The White House’s 2026-2027 fiscal year budget proposal seeks to slash NASA’s funding from $24.4 billion to $18.8 billion, or 23%. This is a proposed bloodbath, as the President continues his assault on fundamental science.
The Artemis III program funding will increase by $731 million; the Artemis II’s ten-day, April 1-10 manned orbit fly-by of the Moon and return produced so much optimism among the population that man can colonize space, that no one would dare at this moment to cut the program. However, other vital NASA programs, in science missions, in science technology, in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics), and the International Space Station (ISS), are scheduled to be heavily cut. Leading the drive for the cuts is Office of Management and Budget Director Russell Vought.
Among programs slated for great reduction are:
Science Missions: The $7.2 billion budget for this area is to slash $3.4 billion, or reduction cuts of approximately 47% of the science budget. Targeted programs include cutting:
• Chandra X-Ray Observatory, which is the world’s most powerful X-ray telescope. It has eight times greater resolution and is able to detect sources more than 20 times fainter than any previous X-ray telescope. The Chandra X-Ray Observatory is part of NASA’s fleet of “Great Observatories” which also includes the Hubble Space Telescope and James Webb Space Telescope. It is capable of 10 more years of projected active life, but it is facing a major shutdown, with proposed budget cuts in the FY2025–FY2029 fiscal year budget plans, which effectively aim to end its mission by 2026 or 2027.
• The Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope, launched June 11, 2008, is a very accurate space observatory in low Earth orbit, studying the most energetic forms of light. It maps the high-energy universe, including pulsars, black holes, etc. It uses the Large Area Telescope (LAT) as its main instrument, which scans the entire sky every three hours. The telescope, which is in good functioning condition, is slated for termination in the 2026-2027 budget or shortly thereafter.
