WASHINGTON — The White House is proposing major changes to NASA in its fiscal year 2026 budget request, seeking to phase out the Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft as well as reduce operations of the International Space Station as part of one of the largest proposed cuts in agency history.
The White House’s Office of Management and Budget (OMB) released a top-level budget proposal for fiscal year 2026 May 2. The so-called “skinny” budget includes overall funding levels and some details, but without the same level of detail as a full budget proposal. The ful budget is expected in late May.
For NASA, the skinny budget requests just $18.8 billion for the agency, a cut of nearly 25% from the $24.9 billion the agency received in the full-year continuing resolution for fiscal year 2025.
“This proposal includes investments to simultaneously pursue exploration of the Moon and Mars while still prioritizing critical science and technology research,” acting NASA Administrator Janet Petro said in an agency statement. “I appreciate the President’s continued support for NASA’s mission and look forward to working closely with the administration and Congress to ensure we continue making progress toward achieving the impossible.”
That overall cut includes a new focus on both human missions to the moon and Mars. “The Budget refocuses National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) funding on beating China back to the Moon and on putting the first human on Mars,” a fact sheet accompanying the bill states. “By allocating over $7 billion for lunar exploration and introducing $1 billion in new investments for Mars-focused programs, the Budget ensures that America’s human space exploration efforts remain unparalleled, innovative, and efficient.”
That shift would affect two of the central programs in the current Artemis architecture, the SLS and Orion. “The Budget phases out the grossly expensive and delayed Space Launch System…
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