MARS — Though a final decision on a proposed outer space education center in the borough won’t be reached until later this year, officials in Mars and with NASA continue to work on the project.

During a borough council meeting Monday, Mayor Gregg Hartung said conversations are ongoing for the project, which would be paid for via the Redevelopment Assistance Capital Program. In the application, which was submitted last month, the borough seeks $1 million to construct a “Mars Discovery Center” which would focus on science, technology, arts and math (STEAM) education.

The idea was formed after NASA representatives visited the borough for the Mars New Year event in 2017.

The application requires a project must generate “substantial increases in employment, tax revenues or other measure of economic activity.” It also requires matching funds, for which Hartung said the borough would use the property value for the desired location as leverage.

On Monday, Hartung said that location, Woodland Valley Church, is valued at $450,000. The borough would assist in relocation if the project is approved.

NASA officials supported the project by submitting a “letter of collaboration,” in which they offered to provide content for the center. Since the application has been submitted, Hartung and other officials have spoken to NASA representatives, who indicated a team of four is now working on the project.

“That is a bit unexpected,” Hartung told council.

A decision on the application is expected by the end of the year.

Moving forward, the borough will submit a letter to NASA indicating what programs and other support they would like to be provided. Hartung said conversations also have included the use of items from the “NASA junk yard” in Alabama, which could be shared with the borough to place at the town’s entrances as a means of promotion.

NASA has also asked borough officials if they’d be interested in celebrating the next NASA launch to the planet Mars, set tentatively for May. Hartung said the Mars New Year committee will work on the matter.

Additionally, Hartung said the borough will pursue a partnership with the Space Exploration Technologies Corp., or SpaceX, which is a private aerospace manufacturer founded by Elon Musk, for the Mars New Year celebration in 2019.