2 hours ago Pallab Ghosh Science correspondent The row between Donald Trump and Elon Musk over a major spending bill has exacerbated uncertainty over the future of Nasa’s budget, which is facing deep cuts.
Forty science missions, which are in development or in space already, are in line to be stood down.
Aside from the feud between the President and Mr Musk, there is also concern about deep cuts requested by the White House to Nasa’s budget.
But the past three development launches of Starship have been unsuccessful, and Blue Origin has only recently begun to test its Moon rocket.
“The worry is that Nasa may be jumping out of the frying pan, into the fire,” says Dr Barber.
Two hours earlier.
Ghosh Palab.
A correspondent for science.
Uncertainty surrounding the future of NASA’s budget, which is dealing with significant cuts, has been made worse by the dispute between Elon Musk and Donald Trump over a significant spending bill.
The space agency has sent Congress its proposed budget, which would reduce funding for science projects by almost half.
In the process of being stood down are forty science missions that are currently in space or in development.
Trump has threatened to revoke federal contracts with Space X, Musk’s business. The company’s fleet of Falcon 9 rockets is used by NASA to deliver crew and supplies to the ISS. The space agency also anticipates using its Starship rocket to launch humans to the Moon and, once it is developed, Mars.
According to Open University space scientist Dr. Simeon Barber, the uncertainty was “chilling impacting” the human space program.
The last week has seen some incredible interactions, rash choices, and unexpected detours that threaten the very pillars upon which our goals are based.
“Long-term planning and collaboration between the government, businesses, and academic institutions are essential to space science and exploration. “.”.
In addition to the conflict between the president and Mr. Musk, the White House’s request for significant budget cuts to NASA is a source of worry.
With the exception of a $100 million (£74 million) boost for an attempt to send astronauts to Mars, all sectors have been targeted for savings.
Casey Dreier, head of space policy for the Planetary Society, a space exploration organization based in Pasadena, said the proposed cuts are “the biggest crisis ever to face the US space program.”.
Its proposal to cut its overall budget by almost a quarter “aligns (its) science and technology portfolios to missions essential for the exploration of the Moon and Mars,” according to NASA.
“If Congress approves these proposals, it would fundamentally shift the agency’s focus,” Dr. Adam Baker, a space analyst at Cranfield University, told BBC News.
“President Trump is repurposing NASA to plant a US flag on Mars and to land astronauts on the moon before the Chinese. Everything else is a secondary concern. “.
For the first time since the Apollo Moon landings in the 1960s and 1970s, when the goal was to outshine the Soviet Union to the moon, proponents of the proposals claim that the White House budget has given NASA a clear purpose. Since then, according to NASA’s detractors, the space agency has grown into an unfocused, bloated bureaucracy that frequently wastes taxpayer money on space missions that go far over budget.
The Space Launch System (SLS), NASA’s new rocket for its plans to send American astronauts back to the Moon, is one of the most egregious examples of this. Its development has been postponed, and the expenses have skyrocketed to $4 billion (£3 billion) for each launch. On the other hand, due to its reusable design, SpaceX’s comparable rocket system, Starship, is projected to cost about $100 million (£80 million) per launch. For its proposed New Glenn rocket, Jeff Bezos’s Blue Origin space company promises comparable cost savings.
Unsurprisingly, the White House plans call for the phase-out of SLS in order to make room for Starship and New Glenn. However, Blue Origin has just started testing its Moon rocket, and Starship’s last three development launches have failed.
Dr. Barber states, “The concern is that NASA might be leaping from a frying pan into a fire.”.
“Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos are funding the development of these SLS substitutes.
“Congress will have to give it to them if they lose interest in this endeavor and SpaceX or Blue Origin say they need more money to develop their systems,” Dr. Barber suggests.
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Dr. Barber says the possible loss of 40 missions—many of which involve cooperation with foreign partners—to investigate other planets and track the effects of climate change on Earth from space is more concerning.
“I find it quite depressing that something that has taken so much time to construct can be destroyed so quickly with a wrecking ball and no plans to rebuild it later. “.
Many planetary missions that are currently in orbit have had the majority of their development and launch expenses covered, and only modest operating cost reductions have been suggested for these projects.
Two partnerships with the European Space Agency are also in jeopardy: a mission to send Europe’s Rosalind Franklin Rover to the red planet to look for evidence of past life, and an ambitious plan to return Martian rocks collected by NASA’s Perseverance Rover to Earth.
While the development was “unwelcome,” Prof. Sir Martin Sweeting, head of the UK space company Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd. and co-author of a Royal Society report on the future of space, says there might be a benefit for Europe as it assumes more responsibility for its own space exploration program.
“Perhaps we have relied too much on NASA, the major player, to carry a lot of the emphasis in space,” he said to BBCN.
This presents a chance to consider how Europe can better balance its space activities. “.
However, Europe’s short-term risks are far greater. The budget cuts eliminate NASA’s significant contributions to its successor, the Lunar Gateway, a multinational space station intended to orbit the Moon, and ESA risks less access to the ISS if it is shut down. These issues also include the return of Mars samples and its Rover.
“Will be seeking to build a more autonomous space capability, and to continue being a reliable, strong and desirable partner with space agencies from around the globe,” ESA said in its recently released strategy, implying that it would do so with or without NASA.
According to Dr. Baker, many planned and ongoing Earth Observation programs are also being cut.
He said, “These Earth observation programs are our canary in the coal mine,” as reported by BBC News.
Our capacity to anticipate the effects of climate change and take preventative measures could be significantly diminished. The idea of shutting down this early warning system is terrifying.
Congress has not yet approved the budget proposals. Many Republicans have privately informed lobbyists that they are willing to vote against the cuts, according to Casey Dreier of the Planetary Society, who spoke to BBC News.
Mr. Dreier, however, is concerned that there is a good chance that political impasse will prevent a budget agreement. The lowered White House budget would probably be implemented as a stopgap measure that would be difficult to undo because it is difficult, if not impossible, to restart space missions once they have been shut down.
