On the second day of his visit to Washington, the Minister of Finance, Asen Vassilev, visited the headquarters of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) of the USA. He met with the agency's director, Bill Nelson, whom he invited to visit Bulgaria on behalf of the government. Nelson confirmed that he would come in October.

During the meeting, Vassilev and Nelson discussed the possibilities for increasing scientific cooperation between Bulgaria and NASA. The Minister of Finance pointed out that “Bulgaria has companies, technologies, and space traditions that can be extremely useful”.

He also recalled that in November 2023, Bulgaria joined the “Artemis” agreement. This NASA initiative, involving 34 governments, aims to send a human back to the Moon and expand Mars research and other space objects. Bill Nelson gifted Vassilev a picture of the famous selfie taken by the spacecraft “Orion” in 2022. “Orion” is also part of the “Artemis” program.

Bill Nelson has been leading NASA since May 2021. Throughout his long career as a congressman and senator, he has authored a series of laws related to science and space. Considered a leading figure in the United States national space program in 1986, he underwent training and flew with the crew of the space shuttle “Columbia”. For six days, he orbited the Earth 98 times, conducting 12 medical experiments, including the first American stress test in space on the treadmill.