The U.S. House Appropriations Committee on Wednesday expressed support for several NASA missions that currently sit on the chopping block as a result of the administration\u2019s 2026 budget proposal. While the committee did not specifically allocate more money to these missions, the support breathes new life into planetary science efforts that have been years in the making.<\/p>\n
The House committee met to discuss the commerce, justice, and science budget bill, which allocates funding to federal agencies like NASA. The bill secures more than $24.8 billion for NASA, about the same amount the agency received in 2024 and 2025\u2014much higher than the administration\u2019s previously proposed $18.8 billion for 2026<\/a>.<\/p>\n The committee approved the bill in a 34-28 vote; it will now advance to the full House for a vote<\/a>. Congress\u2019s deadline to finalize individual appropriations bills\u2014October 1\u2014is fast approaching.<\/p>\n Keeping NASA\u2019s science missions alive <\/p>\n During the meeting, the committee adopted amendments to a report<\/a> accompanying the bill, adding the New Horizons mission exploring the Kuiper Belt, NASA\u2019s Juno mission probing Jupiter and its moons, and a series of lower-cost robotic missions to Mars as part of the bill. Although the report didn\u2019t specify an amount of funds that should go toward these missions, it suggests they have broad support from the committee.<\/p>\n \u201cThe Committee supports NASA\u2019s request to establish a regular cadence of science-driven, lower-cost mission and hosted instrument opportunities to Mars,\u201d the report reads. The committee also recommended that NASA deliver these new missions and instruments alongside its commercial partners.<\/p>\n The report also included a new section regarding the Chandra X-Ray Observatory, announcing new funding for the telescope. Chandra, which launched in 1999 as the world\u2019s most powerful x-ray telescope, has been delivering high-resolution data on black holes, supernovae, and galaxy clusters ever since. The administration\u2019s budget request, however, called for its termination.<\/p>\n The White House\u2019s proposed budget for 2026, released in May, would reduce NASA\u2019s funding by $6 billion<\/a> compared to 2025. Under that proposal, NASA\u2019s planetary science budget would drop from $2.7 billion to $1.9 billion.<\/p>\n