U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration is seeking to boost commercial alternatives and his Mars-centric agenda to target a range of established projects that cuts next year’s high-altitude budget for $6 billion.
The “slim” (or outline) version of the 2026 budget released Friday will cancel NASA’s hyperbudget space launch system (SLS), a giant rocket built by Boeing and Northrop Grumman, and its Lockheed Martin-Martin-Martin-Martin-Martin-Bumheed-building Orion caule after the agency’s third mission planned for 2027 by Artemis.
“SLS [Space Launch System] NASA Release says Rockets and Orion Capsules will retire after Artemis III, paving the way for more cost-effective next-generation commercial systems that will support later NASA LUNAR missions. ”
The proposal cuts 24% of NASA’s current $24.8 billion budget, threatening to defend years of active-duty contracts in Washington through a series of established NASA contractors.
The budget also requires cutting the Gateway, a space station located in Lunar Orbit and becoming a lunar mission, ultimately the junction of Mars. Canada, as well as the European Space Agency and the Japanese Space Agency Jaxa, are partners in the program.
In 2024, the Canadian Space Agency awarded MDA Space a $100 million contract to establish CanadaArm3, which will be used on Gateway.
So far, it is unclear what the proposed cuts mean for Canada.
During his latest tenure, Trump has been committed to bringing humanity to Mars, a long-term destination for SpaceX CEO Elon Musk.
“After three flights, the budget gradually eliminates the very expensive and delayed Space Launch System (SLS) rockets and Orion capsules,” the budget summary said. It added that since 2010, the rocket’s development costs have been around $23 billion.
