Overview

• The proposed budget reduces NASA’s Science Mission Directorate funding from $7.5 billion to $3.9 billion, a nearly 50% cut, according to the White House passback document.
• Astrophysics funding would drop from $1.5 billion to $487 million, and planetary science from $2.7 billion to $1.9 billion, severely impacting research capabilities.
• The Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope, a flagship project scheduled for launch in 2026, faces termination under the proposed budget, while legacy missions like Hubble and Webb remain funded.
• The draft budget is part of the initial passback process, and Congress, which holds final budgetary authority, is expected to challenge the cuts during appropriations negotiations.
• Critics, including US Rep. George Whitesides, warn that the cuts could undermine U.S. leadership in space exploration and scientific innovation, calling them an 'extinction-level' threat to NASA’s science programs.