Reference Message Network reported on April 12 that according to a report on the website of the "Nihon Keizai Shimbun" on April 12, the Trump administration is considering cutting half of NASA's science budget for fiscal year 2026. This scientific budget mainly focuses on telescope development and other fields, and it is expected that the current budget of $7.3 billion will be reduced to $3.9 billion. Elon Musk, founder of SpaceX, expressed dissatisfaction on social media on the 11th, saying "This move is concerning".

Multiple media outlets, including The Washington Post, reported on the 11th that astrophysics budgets will be reduced from $1.5 billion to $487 million, and planetary science budgets will be cut from $2.7 billion to $1.9 billion. NASA's overall annual budget is $25 billion, and budgets in areas such as rocket development and lunar exploration do not seem to be included in this round of cuts.

It is expected that the Hubble Space Telescope budget may be retained, but the launch plan for the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope currently under preparation may be terminated. For NASA's Goddard Space Center, which undertakes scientific research work, budget cuts could be a serious issue.

Musk posted on social media, saying "This move is concerning," and stated "I fully support scientific research, but as the main contractor for NASA, SpaceX cannot participate in budget discussions."

Musk, not only the founder of SpaceX, which has a high market share in the rocket launch sector, also leads the U.S. government's efficiency department in practice. Musk values Mars exploration and has previously been questioned about intervening in costly plans such as manned lunar exploration.

However, this time Musk expressed dissatisfaction with the government's budget-cutting proposal. Musk had just debated tariff policies with presidential advisors. Trump stated that Musk would leave his current position within the next few months. (Translated by Liu Jieqiu)

Original article: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7492289687000826378/

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