Monday.

Official White House photo by Chuck Kennedy

NASA is expected to be tasked with supporting the development of new commercial spacecraft designed to carry future astronauts into Earth orbit, but the fate of the agency's vexed exploration program is still unclear.

A White House spokesman provided the following statement to Spaceflight Now on Monday:

"The President is committed to a robust 21st century space program, and his budget will reflect that dedication to NASA. NASA is vital not only to spaceflight, but also for critical scientific and technological advancements. The expertise at NASA is essential to developing innovative new opportunities, industries and jobs. The President's budget will take steps in that direction."

Specifics of the budget are still being closely guarded.

The Ares 1 and Ares 5 rockets NASA has been designing since 2005 could be modified, delayed, or scrapped, but President Obama's budget may provide no direct guidance on the Constellation program.

Another uncertainty is whether NASA will receive a significant boost in its budget. A report by the respected media outlet Space News said NASA will not get a $1 billion uptick in funding as previously expected.

A blue ribbon presidential panel charged with reviewing NASA's human space program last year proposed alternatives that would cancel the Ares 1 and rely on commercial providers to ferry astronauts to space. Under such a scenario, NASA could focus on building a new heavy-lift rocket for deep space missions, although a new heavy-lift development program would require additional funding.

The fiscal year 2011 budget request, which will cover federal government programs between October 2010 and September 2011, will be submitted to Congress on Feb. 1 -- next Monday. The White House is still finalizing the exact time of the budget's release.

The last few weeks have been marked with rancorous debate on the space program's future, including a report from a NASA safety advisory panel that cautioned against switching from the Ares 1 rocket to commercial providers for astronaut transportation.

The report was met with strong rebuttals from commercial space supporters, including Elon Musk, the founder of Space Exploration Technologies, Corp., a company that stands to benefit from the potential White House decision.

White House officials also say President Obama's plans for NASA will not come in a standalone announcement like the speech made by former President Bush in 2004 that unveiled the exploration plans.

President Obama's State of the Union address on Wednesday night is also not expected to include topics on NASA.