President Donald Trump’s proposed NASA budget was unveiled on Friday, signaling a major shift for the agency. This plan suggests a gradual review of the government-owned Space Launch System (SLS) rockets and Orion crew capsules, while scrapping the proposed lunar space station known as the Gateway.
The budget also calls for the cancellation of the Mars Sample Return Mission, a collaborative effort with the European Space Agency to retrieve rock samples gathered by the Perseverance Rover and look for signs of ancient life. The rationale provided is that this mission is unnecessary, as “the goal is achieved through human mission to Mars.”
Janet Petro, the NASA administrator, mentioned in a statement that the proposal seeks to prioritize essential science and technology research, as well as continue the pursuit of exploration on the Moon and Mars. The White House insists on focusing efforts on “returning China to the moon and putting the first human on Mars.” Notably, China aims to land a crew on the Moon by 2030, while the U.S. Artemis program faces various delays.
According to the proposal, both SLS and Orion will be retired after Artemis 3, which is the inaugural mission intended to land astronauts on the Moon. Critics have labeled the SLS as bloated and inefficient, yet alternatives like SpaceX’s spacecraft and Blue Origin’s New Glenn aren’t fully certified for flight yet.
Elon Musk, the CEO of SpaceX and a close advisor to Trump, is reportedly overseeing efforts to reduce costs effectively. Trump chose tech billionaire Jared Isaacman to lead NASA; he has made two flights to space on SpaceX’s ships.
The administration is asking for $18.8 billion from NASA, a decrease from last year’s $24.8 billion, marking a 24.3% cut. However, NASA’s budget for space exploration will increase by $647 million compared to 2025, and spending for lunar exploration will top $7 billion. An additional $1 billion is earmarked for a new “Mars-focused program.”
On the other hand, NASA’s Earth Sciences division faces a reduction of over $1.1 billion, impacting what the proposal designates as “low-priority environmental surveillance satellite” projects.
While often viewed as a preliminary political agenda before further negotiations with Congress, this “skinny budget” has drawn substantial criticism. The Planetary Society remarked, “The White House proposed NASA’s biggest year reduction in American history,” suggesting that this could hamper the agency’s efficiency, waste taxpayer money, and weaken American leadership in space exploration.
