How much NASA spends on science in Florida
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NASA spends hundreds of millions of dollars in Florida on average each year through its scientific missions, a recent analysis shows.
Why it matters: The space agency's science efforts bear the brunt of the cuts in the Trump administration's proposed budget, down nearly 50% to $3.9 billion.
The big picture: Science represents about 30% of NASA's overall budget and includes missions like space telescopes, robotic probes and satellites that gather data about Earth's changing climate.
- While not always as headline-grabbing as human spaceflight, NASA's science activity has greatly enhanced our scientific understanding of both Earth and our celestial neighborhood.
By the numbers: NASA spent an average of $489 million on science annually in Florida across fiscal 2022-2024, according to data from The Planetary Society, a pro-space nonprofit.
- That's among the highest in the U.S.
- The numbers represent obligations involving "research grants, contracts and cooperative agreements," the group says.
Zoom in: Nearly 20 active science missions would be canceled under Trump's NASA budget, the Planetary Society says, representing more than $12 billion in taxpayer investments.
What they're saying: A chief concern, Planetary Society chief of space policy Casey Dreier tells Axios, is that already paid-for probes and telescopes would be deactivated even though they're still delivering valuable data, wasting taxpayer dollars already spent to launch and run them.
Between the lines: Trump's proposed NASA science cuts fit into a broader pattern of pulling resources away from scientific endeavors and data collection, especially involving climate change.
- The White House has also proposed major cuts and culled staff at agencies like NOAA, and is pulling federal funding for climate-related research.
The bottom line: Congress, not the president, sets NASA's budget — but Trump's proposal suggests he believes the agency should be focused on human spaceflight rather than a broader scientific mission.