The White House has proposed a significant budget cut for NASA in its fiscal year 2027 request. The plan suggests reducing NASA’s total funding from $24.4 billion to $18.8 billion, a drop of about 23%. Notably, the Science Mission Directorate would see a sharp cut of 46%, shrinking from $7.25 billion to $3.89 billion. This would mark NASA’s lowest funding level since 1961, adjusted for inflation.
Interestingly, not all sections of NASA face cuts. The Exploration Directorate, which includes the Artemis Moon program, would actually receive a 9% increase, reaching $8.51 billion. However, other sectors, like Space Technology and Aeronautics, would see reductions of 32% and 35%, respectively.
What’s at Risk?
The budget proposes to eliminate over 40 lower-priority missions, although specifics are vague. Casey Dreier, Chief of Space Policy at The Planetary Society, pointed out that these missions aren’t named in the document. Instead, to find what’s been cut, one must compare past budget documents to identify missing missions. The Planetary Society estimates that around 53 missions could be on the chopping block, covering various science areas.
Among the missions potentially facing termination are well-known spacecraft. For example, the Juno spacecraft, which is studying Jupiter, and the Chandra X-ray Observatory, which has been crucial for nearly 25 years, are both at risk. Additionally, the entire NASA Venus portfolio, including missions like DAVINCI and VERITAS, would be eliminated, leaving no comparable missions targeting Venus.
In Earth science, cuts target crucial monitoring missions like OCO-2 and OCO-3, which track atmospheric carbon dioxide. The proposed terminations could have long-term effects on climate research.
What Stays and Why?
Some missions related to Artemis or human exploration remain funded. This includes the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter and the Mars Perseverance rover. However, it’s worth noting that Perseverance’s operating funds would be halved. This raises questions about NASA’s scientific priorities, as the budget doesn’t align closely with the scientific merit evaluations outlined in recent surveys.
Dreier also highlighted a concern with the budget document itself, which lacks comparative spending figures from the previous fiscal year. This omission complicates the assessment of changes and impacts accountability.
Congressional Reactions
Congress is already pushing back against the proposed cuts. Members from both parties have expressed concerns, and a bipartisan group of senators has requested funding for NASA’s science initiatives at $9 billion for FY 2027. The House Commerce-Justice-Science Subcommittee has proposed a bill to maintain NASA’s overall funding flat at $24.4 billion, despite proposing a 17% cut to the Science Mission Directorate.
The Planetary Society and various organizations have warned that these cuts could jeopardize U.S. leadership in space science and harm the scientific workforce.
Future Implications
This isn’t the first time such drastic cuts have been proposed. Last year, Congress ultimately funded NASA at $24.4 billion after similar pushback. However, if these proposed eliminations go through, it could take years to revive many of the missions.
The full impact of the proposed budget decisions will unfold in the coming months as Congress debates and formulates its own budgets. The stakes are high—once missions are terminated, they often cannot be restarted easily. The data lost during a shutdown could be irretrievable, and broken international partnerships would take years to repair.
For a comprehensive list of missions identified for potential termination, visit The Planetary Society’s website.
Keep an eye on developments in the Senate, as their appropriations bill is expected soon. The outcome could shape the future of NASA’s scientific endeavors and the broader field of space exploration.
