24. 4 Billion Budget Plan For NASA, Preserving Science Funding

The White House and Congress had been negotiating over various issues throughout the summer and fall, which impacted NASA’s budget.

Initially, lawmakers indicated their intention to fund most of NASA’s science portfolio, providing some reassurance.

Preliminary efforts to shut down active NASA missions were put on hold, avoiding an immediate crisis.

On Monday, Congress released a $24. 4 billion budget plan for NASA as part of the conferencing process.

The budget plan is part of the process where House and Senate lawmakers convene to finalize a budget.

NASA’s science funding will be reduced by only 1 percent to $7. 25 billion for fiscal year 2026.

Casey Dreier, chief of space policy for The Planetary Society, expressed relief and optimism about the budget outcome.

Dreier stated that the result is “better than I could have expected,” indicating a positive surprise.

The Planetary Society had argued against the proposed cuts to NASA’s science funding.

Dreier noted that the potential shutdown of active missions would have wasted valuable time that could have been spent analyzing data.

The brief period of uncertainty created “needless friction and churn” for NASA, according to Dreier.

The current budget situation comes at a time when NASA is striving to remain