The Trump administration's preliminary 2026 budget proposes the biggest single-year cut to NASA funding in the agency's 67-year history. The cuts are part of the White House's broader government "skinny budget," which aligns with Elon Musk's DOGE wishlist. The NASA portion would gut the agency's science programs, cancel the Gateway space station project and phase out the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket and Orion capsule after a measly three flights.
Trump's proposal would cut NASA's funding by more than $6 billion from its 2025 budget, from $24.8 billion to $18.8 billion. That's a 24 percent decrease and, according to The Planetary Society, the biggest single-year drop in NASA funding ever. Space.com says the most brutal cuts would be to space science (a $2.3 billion decrease), Earth science ($1.2 billion less) and legacy human exploration programs ($900 million less).
Also on the chopping block would be Gateway, the planned lunar orbit space station that would act as a hub for missions to the Moon and (eventually) Mars. Ditto for a joint program with the European Space Station to
|
