White House Proposes 46% Cut to NASA Science Budget, Threatening Dozens of Missions

Key Points

• 46% cut ($3.4 billion) to NASA's Science Mission Directorate proposed
• Threatens half of all active and in-development science projects
• JPL missions to Mars and Venus specifically targeted
• Second-largest single-year cut in NASA history

Full Details

The White House budget proposal for fiscal year 2026 calls for a drastic 46% reduction to NASA's Science Mission Directorate, amounting to a $3.4 billion cut that would eliminate nearly half of all active and in-development science projects. This includes critical missions beyond Pluto, at Jupiter, and numerous Earth and Sun monitoring programs. The Planetary Society's Space Advocate newsletter describes this as the least transparent NASA budget justification ever read, while the Los Angeles Times reports the administration is asking Congress for a 23% overall NASA funding cut. The JPL in California faces particular threats, with projects like the Mars rover exploring the ancient river delta and a Venus orbit mission targeted. This marks the second-largest single-year cut in NASA history, following last year's budgetary crises.