#nasa-funding

#nasa-funding

NASA is quietly ending financial support for independent planetary science advisory groups, according to a letter posted to the agency's website on January 16. The affected groups have historically offered feedback to the space agency on science efforts ranging from the exploration of Mars and ocean worlds to the storage of extraterrestrial samples, and more. According to the letter, signed by Louise Prockter, director of NASA's Planetary Science Division, funding to support these Analysis and Assessment Groups will end toward the end of April 2026.

US Congress has rejected plans to slash NASA's science budget, restoring most funding with one notable exception: Mars Sample Return remains cancelled. A joint explanatory statement was released earlier this month, and lawmakers have passed the bill. The legislation, passed with 82 senators voting for it, 15 against, and three abstaining, reverses an earlier proposal that would have cut NASA's overall budget by nearly 25 percent and halved science spending - potentially shutting down many active missions.

The Artemis III mission and those beyond should be canceled and we should start over, proceeding with all deliberate speed," Griffin said. He included a link to his plan, which is not dissimilar from the "Apollo on Steroids" architecture he championed two decades ago, but was later found to be unaffordable within NASA's existing budget.

We are taking steps to restructure and establish an appropriate size to ensure future success.

Zoom out: The gathering in DC stems from the Trump administration's plan to gut funding, while a government shutdown has already furloughed 85% of NASA staff. The White House has even floated mass firings during the shutdown, putting long-term missions and jobs at risk. Meanwhile, China is accelerating: planning a Mars Sample Return by 2028, a major Jupiter mission, a Venus atmosphere probe, and an asteroid defense swarm.