“NASA’s future hangs in the balance, a precipice of uncertainty unseen since the twilight of Apollo.” The voice on the phone belonged to Casey Dreier, chief of space policy at The Planetary Society, a tireless champion for cosmic discovery. His words painted a stark picture.
A cosmic collision is brewing in Washington. On July 10th, the Senate Appropriations Committee locked horns over the 2026 Commerce, Justice, and Science budget, a debate that could leave NASA spinning out of orbit. While the agency has typically claimed a modest 0.3% slice of the federal pie since 2010, a storm cloud has gathered. President Trump is advocating for a staggering 24% budget cut, a move that threatens to ground vital missions and cripple America’s spacefaring ambitions. Is this the end of the space race as we know it?
Imagine NASA, crippled. Funding slashed to levels unseen since the dawn of the space race, back when Gagarin was a global marvel. Fifty-five missions, dreams etched in starlight, vanish. Half its science budget? Gone. A skeleton crew, the smallest in seven decades, struggles to keep the lights on. All this while the clock ticks, the Moon beckons, and Mars remains a fiery promise. Is this the future of American space exploration, or a colossal misstep into oblivion?
“Imagine a research lab, humming with activity, suddenly plunged into darkness. That’s the chilling reality facing NASA science. A single, devastating year could obliterate a third of ongoing projects, a cut unprecedented in the agency’s history. We’re not just talking about budget trims; we’re talking about switching off irreplaceable missions, ventures yielding insights we can’t get anywhere else. And the worst part? This isn’t a strategic pivot towards groundbreaking new research. The funding simply vanishes. This isn’t just a setback; it’s an existential threat, potentially the gravest NASA’s scientific endeavors have ever faced.”
Imagine erasing a masterpiece. That’s the potential fallout Dreier warns of, highlighting missions irreplaceable if Trump’s cuts take hold. The New Horizons probe, a star in deep-space exploration, faces the chopping block. Remember that stunning Pluto flyby in 2015? Or the record-breaking encounter four years later? New Horizons, our lone sentinel in the enigmatic Kuiper Belt, is rewriting planetary science. A replacement? Decades in the making, lost knowledge in the interim. The cost to keep this trailblazer alive? A mere $14.7 million annually a pittance compared to the $29.9 billion Congress greenlit for ICE enforcement in the recent tax bill. Are we sacrificing scientific breakthroughs for border walls?
Heather Roper
OSIRIS-APEX: a phoenix rising from the dust of a celestial triumph. Remember OSIRIS-REx? The mission that dared to snatch a piece of an asteroid? OSIRIS-APEX is its audacious sequel. In 2020, its predecessor rendezvoused with Bennu, a space rock the size of the Empire State Building, and, using a revolutionary grab-and-go maneuver, plucked pristine regolith from its ancient surface.
Hot on the heels of its triumphant sample return from asteroid Bennu, NASA’s OSIRIS-REx spacecraft is embarking on a thrilling encore: a rendezvous with the infamous asteroid Apophis. Freshly rebranded as OSIRIS-APEX, the spacecraft will intercept Apophis after its nail-biting Earth flyby in 2029. This celestial close encounter, a mere 19,600 miles from our planet, marks the closest approach of any known asteroid of Apophis’s size. This extended mission, costing a relatively modest $200 million tacked onto the original $1.16 billion price tag, promises unprecedented insights into this potentially hazardous space rock.
“Imagine: a cosmic near-miss, a once-in-a-lifetime chance to stare danger in the face. While the world holds its breath, one lone American spacecraft, salvaged and reborn on a shoestring budget, will be there – the only one – to witness asteroid Apophis’s close shave with Earth. ‘This isn’t just smart science,’ explains Dreier, ‘it’s a front-row seat to history, bought for pennies. And it’s crucial.'”
While America grapples with seismic shifts on every front, the potential axing of NASA missions might seem like a blip on the radar. But slashing the agency’s science budget isn’t just about rockets and stars; it’s a blow that will reverberate through towns and cities nationwide, impacting jobs, innovation, and the very future we’re striving to build.
“NASA: Not just shooting for the stars, but fueling American jobs. According to Caltech Planetary Science Professor Bethany Ehlmann, also a board member at The Planetary Society, NASA’s impact ripples far beyond its own workforce, igniting countless opportunities in the private sector.”
Professor Ehlmann’s argument blasts off with NASA’s own figures as fuel. In 2023, the agency’s 17,823 civil servants formed the launchpad for a jobs rocket, igniting 304,803 positions nationwide when private sector partnerships are considered. That’s a staggering 16 private sector jobs boosted for every NASA employee. “Space science,” Dreier emphasizes, “isn’t confined to coastal elites or a single political leaning. It’s a national endeavor, reaching into roughly 75% of congressional districts. Space exploration isn’t a red state or blue state issue; it’s an all-American one.”
NASA’s budget survived a close encounter in Congress. Defying proposed cuts from the Trump administration, bipartisan lawmakers are uniting to protect the space agency’s funding. Last week’s Senate session foreshadowed the resistance, and this week, the House Appropriations Committee’s Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies acted. They greenlit a $24.8 billion budget for NASA in 2026 – a figure matching this year’s allocation. The Senate’s parallel subcommittee had already signaled its support the previous week, setting the stage for a potential budget showdown with the President and a victory for space exploration advocates.
