Trump wants to cut NASA funding: space telescope launch and Mars mission are under threat
Kyiv • UNN
The Trump administration has proposed cutting NASA funding in 2026 by nearly half, to $3.9 billion. A number of important initiatives will be terminated, including the return of soil from Mars.
The Donald Trump administration has proposed to almost halve NASA's scientific funding in 2026. The initiative has alarmed the scientific community. This is reported by Bloomberg, reports UNN.
Details
It is noted that the annual budget proposed by President Donald Trump for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) for 2026 will almost halve the agency's scientific funding.
The budget provides for the allocation of approximately $3.9 billion for the needs of NASA's entire science department, which is less than the $7.3 billion allocated to this department in fiscal year 2024.
In particular, it is proposed to stop funding other important initiatives, such as the return of soil samples from Mars and the launch of a new space telescope.
The proposal was sent to NASA on Thursday, April 10, as part of an ongoing agreement process between federal agencies and the White House Office of Management and Budget to finalize Trump's budget request for 2026.
According to the publication, the agency received the budget request only the day after Trump's candidate for NASA head - billionaire, entrepreneur and SpaceX mission investor Jared Isaacman - said that the agency should be able to simultaneously implement programs for landing people on the Moon and Mars. He noted that Trump seeks to usher in a new golden age of science and discovery.
I am passionate about science and want nothing more than to continue to watch NASA try to unravel the mysteries of the universe.
According to a document seen by Bloomberg, the budget request proposes more than a 50% reduction in NASA's Earth science missions and nearly a 70% reduction in the agency's astrophysics division, compared to the approved budget for 2024. Other scientific departments will also face significant cuts.
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A NASA spokesman confirmed that the agency had received a preliminary budget request for fiscal year 2026 and had begun the review process, but did not confirm specific figures.
In addition, the draft budget proposes to continue funding the Hubble and James Webb space telescopes, which are located and operating in space.
However, the document does not provide funding for other telescopes, indicating a possible cancellation of the launch of the new Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope, a new powerful observatory designed to study the evolution of galaxies, stars and distant planets.
The Roman telescope was expected to be launched by May 2027, with a total mission budget of $4.3 billion. However, it has already been assembled and is undergoing testing at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, which allows it to be launched as early as the fall of 2026.
Mars Exploration
The proposed budget request also does not provide clear funding for NASA's initiative to return soil samples from Mars. This program began with the launch of the Perseverance rover, which has been collecting soil samples from the Red Planet since February 2021.
However, in 2024, NASA acknowledged that the cost of developing the rest of the equipment to return these samples significantly exceeds the planned budget and is experiencing significant delays.
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To solve the problem, the agency has asked the commercial space industry and other institutions to submit proposals for more efficient implementation of the program. In January, NASA announced that it plans to decide on the final version of the program in the second half of 2026.
According to Bloomberg, the budget request also provides for significant cuts in funding for NASA's planetary science and heliophysics units, which could lead to the cancellation of programs that are currently being developed or are already operating in space.
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After receiving the preliminary version of the budget request, NASA must provide its comments on the proposed changes to the White House Office of Management and Budget before the final version is released later this year. However, the final decision on approving the proposed changes to the 2026 budget will be made by the US Congress.
Let us remind you
NASA plans to complete the certification of Boeing's Starliner spacecraft for crewed missions by the end of 2025 or early 2026. This is after technical problems during the mission to the ISS.