Defunded? NASA’s next space telescope is built and ready – but the Trump budget proposal would cancel it. ⚠️
NASA’s next major space observatory, the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope, is fully constructed and scheduled for launch in 2027. It’s designed to explore fundamental questions in cosmology and planetary science – including the nature of dark energy, the structure of the early universe, and the demographics of exoplanets. Using a wide-field infrared survey, it will observe regions of the sky 100 times larger than what Hubble can see, at comparable resolution.
But under a preliminary 2026 budget proposal from the Trump administration, the Roman Telescope would receive no funding – effectively canceling the mission before it flies.
According to reporting from Ars Technica and The Washington Post, the proposal – known as a “passback” – calls for a 20% reduction to NASA’s total budget, with a 50% cut to science programs. The agency’s astrophysics division would be reduced by 68%, leaving insufficient funds to operate existing missions or launch Roman. Other missions, including the Mars Sample Return and DAVINCI, would also be halted. The proposal includes the potential closure of NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, affecting approximately 10,000 staff.
The Roman Telescope was developed as a flagship mission following recommendations from the 2010 and 2020 Decadal Surveys – long-term science priorities set by the U.S. astronomy community. It is intended to complement the James Webb and Hubble telescopes with wide-area surveys that can identify phenomena for deeper study.
The White House budget process is still in early stages. NASA has a short window to respond with appeals, and Congress will ultimately determine the final budget later this year. A bipartisan NASA authorization bill introduced in March would maintain science funding at current levels, but its outcome remains uncertain.
Learn more: https://arstechnica.com/space/2025/04/trump-white-house-budget-proposal-eviscerates-science-funding-at-nasa/
