One NASA science mission saved from Trump’s cuts, but others still in limbo

NASA has made a pivotal decision to continue funding for the OSIRIS-APEX mission, which aims to explore an asteroid set to make a close pass by Earth in 2029. This move marks a significant reversal from the previous administration's budget proposal, which sought to cancel this and 18 other science missions. Dani DellaGiustina, the principal investigator for OSIRIS-APEX at the University of Arizona, expressed relief at the decision, noting, "We were called for cancellation as part of the president's budget request, and we were reinstated and given a plan to move ahead in FY26 just two weeks ago. Our spacecraft appears happy and healthy." The OSIRIS-APEX mission is a continuation of the successful OSIRIS-REx project, which returned samples from an asteroid in 2023. NASA has repurposed the spacecraft for this new mission to study Apophis, an asteroid that will pass approximately 20,000 miles (32,000 kilometers) from Earth on April 13, 2029. This encounter provides a rare chance to closely observe a potentially hazardous asteroid, which has a lumpy shape and an average diameter of about 1,100 feet (340 meters). While Apophis poses no threat to Earth in 2029 or for the next century, its path crosses ours, underscoring the importance of ongoing monitoring. The mission faced uncertainty earlier this year when the Trump administration proposed significant cuts to NASA's science budget, including the cancellation of OSIRIS-APEX. However, bipartisan efforts in Congress have emerged to protect funding, with the Senate proposing to maintain NASA's science budget at $7.3 billion for fiscal year 2026, while the House bill suggests a reduction to $6 billion—still much higher than the administration's suggested $3.9 billion.