Trump's budget cuts target NASA's SLS rocket, deep space programs
What's the story
The Donald Trump administration's proposed budget plan could cut NASA's funding by as much as $6 billion.
The amount would mark a whopping 25% cut from the agency's $24.8 billion budget, reducing it to an estimated $18.8 billion.
The proposal seeks to end NASA's Space Launch System (SLS) rocket and Orion capsule after two additional missions, and includes cuts across all of NASA's science programs.
Gateway, a planned Moon-orbiting space station (part of NASA's Artemis program) might also get canceled.
Criticism
Planetary Society criticizes proposed budget cuts
The Planetary Society has slammed the proposed budget cuts, deeming it "the largest single-year cut to NASA in American history."
They claim that such a move would "recklessly slash NASA's science budget by 47%, forcing widespread terminations of functional missions worth billions of dollars."
The society's statement comes even as Jared Isaacman, Trump's nominee to lead NASA, has yet to take office.
Focus shift
Proposed budget plan focuses on lunar exploration and Mars
The proposed budget plan emphasizes lunar exploration and Mars missions. It dedicates over $7 billion to lunar exploration and $1 billion to Mars-focused programs.
The document proposes to replace SLS and Orion flights to Moon with more cost-effective commercial systems that would enable more ambitious subsequent lunar missions.
"SLS alone costs $4 billion per launch and is 140% over budget," the budget document reads.
However, it doesn't detail what these replacement systems would be, though many have speculated SpaceX's Starship.
Future missions
NASA's Artemis missions and Mars landing plans
NASA's Artemis 2 mission, which will fly around the Moon no earlier than spring 2026, is already being prepared at Kennedy Space Center.
Artemis 3 mission plans to launch four astronauts in the Orion spacecraft atop NASA's SLS no earlier than mid-2027.
Meanwhile, landing Americans on Mars has been a major focus for Trump and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk.
Impact
Proposed budget cuts impact NASA's science budget
The proposed budget cuts would also hit NASA's science budget hard. Space Science is slated to take a $2.2 billion cut, while Earth Science is expected to take a $1.1 billion hit.
Cuts of about half a billion dollars for the International Space Station (ISS) are also on the way.
The delayed Mars sample return project could be scrapped due to these cuts, with human missions to Mars possibly delivering that sample return by the 2030s.
Opposition
Coalition of space advocacy groups expresses alarm
A coalition of 10 space advocacy groups, including the American Astronomical Society and The Mars Society, has voiced "profound alarm" at the potential deep cuts in NASA science.
They warned that these cuts would severely impact space science research and analysis programs, university departments, research institutions, and NASA centers.
The group also raised concerns about planetary defense and heliophysics.