The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) instructed NASA to temporarily pause funding for a number of science missions. The move aligns with the White House\u2019s proposed cuts for NASA\u2019s 2026 budget, which were later restored by Congress.<\/p>\n
NASA headquarters sent an email to the agency\u2019s centers, instructing them to limit financial commitments on more than 15 science missions ahead of incoming guidelines from OMB, Politico first reported<\/a>. The list includes the Chandra X-Ray Observatory and other missions that were threatened to be called off under the administration\u2019s 2026 budget proposal<\/a>.<\/p>\n False hope <\/p>\n The White House\u2019s proposed budget for 2026 would have reduced NASA\u2019s funding by $6 billion<\/a> compared to 2025. Under that proposal, NASA\u2019s planetary science budget would drop from $2.7 billion to $1.9 billion.<\/p>\n The proposed budget would have dealt NASA the largest single-year cut in the agency\u2019s history.<\/p>\n In an effort to rescue NASA\u2019s science missions, Congress passed a budget bill in January that rejected nearly all of the proposed budget cuts<\/a>. The bill secures $24.4 billion for NASA, about the same amount the agency received in 2024 and 2025\u2014 and much higher than the administration\u2019s previously proposed $18.8 billion for 2026<\/a>.<\/p>\n On hold <\/p>\n The funding bill is meant to preserve NASA\u2019s scientific and exploration missions, but the recent directive suggests those may still face threats from the current administration.<\/p>\n