The traditional blue circular logo of NASA symbolizes the agency at the center of the 2026 budget cuts proposed that could reshape the US space science. Credit: NASA
Update, 11 June: The meeting of the virtual budget community of the NASA Science Mission Directorate (SMD) originally scheduled for Thursday 12 June was postponed, according to an update of Wednesday of the NASA Katherine Rohloff. The delay will allow the time for all the directions of the NASA mission to Brancare the internal staff and keep discussions on the balance of the president of the 2026 year. In the meantime, the members of the community are encouraged to continue asking applications through the online form. NASA stressed that these questions will help to model future decisions, adding: “SMD can’t wait to connect with the community and answer questions soon”.
The 2026 budget proposed by the White House includes radical cuts to the management of NASA scientific mission (SMD), reduced its funding of about 47 %, as reported by the American Astronomical Society (AAS). The reductions of NASA’s scientific balance sheet would have a significant impact on the programs between astrophysics, heliumaphysics, earth sciences and planetary sciences, raising concerns throughout the scientific community.
NASA will hold a meeting of the virtual community of the management of the scientific mission on Thursday 12 June 2025, from 12:00 to 13:00 et. The associated administrator Nicky Fox will guide the session, which aims to explain the proposed changes in the scientific budget of NASA and collect feedback from scientific and research communities.
The meeting will be open to the public through Webex. To participate, click on the Webex connection and, when requested, enter the number of the event 2820 609 9132 and the password of the 9ejmaurns87 event. The meeting will also be broadcast on YouTube and then a registration will be available.
AAS has published an invitation to action, exhorting scientists, students and supporters of space science to contact their members of the congress. AAS stressed that NASA’s scientific balance is only a request in this phase and that the legislative action could still change the final allocations. In a declaration, the organization warned that the proposed cuts “represent an existential threat to our disciplines”.
The situation is further complicated by the cancellation of the city of NASA Sala sessions At the AAS meeting of the 246th in progress in Anchorage, Alaska, eliminating a traditional place for Discussion between the leadership of the agency and professional astronomers. With those meetings outside the table, the virtual session of June 12 becomes a key opportunity for the scientific community to commit themselves directly with the decision makers of NASA and express their concerns for the future of US space science.
