US President Donald Trump on Friday unveiled the White House's budget proposal, which includes major cuts to Nasa that would eliminate the Lunar Gateway project.
The international project, which includes contributions from the UAE, aims to put a space station in orbit around the Moon by 2027, with the station acting as a base for astronauts looking to descend to the lunar surface as well as a launch pad for eventual missions to Mars.
The White House said the proposed budget “terminates multiple unaffordable missions and reduces lower priority research, resulting in a leaner Science programme that reflects a commitment to fiscal responsibility”. Gateway is singled out as one of these “unaffordable” programmes.
The White House's budget proposal is not binding and has been sent to Congress, which does not have to incorporate it into its plans. But the budget does signal the priorities for the Trump administration over the next year.
Overall, the budget proposes a 25 per cent cut to Nasa, from about $25 billion to $18.8 billion.
The Gateway project would be used to support future Space Launch System and Orion programmes, but the budget proposal suggests phasing out the “grossly expensive and delayed” SLS rocket and the Orion capsule after three flights. The two projects have been decades in development, and critics say their slow progress does not warrant their high price tags.
In January last year, Nasa and the Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre announced the UAE would be providing the Crew and Science Airlock module for Gateway. The European, Canadian and Japanese space agencies are also developing components for habitation, power and propulsion.
While Gateway is an international project, a withdrawal of US support is likely to have a significant impact.
Despite the proposed cuts, the US is still focused on “beating China back to the Moon and putting the first human on Mars”.
“By allocating over $7 billion for lunar exploration and introducing $1 billion in new investments for Mars-focused programmes, the Budget ensures that America’s human space exploration efforts remain unparalleled, innovative and efficient,” the proposal said.
It is unclear how the Trump administration will achieve these goals given the cuts to Nasa, but it could turn to private space exploration companies, such as Elon Musk's SpaceX and Jeff Bezos's Blue Origin. The stated goal of Mr Musk's SpaceX is the establishment of an habitable station on Mars.
