Trump’s 2026 budget aims to cut billions from NASA with renewed focus on Mars
The Trump administration’s proposed budget aims to essentially make NASA’s sole focus getting astronauts to Mars and the Moon. The New York Times reports that the administration wants a budget of just under $19 billion for the space agency, a drop of more than 24% from its current budget of nearly $25 billion. The cuts and refocused agenda were revealed in Trump’s proposed 2026 budget on Friday, May 2.
According to The Times, the proposal would include $1 billion dedicated to Mars with the goal of achieving President Donald Trump’s promise to “plant a flag” on the red planet during his address to Congress earlier this year.
What does it have to do with Elon Musk?
The plan is also in concert with Trump ally Elon Musk’s company SpaceX’s aim to launch an unmanned spacecraft to Mars in 2026. Musk would likely need funds from NASA to achieve this effort, and he has expressed a desire to colonize the planet in the future. Musk was also a key donor to Trump’s re-election campaign, donating roughly $250 million to get him back in the White House.
The 2026 proposed budget, however, does not specify how the $1 billion in allocated funds for Mars is to be spent.
What is NASA’s head saying?
In a statement, acting NASA Administrator Janet Petro said, “This proposal includes investments to simultaneously pursue exploration of the Moon and Mars while still prioritizing critical science and technology research.”
Petro highlighted several key areas, including “more than $7 billion for lunar exploration and $1 billion in new investments in Mars-focused programs.” She also noted that the budget is in line with the administration’s vow to “return to the Moon before China and putting an American on Mars.” Petro added that the proposal will also “minimize duplication of efforts and most efficiently steward the allocation of American taxpayer dollars.”
What gets cut?
The potential budget would also mean cutting spending for other programs within NASA, particularly its robotics space missions, which include collecting rock samples from Mars and climate monitoring satellites. It would also cancel the Space Launch System and Orion crew capsule, which is taking astronauts back to the Moon after Artemis III. The Times also reports that a small space station orbiting the Moon known as Gateway would also be slashed.
What are critics saying?
If the budget moves forward, advocates for space exploration tell The Times, “This is the largest single-year cut to NASA in American history. This is a budget that says America is done leading the world in space, that we are a nation turning inward.”
What else is in jeopardy?
The proposal would also result in fewer astronauts at the International Space Station and limit operations aboard it. The budget plan also calls for terminating NASA’s education programs, which also faced elimination under Trump during his first term and former President Barack Obama. Both efforts failed as Congress reestablished funds for educational efforts.
Additional items set to be cut under the plan include research on greenhouse gas emissions from airplanes and more than $1 billion in cuts that could lead to layoffs.
The reduced budget plan comes as the National Academies urged NASA to substantially increase spending on improving its infrastructure, with a large portion of its equipment dating back more than six decades.
Ella Rae Greene, Editor In Chief
