FY2027 NASA budget proposal
White House FY2027 NASA budget: .8bn total, Artemis +10%, science -47%.
Last refreshed: 4 April 2026
What gets destroyed and what gets built if the FY2027 NASA budget passes?
Latest on FY2027 NASA budget proposal
- What is the FY2027 NASA budget proposal?
- The White House FY2027 NASA budget proposes $18.8 billion total (-23%), with Artemis crewed exploration up 10% and the Science Mission Directorate cut by 47% (roughly $3.4 billion).Source: /t/artemis-ii-2026/3/white-house-guts-nasa-science-by-47
- How much would the FY2027 budget cut NASA science?
- The Science Mission Directorate would be cut by 47%, reducing it from roughly $7.3 billion to $3.9 billion -- the largest proposed science cut in NASA's history.Source: /t/artemis-ii-2026/3/white-house-guts-nasa-science-by-47
- Will the FY2027 NASA budget actually pass?
- The budget proposal is not law. Congress writes the final appropriations and senior members, including the Ranking Member of the House Science Committee, have already called the proposal something to be ignored.Source: /t/artemis-ii-2026/3/white-house-guts-nasa-science-by-47
- Why is Artemis getting more money while NASA science gets cut?
- The White House proposal reflects a deliberate rebalancing toward crewed lunar exploration (Artemis) and away from robotic science missions; critics argue the two goals are not mutually exclusive and the cuts are politically rather than technically motivated.Source: /t/artemis-ii-2026/3/white-house-guts-nasa-science-by-47
Background
The FY2027 NASA Budget Proposal is the White House's annual request to Congress for NASA's discretionary appropriation for the fiscal year beginning October 2026. The proposal sets a total NASA budget of $18.8 billion, a reduction of approximately 23% from the prior year, and contains the most radical internal reallocation in the agency's recent history.
The proposal increases Artemis crewed lunar exploration funding by 10% while cutting the Science Mission Directorate by 47% (roughly $3.4 billion). Earth science, heliophysics, astrophysics, and planetary science programmes all face severe reductions. The budget also reduces funding for aeronautics research, STEM outreach, and international partnership activities. Aeronautics, STEM, and operations accounts face further cuts. The International Space Station operations budget faces uncertainty as the proposal reflects the White House's accelerated timeline for ISS deorbit and commercial station transition.
Budget proposals are not law: Congress writes the final appropriations. The proposal has already drawn fierce opposition from senior committee members, including Ranking Member Zoe Lofgren who called it something to be ignored. The outcome will define NASA's operational shape through the late 2020s and is the most significant federal science budget battle since the 1990s sequestration.