NASA facing $6 billion budget cut in 2026 under the Trump plan
The US budget proposal for 2026 includes a significant reduction in funding for NASA, which could impact the implementation of key space projects.
The administration of President Donald Trump presented the US budget proposal for the fiscal year 2026, which includes substantial cuts to NASA's funding. This reduction in the space agency's budget could affect the implementation of several ambitious projects, such as the Gateway space station and the Mars Sample Return mission.
The budget proposal, announced by the White House on May 2, plans to reduce NASA's budget from $24.8 billion in 2025 to $18.8 billion in 2026. This means a decrease of $6 billion, which represents a 24.3 percent reduction.
The only division that will benefit from increased funding is human space exploration, which will see its budget increase by $647 million.
The increased funding for human space exploration aims to accelerate a manned landing on the Moon before China can do so. However, this may negatively impact other projects, such as the Gateway orbital station, whose implementation is now in question.
This project may be closed or continued solely by international partners without US involvement.
Consequences for the International Space Station
There are also plans to close the International Space Station (ISS) by 2030. In the 2026 budget, funds for its operation are cut by half a billion dollars, which will affect the reduction of crew numbers and scientific experiments.
Among the threatened projects is the Mars Sample Return, a mission aimed at bringing Martian soil samples back to Earth. Reductions will also affect scientific research on space and Earth, including climate monitoring. Some projects from the "space technologies" division are set to be transferred to the private sector.
