19-05-2025
Donald Trump's NASA budget: Why it may make it difficult to track asteroids approaching Earth
The discussion around the possibility of an asteroid hitting the Earth mostly remains a topic of speculation among scientists and enthusiasts. Keeping the recent speculation about YR4 and other asteroids making rounds near the Earth, NASA has been developing new equipment to detect and track potentially hazardous asteroids.
However, recent budget proposals by the Trump administration might threaten to derail this important planetary defense initiative.
What budget cuts has Trump proposed for NASA?
According to reports by Time and ArcsTechnia, President Trump's fiscal year 2026 budget proposal includes a 24% reduction in NASA's overall funding, dropping it from $24.8 billion to $18.8 billion, which is also the lowest since 2015. More concerning is the nearly 50% cut to the Science Mission Directorate, reducing its budget from $7.5 billion to $3.9 billion. This drastic reduction hampers and fiddles with numerous scientific programs, including planetary defense efforts like the
NEO Surveyor mission
.
How does this impact the planetary defense system?
The NEO Surveyor mission is NASA's next step in planetary defense, aiming to detect and characterise near-Earth objects (NEOs) that could be a possible threat to our planet. By operating in infrared wavelengths, it can identify asteroids that are invisible to optical telescopes. Delays or cancellations of this mission would leave Earth vulnerable to potential impacts from undetected asteroids.
The budget has been partially restored
In response to the proposed budget cuts, the House Appropriations Committee has partially restored funding for the NEO Surveyor mission, allocating $94.9 million.
While this is a step in the right direction, it falls short of the $170 million, which NASA had requested to maintain the mission's timeline. The committee has urged NASA to provide a revised launch schedule that ensures the mission proceeds without further delays, as reported by Space News.
The proposed budget cuts impact beyond planetary defense systems. Various other programs, such as the Mars Sample Return mission, the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope, and the Space Launch System, are also on the edge.
The Politico reported that former NASA Administrator Bill Nelson criticised the proposed budget cuts, likening them to attacking the agency with "a chainsaw and a meat-ax." He warned that such drastic reductions would severely harm NASA's core scientific research and technological development, potentially plunging the agency "into a dark age."
