The US Office of Management and Budget has released the proposed US government budget for 2027, and it doesn’t pull any punches. As with the last budget, it proposes slashing NASA’s science funding.
The overall cuts sit around $3.4 billion, resulting in a 23% reduction. It would affect “over 40 low-priority missions,” though only two are named directly.
The first is the Mars Sample Return Mission, which seems odd given that it was effectively killed earlier this year. It’s unclear what additional aspects of that mission remain to cut, but the report makes a point of attacking the “grossly over-budget” program anyway.
It also says that the mission’s goals would be taken over by a future crewed mission, raising the question of just how many billions that push might cost, relative to the funds required to finish this one. On the other hand, the sample return mission was legitimately ballooning in scope and might have been cut by a less aggressive administration, regardless.
NASA’s budget over time, adjusted for inflation. Credit: The Planetary Society
The other mentioned program is SERVIR, which aims to work with emerging economies and scientific organizations to help them access and integrate information from orbital climate science. The budget claims that this program “imposed climate extremism on developing countries.”
The issue here seems to stem from the fact that SERVIR is a climate program in the first place. It’s also a joint program operated by NASA and the US Agency for International Development (USAID), which may have contributed to the target on its back. Trump’s austerity measures have often focused on USAID, arguing that it must be shut down completely. As a relatively small program, SERVIR may have been caught up in the quest to end everything USAID does.
There’s also a proposed $143 million cut to NASA’s Office of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) Engagement. This mostly affects education and outreach initiatives, including the complete elimination of a program aimed specifically at historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs).
Another proposed $1.1 billion cut would affect ISS operations, but that’s less of an issue given the station’s planned end-of-mission in 2031. (That’s despite efforts to keep it in orbit until 2032.)
NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman. Credit: Miguel J Rodriguez Carrillo/Getty Images
The Planetary Society said in a statement that the proposal “needlessly resurrects an existential threat to US leadership in space science and exploration.” The resurrection refers to 2026’s proposed cuts, which received bipartisan pushback.
It should be noted that it’s very possible that some or all of these proposed cuts are being included to give the administration something to roll back in negotiations.
Asked whether he agrees with the cuts, the newly appointed NASA head, Jared Isaacman, said, “Of course I do.” He noted that the administration has earmarked billions in new funding for missions to the Moon and Mars.
We’ll keep checking in with the progression of these proposals as the final budget becomes clearer. Given the federal budgetary conflicts currently affecting other agencies, however, it might be quite some time before we see a finalized spending plan for the US government.
