Even as a triumphant moon flyby primes agency for a 2028 landing, Trump’s proposed budget cuts cast pall on US space program
Even as Integrity, the mission moniker for the Orion capsule of Artemis II, ascended into the heavens days ago, Donald Trump was announcing his intention to slash NASA’s budget by 23%, including a 46% cut for space science initiatives.
And the Artemis program that has run years behind schedule and billions of dollars over budget offers no guarantees that the next, far harder stages will run as smoothly.
It’s hardly a fuck you to Musk since the Artemis program depends on SpaceX and the next mission is going to use a SpaceX rocket according to current NASA plans.
Yeah, SpaceX had nothing to do with Artemis II specifically, but that’s because SpaceX is responsible for the Moon landing, not for the flyby, in the Artemis plans.
They have already started looking at other landers because SpaceX hasn’t produced anything for the landing yet.
Thankfully the ESA is also involved, I’d prefer a lander built by them like I’d rather fly in an Airbus than Boeing
Yeah, they have alternatives thankfully.