White House seeks deep NASA cuts as Artemis II breaks spaceflight record

Artemis II just pulled off something spectacular — the crew swung around the far side of the Moon and, it has been reported that, surpassed Apollo 13's record for the farthest distance humans have traveled from Earth. Cue the confetti. But don't get too comfortable. At the same moment the mission was being hailed, it has been reported that the White House submitted a FY2027 budget request that would slash NASA’s topline from $24.4 billion to $18.8 billion. Ouch.

Budget shock

If enacted, the proposal would deeply gut science funding — from $7.3 billion last year to roughly $3.9 billion — while carving back Space Operations and Safety, Security and Mission Services. One bright, almost eyebrow-raising exception: Exploration (human lunar missions) would get a bump, from $7.8 billion to $8.5 billion. It has been reported that a source close to JPL called the request “dismal as expected,” and the Planetary Society warned the proposal “needlessly resurrects an existential threat to US leadership in space science and exploration.” How do you celebrate a lunar milestone and also threaten the very science that makes it possible?

Politics and program risk

The budget document reportedly describes the Space Launch System as “grossly expensive and delayed” and urges finding a more cost-effective replacement for SLS and Orion — easier said than done, especially while the heavy-lift alternatives are still in flux. It has been reported that SpaceX’s Starship suffered another delay on April 3, with Elon Musk pushing the next test flight weeks into the future. Congress has pushed back before — flat funding for FY2026 and roughly $10 billion in add-ons for human spaceflight — but the backdrop is different now: rising defence spending and a tighter fiscal leash. Our sources say it’s a worrying time.

The emotional core here is sharp: human beings reaching farther into space than any in half a century, even as the purse strings tighten back on the ground. Will lawmakers again steady the ship, or will applause at Mission Control give way to a long, uneasy silence in the labs and clean rooms?

Sources: The Register