NASA's budget slashed by a fourth under Trump administration's plan.
Hey there! Let's break down the latest budget proposal from the White House for NASA's fiscal year 2026.
It's a rough ride for the space agency, with a potential 24-25% dip in funding, which could drop their budget to a staggering $18.8 billion. This proposed reduction is the most significant since NASA's inception in 1958, backtracking to levels akin to the 1980s when adjusted for inflation.
The Trump administration's budget plan puts NASA's scientific endeavors in the hot seat, with planned cuts of 53% to the science budget. Casey Dreier, director of space policy at the Planetary Society, a non-profit promoting space research, dubs this as a 'cataclysmic event' for scientific research at NASA.
Now, let's break down the major programs hit by these cuts:
- There's a goodbye to the Mars Sample Return mission, which aimed to retrieve Mars soil samples collected by Perseverance. This spells trouble for potential breakthroughs in Mars geology and the hunt for potential biosignatures.
- Sayonara to the Lunar Gateway, the planned lunar-orbit space station. This cancellation halts international collaboration and halts essential infrastructure for sustained moon exploration.
- SLS Rocket and Orion Capsule phase out after Artemis III (their third flight), disrupting plans for Artemis IV and beyond, despite prior investments.
- Earth Science and Climate Initiatives see a chop, including the termination of "green aviation" programs and a reduction in climate-focused Earth science research.
In addition to major program cuts, here's what's at stake:
- Science Budget Slashed: A 47% cut to NASA’s science budget, jeopardizing ongoing missions and research in planetary science, astrophysics, and heliophysics.**
- Commercial Partnerships: The budget leans heavily on commercial launch services and space stations, accelerating privatization but reducing NASA's direct oversight of critical projects.**
- Competition with China: While the budget espouses beating China to the Moon and Mars, canceling Gateway and SLS/Orion creates capability gaps in lunar exploration, complicating crewed Mars mission timelines.**
These cuts would force NASA to abandon decades-old projects, jeopardize international partnerships, and delay or eliminate scientific discoveries tied to Mars and climate studies.
- The proposed budget for NASA's fiscal year 2026 by the White House suggests a significant decrease in funding, potentially leading to a budget of $18.8 billion, which represents a 24-25% dip.
- Casey Dreier, director of space policy at the Planetary Society, has confirmed that this proposed reduction is a 'cataclysmic event' for scientific research at NASA, marking the most significant funding decrease since its inception in 1958.
- The budget plan includes a 53% cut to NASA's science budget, impacting ongoing missions and research in planetary science, astrophysics, and heliophysics.
- The cuts would lead to the termination of major programs such as the Mars Sample Return mission, Lunar Gateway, SLS Rocket and Orion Capsule, and Earth Science and Climate Initiatives, jeopardizing potential breakthroughs in Mars geology, international collaboration, and climate-focused research.
