The so-called “skinny” budget also mentioned reductions in the crew size and research on the station, without providing details.
NASA officials have not previously discussed publicly any issues about a shortfall in ISS cargo, although there have been concerns privately within industry about cargo reductions to the ISS.
The Ax-4 mission is scheduled to launch June 8 on a SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft.
Some last-minute issues with the new Crew Dragon caused another slip in the Ax-4 launch from May 29 to June 8.
The Ax-4 will have an additional responsibility: christening the new Crew Dragon spacecraft, a role that the first crews of previous Crew Dragon spacecraft have had.
WASHINGTON — NASA has proposed cutting crew size and research on the International Space Station due to a “multi-year” budget shortfall, even before the proposed cuts in the fiscal year 2026 budget request.
Dana Weigel, the NASA ISS program manager, was questioned on May 20 at a press conference regarding the upcoming Ax-4 private astronaut mission to the station regarding language in the top-level fiscal year 2026 budget proposal that aims to cut spending on the ISS by half a billion dollars, as part of $6 billion in agency-wide cuts.
Reductions in crew size and station research were also mentioned in the so-called “skinny” budget, but no specifics were given. According to the statement, the research that would be conducted on the station “would be focused on efforts critical to the Moon and Mars exploration programs.”. “”.
Prior to the proposed cuts for fiscal year 2026, Weigel stated that NASA was experiencing resource issues with the ISS. She stated, “Today, the station has been faced with a cumulative multi-year budget reduction,” which included the continuing resolution that provided NASA with funding at 2024 levels for the entirety of fiscal year 2025.
“That is the challenge I have faced, and we have been overcoming it today,” she stated. “That has left us with some budget and resource challenges that result in less cargo,” including supplies for the crew.
Although there have been private industry concerns about cargo reductions to the ISS, NASA officials have not previously addressed any issues regarding a shortage of ISS cargo in public. These were made worse recently when a Northrop Grumman Cygnus cargo spacecraft was damaged during shipment, forcing the company and NASA to cancel the mission in March after it had previously been postponed from February to June.
NASA has flown four or five cargo missions to the station annually in recent years, but in 2025, only three are scheduled, including the SpX-32 cargo Dragon mission that is currently on station. Launch dates for SpX-33 and a new Cygnus spacecraft on the NG-23 mission are set for August and early fall, respectively.
“NASA is considering reducing the size of the crew on the station’s U,” Weigel said, referring to the cargo shortages. A. segment, encompassing Canada, Europe, and Japan, from four to three astronauts. We are considering the possibility of switching to a three-crew. “Today, we’re trying to evaluate and work through that,” she said.
These evaluations came before the White House’s 2026 budget proposal’s suggested cuts. She stated, “We haven’t really worked through specific plans for that,” pointing to an emphasis on the ongoing difficulties and daily operations of the ISS. We will examine the specifics of the president’s budget request once it is presented in its entirety in order to fully comprehend any necessary modifications. “.”.
Ax-4 final preparations.
If NASA’s capacity to support private astronaut missions (PAMs), such as Axiom Space’s Ax-4, would be impacted by those possible reductions, Weigel did not specify. This will be the fourth PAM to reach the ISS, and in April, NASA released a request for proposals for two additional PAM missions in 2026 and 2027.
She did, however, extol the virtues of PAMs later in the briefing. “There are many advantages to these private astronaut missions, not just the quantity of experiments,” she stated. “Every nation that participates contributes something unique to our research that is not part of the standard suite.”. “”.
“My objective and hope is that we keep doing everything we can on missions like this to support overall science and station return on investment,” she stated.
An Ax-4 mission aboard a SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft is set to launch on June 8. NASA and SpaceX decided to replace the spacecraft originally assigned to Ax-4, Endurance, with a new spacecraft previously assigned to Crew-10 earlier in the spring, which caused the mission to slip. This stopped additional Crew-10 mission delays caused by the work required to finish the new Crew Dragon.
Another delay in the Ax-4 launch from May 29 to June 8 was caused by some last-minute problems with the new Crew Dragon. According to Sarah Walker, director of Dragon mission management at SpaceX, this involved changing out parachutes after finding moisture in the bag they were packed in and replacing a wire harness in the spacecraft that failed a pre-flight inspection.
According to her, SpaceX currently flies roughly six Dragon missions annually, including both crew and cargo, and that figure will remain constant through 2025. But those six missions—from the March launch of Crew-10 to the late August launch of SpX-33—will all take off within six months. She claimed that in spite of the shortened schedule, “the team hasn’t missed a beat.”.
Under the leadership of former NASA astronaut Peggy Whitson, the upcoming Ax-4 mission will transport astronauts from Poland, India, and Hungary to the ISS for a duration of approximately two weeks. During the mission, the four will perform roughly 60 experiments, the most on a PAM to date. Additionally, they will engage in outreach initiatives like a live downlink with NASA crewmember and Indian astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla.
In addition, the Ax-4 will be responsible for christening the new Crew Dragon spacecraft, a duty that has been performed by the initial crews of previous Crew Dragon spacecraft. Although neither Axiom nor SpaceX would reveal it at the briefing, Walker stated, “It will soon get its nickname from the crew.”. “Today is spoiler-free. “.”.
