Trump Administration Proposes Deep NASA Cuts and Focus on Human Exploration
- On May 2, 2025, the Trump administration unveiled a proposal to reduce NASA's 2026 budget by $6 billion, cutting funding by nearly a quarter from the previous year's level and redirecting a portion toward initiatives focused on Mars exploration.
- This large reduction targets space science, Earth science, and legacy programs, and reflects a shift toward prioritizing human exploration focused on beating China to the Moon and landing on Mars.
- Key projects like the Space Launch System rocket, Orion crew capsule, Gateway lunar station, and Mars Sample Return mission would be phased out or canceled, while a $1 billion boost would fund Mars-focused initiatives.
- Acting NASA Administrator Janet Petro acknowledged the tough choices in an agency-wide memo, urging resilience and discipline, and stated the budget "sets the stage for our next great achievements."
- If enacted, this historic 24% cut could cause program disruptions and criticism of undermining American leadership in space, although the budget must still receive Congressional approval.
113 Articles
113 Articles
NASA budget proposal draws strong criticism
The White House’s proposal to cut NASA’s budget by nearly 25% and cancel several major programs has drawn criticism from industry and members of Congress, while raising concerns among international partners. The post NASA budget proposal draws strong criticism appeared first on SpaceNews.
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NSF Halts New Funding and Caps Indirect Rate Costs
The National Science Foundation won’t award any new funding “until further notice.” The agency also moved to cap indirect research rates at 15 percent. Meanwhile, President Trump proposed cutting the NSF’s budget in half. President Donald Trump’s administration is making drastic budget cuts and ideologically driven priority changes at the National Science Foundation in the name of saving taxpayers money and rooting out diversity, equity and incl…


Commentary: To dumbly go where no space budget has gone before
Reports that the White House may propose nearly a 50% cut to NASA’s Science Mission Directorate are both mind-boggling and, if true, nothing short of disastrous. To make those cuts happen — a total of $3.6 billion — NASA would…
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