A growing dispute between U.S. President Donald Trump and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk has intensified concerns over deep budget cuts to NASA, raising uncertainty around the future of American space exploration and scientific research.
The White House has proposed sweeping reductions to NASA’s budget, slashing science and Earth observation programs by nearly 50%. Now, Trump has threatened to end federal contracts with SpaceX — a key NASA partner — adding further instability to an already fragile situation.
NASA depends heavily on SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rockets to supply the International Space Station and on Starship for future missions to the Moon and Mars. If contracts are withdrawn, mission delays or cancellations could follow.
The proposed budget includes the cancellation of more than 40 missions, including Mars Sample Return, Earth climate monitoring projects, and partnerships with the European Space Agency (ESA). Only the Mars astronaut mission is expected to receive increased funding, with a $100 million boost.
“This is the biggest crisis ever to face the U.S. space program,” said Casey Dreier of the Planetary Society. “It undermines long-term planning and international cooperation.”
NASA's Space Launch System (SLS), a long-delayed and over-budget Moon rocket, is also facing phase-out under the new budget. The plan is to replace it with lower-cost commercial alternatives like SpaceX’s Starship and Blue Origin’s New Glenn. However, both systems are still under development and have yet to prove full reliability.
Dr. Simeon Barber, a space scientist at the Open University, warned that such drastic shifts could jeopardize the entire space science ecosystem. “Space exploration requires stability. These cuts are a wrecking ball to decades of planning.”
Environmental missions are also on the chopping block. Earth observation satellites used to track climate change could be shut down, reducing global capability to monitor environmental risks. “These programmes are our early warning systems,” said Dr. Adam Baker of Cranfield University. “Turning them off is dangerous.”
International projects are at risk as well. ESA’s Rosalind Franklin rover and the Mars sample return mission may be left incomplete if NASA withdraws its support. ESA has acknowledged the uncertainty and stated it is preparing to build more autonomy in its space program.
Despite the outcry, the budget must still pass through Congress. Some lawmakers have privately expressed opposition to the cuts, but if political gridlock stalls negotiations, the reduced interim budget could go into effect by default — and once missions are halted, they are rarely restarted.
For now, the future of America’s space science hangs in the balance, caught between politics, private sector tensions, and shifting national priorities.
