Why is Nasa facing a crisis?

Since the end of the Cold War, the US has dominated space exploration – but its star could be about to wane.

Donald Trump has proposed cutting Nasa 's budget by a quarter, effectively cancelling current programmes, jeopardising planned missions and leaving scientists "reeling", said New Scientist . The draft 2026 budget, released last week, allocates just $18.8 billion (£13.9 billion) to the agency, a cut of almost 25% from 2025, slashing Nasa's workforce by almost a third, and halving funding for its science programmes. A day later, the president also "removed his nomination" of billionaire Jared Isaacman for Nasa administrator, leaving the agency in "turmoil".

What did the commentators say?

It's the biggest single-year cut to Nasa's budget in history, and (after adjusting for