Under President Trump's proposed budget, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration is largely focused on becoming the country's Moon and Mars administration, bringing astronauts to these two destinations.
The Trump administration proposed a $18.8 billion budget to NASA, down 24% from the current budget year's $24.8 billion. The plan aims to fulfill Trump's pledge to “plant the flag” on Mars during his speech to Congress in March.
That budgetary change also coincides with Elon Musk's priorities 20 years ago, who founded his SpaceX Rocket Company with the dream of sending his SpaceX Rocket Company to settlers one day to Mars.
The budget proposal does not provide details on how $1 billion will be spent, or a timeline for getting astronauts to Mars. Musk said in the second half of 2026 SpaceX will launch a new, huge spacecraft vehicle on Mars that is currently not developed.
“The proposal includes investments to prioritize important science and technology research and pursue exploration of the Moon and Mars,” said Janet Petro, NASA administrator, in a statement.
Deepcut will cut spending at NASA, particularly elsewhere in the agency's Robotics and Space Science Mission. The proposed cancellation includes a mission to retrieve rock samples from Mars, as well as a climate surveillance satellite. The astronaut and Orion crew capsules will pull the astronaut back to the moon after Artemis III, the first crew to land near the moon's Antarctica. The Gateway, a small space station in orbit around the moon, will also be cancelled.
“The exploration of space is a nonprofit that advocates for space exploration,” said Casey Drier, director of space policy at the Planetary Association. “This is the budget that America is the world's leading in space, and we're inwardly looking.”
The budget plan also calls for an expansion of operations at the International Space Station. It also proposes the elimination of NASA's educational efforts, depicting them as “awakening.” President Trump tried to cancel NASA's education efforts during his first term, as did President Obama, but in both cases Congress recovered the money.
In the case of aviation, budgets eliminate research to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from planes.
The budget also proposes cutting “mission support” by over $1 billion, with the savings that can be saved by reducing employee headcount, maintenance, construction and “environmental compliance activities.”
However, a report by the National Academy last September called for NASA to significantly increase its spending on infrastructure upgrades.