The fate of scientific progress hangs in the balance as Congress debates the nation’s research budget. A chasm divides the House and Senate: one champions discovery, preserving the agency’s $7.3 billion science budget; the other wields the axe, slashing it by 18% to a mere $6 billion. The House proposes a further blow, targeting the National Science Foundation with a 23% cut, jeopardizing the future of countless astronomy projects and the groundbreaking research they fuel.
Fresh from Capitol Hill, Professor Ehlmann reports a promising consensus: lawmakers recognize NASA’s pivotal role in fueling industry and nurturing academia. She emphasizes the agency’s vital training programs and grant opportunities, essential for cultivating the future space workforce. The critical next step? Bridging the gap between the House and Senate to propel the bill forward.
While many on Capitol Hill champion NASA’s budget, a seemingly “steady” allocation masks a hidden decline: inflation. This silent force erodes purchasing power, effectively shrinking the agency’s reach. Compounding the challenge, echoes of the Trump era resonate: workforce reductions continue to hamstring NASA’s ambitions.
NASA Faces Brain Drain: Is the Space Program Losing Its Edge?
A mass exodus is looming at NASA, threatening to cripple the agency’s future. Politico reports that a staggering 2,694 employees, 15% of NASA’s 17,823 workforce, have opted for early retirement, buyouts, or deferred resignations. The clock is ticking, with the July 25th deadline fast approaching, suggesting this number could climb even higher.
The real gut punch? The brain drain primarily hits senior positions (2,145 employees) and critical mission areas like human spaceflight and science (1,818 employees). As one expert, Dreier, warns, “Once the workforce is gone, they’re gone. You lose a ton of institutional knowledge.” Decades of experience and expertise are walking out the door, raising concerns about NASA’s ability to maintain its ambitious goals.
Adding fuel to the fire, the Trump administration’s shifting priorities have created uncertainty, particularly for NASA’s contractors. Is this the dawn of a new era for space exploration, or is NASA on the precipice of losing its competitive edge?
NASA’s workforce is feeling the sting of recent cuts, and morale is plummeting faster than a discarded rocket booster. Keith Cowing, NASA veteran and founder of NASA Watch, paints a bleak picture: “After 40 years, I’ve never seen morale this low.” He argues that while NASA might need trimming, the current approach is less scalpel, more chainsaw – a stark contrast to the precision needed for space exploration. Cowing sharply contrasts this with the flamboyant approach of figures like Elon Musk, suggesting that government agencies require careful, considered change, not theatrical disruption. The future of cosmic discovery, he implies, depends on it.
Dreier fears a potential fallout: dwindling public support for NASA. A recent Pew Research survey reveals a stark contrast in priorities. While Americans overwhelmingly favor NASA focusing on planetary defense against killer asteroids and monitoring Earth’s climate crisis, the agency’s ambition to return astronauts to the Moon and venture to Mars ranks dead last in public interest. Is NASA listening? Or is it charting a course destined for disconnection?
REUTERS / Reuters
Hold on to your helmets, space fans! The House just dropped its 2026 NASA budget, and it’s packing serious thrust for exploration. We’re talking a 25% boost, rocketing the exploration budget to a cool $9.7 billion.
But wait, there’s more stardust! Remember that Trump-era tax bill? Turns out, Senator Ted Cruz slipped in a little something special for NASA: a $4.1 billion injection specifically earmarked for SLS, the Space Launch System. Think of it as a booster shot for SLS flights four and five. Why the extra juice? Because SLS is NASA’s ride of choice to get boots back on the Moon before the private sector, like SpaceX’s Starship, is ready for lunar deliveries. It’s a space race within a space race!
While Washington clamors for lunar and Martian flags, one voice cries foul. “It’s absurd!” argues Dreier, “Trump and the House are fueling the very race SpaceX is already winning – planting boots on Mars. Meanwhile, NASA’s unique domain, the realm of pure space science, is left adrift. Who else will explore the cosmos if not them?”
A NASA budget prioritizing Mars missions at the expense of scientific research risks backing projects the public deems least valuable.
“Are they losing sight of what makes NASA, well, NASA? I fear this shift could erode the very foundation of public support that fuels their mission. NASA isn’t just another government entity; it’s an icon. People proudly sport NASA tees – you don’t see anyone rocking a Department of the Interior shirt fresh from the GAP, do you? That deep connection with the public is a rare and invaluable asset, and they’re gambling with it. This isn’t solely about the agency’s future; it’s about jeopardizing the public’s enduring romance with space exploration.”
Faced with Engadget’s inquiries, NASA’s press secretary, Bethany Stevens, directed all eyes to a letter penned by Acting Administrator Janet Petro. This crucial correspondence wasn’t tucked away; it was strategically unveiled within a technical supplement accompanying the President’s budget request, a document ripe with insights into NASA’s future.
“Every penny of taxpayer money fuels our voyage to the Moon and Mars. That’s why we’re sharpening our focus, trimming the fat, and redirecting resources from dead-end projects to initiatives that will truly propel us to new worlds,” Petro declared.
The clock is ticking for NASA’s 2026 budget. Tuesday’s vote was just the opening act. Now, two crucial funding bills head to the Senate and House appropriations committees for a high-stakes rewrite. But the drama isn’t over. Every member of Congress gets a say, a chance to shape the future of space exploration. The countdown ends September 30th: that’s when current funding vanishes. And a wild card? President Trump could throw a wrench in the works with a veto, if the final bill doesn’t meet his vision for the cosmos.
Thanks for reading Trumps defunding of NASA would be catastrophic