NASA Programs in Budget Crosshairs: What’s Thriving and What’s Struggling?

Budget would eliminate several projects that are hitting proposed targets or actively conducting valuable research.

Jack Daleo

Wednesday, July 09, 2025 at 04:36 PM ET

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Jack Daleo

NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) rocket is among projects in the crosshairs of the White House’s fiscal year 2026 budget. [Courtesy: NASA]

Key Takeaways:

The White House's FY2026 budget proposes a historic 24% cut to NASA's funding, reducing it to $18.8 billion, with a dramatic shift in priorities towards human lunar and Mars exploration.
This budget plan severely slashes funding for science missions (a 47% cut to the Science Mission Directorate) and targets both over-budget projects like Orion and SLS, as well as many successful, on-schedule, and even active science programs for cancellation.
The proposal faces strong opposition from former NASA leaders, the scientific community, and members of Congress, who have already legislated funding to preserve some targeted programs, creating significant uncertainty and contributing to a substantial workforce reduction at NASA.

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The White House’s fiscal year 2026 budget request proposes a dramatic 24 percent cut to NASA’s funding, slashing it from $24.8 billion to $18.8 billion—the largest single-year reduction in the agency’s history, per The Planetary Society.

The request takes aim at projects it describes as “grossly expensive and delayed.” But many programs in the crosshairs are hitting their cost and schedule targets. Some are actively exploring outer space.