Overview
- The White House’s FY2027 request would drop NASA’s budget to $18.8 billion and cut the Science Mission Directorate by about 47 percent while boosting human exploration.
- A Planetary Society analysis tallies 54 science missions at risk under the plan, including Jupiter’s Juno, the Chandra X-ray Observatory, and two planned Venus probes.
- Congress kept NASA near prior-year levels in January but trimmed planetary science by about $200 million and canceled the troubled Mars Sample Return program.
- NASA officials say tighter budgets could force one-year extensions for some Mars missions and jeopardize DAVINCI, VERITAS, and U.S. support for Europe’s EnVision orbiter.
- Lawmakers are mobilizing again, with more than 100 House members urging $9 billion for science, as some warn OMB could delay funds even after they are appropriated.