The White House has put forward a proposal to significantly reduce NASA’s overall budget by 23% for fiscal year 2027. This move comes even as it simultaneously seeks to boost funding for its flagship Artemis lunar program.
This plan would slash the agency’s total funding by $5.6 billion, with the science division facing the most severe impact. Nearly half of its budget could be eliminated, potentially jeopardizing over 40 missions spanning astrophysics, heliophysics, and planetary exploration.
In contrast, the Artemis program, which is at the core of America’s ambitions to return humans to the Moon, would receive an additional $731 million. This increase would bring its total funding to approximately $8.5 billion. The targeted investment focuses on crucial elements such as lunar landers, spacesuits, and the infrastructure necessary for a sustained human presence on the Moon.
This proposal highlights a growing divergence in priorities between human spaceflight and scientific research. It also surfaces just days after the Artemis II mission successfully captured global attention.
Space advocacy groups have voiced strong criticism of the plan, warning that it could undermine the United States’ leadership in space sciences. Organizations like The Planetary Society have explicitly called these proposed cuts an “existential threat.”
Despite these concerns, the proposal is expected to face a difficult journey through Congress. Similar budget cuts were rejected last year with strong bipartisan opposition, and lawmakers are anticipated to push back against this new proposal once again.