The scientific community is mobilizing against what experts call "the largest single-year cut to NASA in American history." The proposed Trump administration budget for fiscal year 2026 would slash NASA's overall funding by 24% to $18.8 billion, with science programs facing a devastating 47% reduction.
The cuts would terminate numerous AI-powered space exploration projects that have been making significant progress. Among the casualties would be autonomous navigation systems like AEGIS (Autonomous Exploration for Gathering Increased Science) and MLNav (Machine Learning Navigation) that enable rovers to make real-time decisions on Mars and other planetary bodies. The budget would also end NASA's Mars Sample Return mission, despite years of sample collection by the Perseverance rover.
While the budget increases funding for human exploration to Mars by $1 billion, it simultaneously eliminates key infrastructure like the Lunar Gateway space station and plans to retire the Space Launch System rocket and Orion capsule after the Artemis III mission. The workforce reductions would be equally severe, with NASA's staff potentially shrinking from 17,391 to 11,853 employees—the smallest NASA workforce since the mid-1960s.
"If this budget is made real, I am most concerned about people," said John O'Meara, chief scientist at the Keck Observatory. "Missions deliver data and are essential, but the data is meaningless without the people there to interpret it, test theories and share discoveries with the world."
The protest planned for June 30 at NASA Headquarters aims to highlight how these cuts would undermine America's position in the emerging global space race, particularly against China's ambitious space program. However, there may be hope for NASA's AI initiatives, as congressional opposition to the cuts appears bipartisan. Senator Ted Cruz (R-Texas) has already proposed dedicating $10 billion more to NASA's science programs, and multiple congressional offices have described the budget as "dead on arrival."