The administration of US President Donald Trump is looking for the most important parts of the moon program of NASA in favor of commercial alternatives and its Mars-oriented agenda, which aimed at a series of established projects in a proposed 6 billion dollar US dollar for the overall budget of the space agency for the next year.
The “Skinny” or the outline version of Trump 2026 published on Friday would cancel the gigantic rocket from Boeing and Northrop Grumman built by Boeing and Northrop Grumman and its Lockheed Martin Martin-built Orion crew capsule in 2027.
“The rocket and the Orion capsule SLS (Space Launch System) will retire according to Artemis III and pave the way for cheaper commercial systems of the next generation that support subsequent NASA moon missions,” says a NASA publication.
The proposal that resumes 24 percent of the current US dollar budget of NASA in the amount of $ 24.8 billion threatens to improve active contracts that have been defended for years in Washington by a series of established NASA officers.
The budget also demands the gateway, a space station that is located in the lunar orbit and would serve as the starting point for missions to the moon and finally Mars. Canada together with the European space agency and Jaxa – the Japanese space agency – were all partners in the program.
In 2024, the Canadian space agency MDA Space awarded a contract for $ 1 billion for the construction of Canadarm3, which is used on the gateway.
So far it is unclear what the proposed cuts for Canada could mean.
During his last term, Trump was fixed to bring people to Mars, the long-asked goal for SpaceX CEO Elon Musk, the outgoing advisor of the President, who spent $ 250 million back to the White House.
“After three flights, the budget exhibits the rocket and orion capsule of the Orion capsule (SLS) from the budget,” said the budget recording and found that SLS per start circuit of $ 4 billion corresponds to US dollar in the USA. The developmental costs of the Rocket in US dollar since 2010 have “140 percent above the budget,” she added.
