NASA Plans Budget Cuts Affecting ISS Operations

The U.S. government is set to reduce NASA's budget by approximately 25% in the coming fiscal year, which is expected to have significant implications for the International Space Station (ISS) operations.

Sources indicate that NASA is currently evaluating various strategies to manage this budget cut effectively. One of the proposals includes reducing the number of crew members on missions using the Crew Dragon spacecraft. Instead of sending a four-person team, NASA is considering a three-member crew for future ISS flights starting as early as February 2026.

Typically, each Crew Dragon mission transports two astronauts from the United States, one Russian cosmonaut, and a participant from one of the international partner nations. If the crew size is reduced, there would be only one American astronaut on board for each mission, resulting in a significant decrease in the U.S. presence on the ISS.

In addition to cutting crew numbers, NASA is contemplating extending the duration of astronauts' stays on the ISS from six months to eight months. This extension would lead to a reduction in the overall number of flights to the ISS, as the Crew Dragon would potentially conduct three missions over two years instead of the current four, thereby lowering transportation costs.

Another potential cost-saving measure under consideration is the postponement of an upgrade to the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer (AMS), a scientific instrument on the ISS that measures cosmic radiation. Although this upgrade would enhance the AMS's capabilities significantly, the instrument has been operational since 2011 and has already collected a substantial amount of data, making this measure less critical.

The reduction in flight frequency and crew numbers aligns with similar discussions within Roskosmos, Russia's space agency, which is also exploring ways to cut costs.

The proposed budget for NASA for the year 2026 is set at $18.8 billion, down from the current allocation of $24.9 billion, marking a reduction of nearly 25%. Alongside these operational changes, NASA will likely need to consider workforce reductions to accommodate the new budget constraints.