Some of the universe’s greatest mysteries — like the potential for life on Mars or whether humans could ever inhabit Venus — may never get solved, and the blame, scientists say, lies squarely on Donald Trump’s proposed “extinction-level” cuts to NASA’s budget.
Last month, the Trump administration unveiled a controversial plan to slash NASA’s funding by 24%, dropping it to $18.8 billion — the agency’s lowest budget since 2015. The deepest cuts are aimed squarely at space and Earth science missions, which would lose over 53% of their current funding from 2024.
If Congress approves this plan, critics warn it could shut down iconic NASA labs, abandon deep-space missions, even those already underway, and crush the dreams of a new generation of space exploration before they even launch.
Among the biggest casualties? The long-anticipated Mars Sample Return mission, already struggling with budget issues, and two ambitious Venus projects, DAVINCI+ and VERITAS. These missions, greenlit during the Biden administration and scheduled for the early 2030s, would have marked NASA’s first return to Venus since 1989.
Instead of focusing only on what’s being lost now, space advocates are sounding the alarm about the future breakthroughs that may never happen. They’re urging lawmakers in Washington to reject the cuts and even consider boosting NASA’s funding.
“This budget is the equivalent of an extinction-level event,” said Casey Dreier, Chief of Space Policy at the Planetary Society, which is actively lobbying against the cuts. “Like an asteroid wiping out perfectly healthy ecosystems, this would decimate projects that are working, on time, on budget, and producing groundbreaking science.”
According to Dreier, missions could be shut down mid-flight, extended projects could be abandoned in orbit, and future plans would be scrapped overnight. Worse still, hundreds if not thousands of scientists and engineers could lose their jobs as research money and tech investments disappear.
“These cuts shut off the faucet of discovery,” Dreier said. “We’re talking about investments that would pay off in five, ten, or twenty years, possibly redefining our understanding of the cosmos.”
Crucial questions like “Is Mars habitable?”, “Can Venus support life?”, or “How many Earth-like planets are out there?” might never be answered, not because they can’t be, but because “we’re choosing to stop asking them.”
Beyond planetary exploration, a slew of long-planned science projects could also be on the chopping block. While NASA’s overall budget would be slashed, the administration plans to funnel more money into crewed spaceflight — especially the first human mission to Mars, a top priority for Trump and his unconfirmed pick for NASA administrator, entrepreneur Jared Isaacman.
One particularly painful potential loss is the $3.9 billion Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope, a next-generation observatory meant to succeed Hubble and James Webb. Scheduled for launch by May 2027, this telescope could help discover 200,000 planets beyond our solar system, survey over a billion galaxies, and unlock secrets about black holes, dark matter, and dark energy.
According to the Planetary Society, canceling the Roman Telescope now — after billions have already been spent — would be “nuts,” as astrophysicist David Spergel bluntly told Scientific American.
Meanwhile, scientists warn that this shift away from science could allow other nations to catch or even surpass the U.S. in space innovation.
“We’re seeing a growing attitude in the U.S. that science just isn’t as important anymore,” said Ehud Behar, a high-energy astrophysicist at Technion – Israel Institute of Technology and a former NASA researcher. “It won’t happen overnight, but countries like China, with their massive scientific workforce and growing investment, could start achieving space feats in five to ten years that only NASA is capable of today.”
Behar also fears a brain drain at NASA. “There are incredibly talented people at these agencies, folks who’ve learned to be ingenious even with tight budgets,” he said. “It’s a myth that NASA is swimming in cash. Even in the best years, they never had enough to do everything they wanted.”
He emphasized: “The real challenge during a budget crisis is keeping your top talent.”
Dreier confirmed that there have been productive conversations on Capitol Hill, with support coming from both Republicans and Democrats who are fighting to restore or increase NASA’s science funding.
“The pitch is simple,” he said. “Why throw away so much that we’ve already paid for?”
“This is a budget of retreat,” Dreier added. “Instead of looking up to the stars, we’re turning inward. It’s like staring at pictures of the Grand Canyon on your phone while sitting at the edge of it in real life — and not bothering to look.”