SpaceX · Elon Musk · White House · Artemis Program · The Register
White House axes NASA budget as Artemis II breaks record
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First, the good news: the Artemis II crew has successfully swung around the far side of the Moon and surpassed Apollo 13's record for the farthest humans have traveled from Earth.
Key facts
- The US administration celebrated Artemis II's success while simultaneously proposing a FY 2027 budget [PDF] that would slash NASA's overall spending allowance from $24.4 billion to $18.8 billion
- If enacted, the request would gut science funding from $7.3 billion in 2026 to $3.9 billion
- Lawmakers also added almost $10 billion earmarked largely for human spaceflight through 2032, including $2.6 billion for the Gateway space station, which Isaacman subsequently paused in favor
- One bright spot is Exploration (including human missions to the Moon), which would get a bump from $7.8 billion to $8.5 billion
Summary
The US administration celebrated Artemis II's success while simultaneously proposing a FY 2027 budget that would slash NASA's overall spending allowance from $24.4 billion to $18.8 billion. If enacted, the request would gut science funding from $7.3 billion in 2026 to $3.9 billion. One bright spot is Exploration (including human missions to the Moon), which would get a bump from $7.8 billion to $8.5 billion. The Planetary Society was blunter in its response, saying: "This proposal needlessly resurrects an existential threat to US leadership in space science and exploration.