In a controversial move, U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration has proposed significant reductions to NASA’s moon-focused Artemis program in the 2026 federal budget, redirecting funds toward commercial space alternatives and a renewed push to reach Mars.
The outline of Trump’s 2026 budget, released on Friday, calls for a drastic $6 billion cut from NASA’s existing $24.8 billion budget—a 24% reduction. The proposal targets some of NASA’s most high-profile projects, including the Space Launch System (SLS) and the Orion crew capsule, both cornerstones of the Artemis moon mission strategy.
The proposed budget suggests terminating NASA’s over-budget SLS rocket and Lockheed Martin’s Orion spacecraft after their third scheduled mission in 2027. These programs were originally launched under the Artemis initiative, a lunar return mission first championed during Trump’s earlier term.
The SLS, developed by Boeing and Northrop Grumman, has faced long-standing delays and cost overruns. According to the budget summary, the rocket’s total development cost has reached nearly $23 billion since 2010—roughly 140% over budget. Furthermore, each SLS launch costs an estimated $4 billion.
Trump's 2026 budget marks a significant shift in direction for U.S. space policy. The Artemis program, which was once a signature element of Trump’s earlier presidency, was intended to return American astronauts to the Moon before China’s first planned crewed lunar mission in 2030. The program grew into a multi-billion-dollar project involving a wide network of domestic contractors and international partners including Canada, Japan, and the European Space Agency.
The proposed cuts could disrupt not only U.S. leadership in lunar exploration but also collaborations with key allies who have invested heavily in Artemis hardware and mission planning.
The administration’s latest budget proposal emphasizes a pivot toward more cost-effective commercial spaceflight providers. Rather than relying on NASA’s in-house rocket and capsule systems, the new plan calls for using commercial technologies to handle lunar missions—effectively replacing SLS and Orion with private-sector alternatives.
According to the budget summary, “The Budget funds a program to replace SLS and Orion flights to the Moon with more cost-effective commercial systems that would support more ambitious subsequent lunar missions.”
This aligns with the administration’s broader vision of focusing on Mars as the next frontier. The president’s renewed interest in Mars exploration appears to be influenced by former adviser and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk, a long-time advocate of Martian colonization. Musk reportedly invested $250 million in Trump’s latest campaign, which may have played a role in this strategic redirection.
The proposal threatens contracts that have been actively defended by major aerospace contractors and lawmakers for years. Many of these projects are linked to thousands of jobs across the U.S., making the budget cuts politically sensitive.
NASA contractors such as Boeing, Lockheed Martin, and Northrop Grumman are expected to push back against the proposed terminations, especially considering the significant investments already made.
Canceling or scaling back the Artemis program could have broader geopolitical implications. The United States has been positioning itself as a leader in the new space race, especially in light of China’s rapidly advancing space program. By shifting focus away from the Moon, the U.S. risks falling behind in lunar exploration and international space diplomacy.