New investments enabled by members
Thanks to our extraordinary members and donors, The Planetary Society is increasing its investment in space policy and advocacy activities.
In September, we welcomed Dr. Ari Koeppel as our first-ever Science & Technology Policy Fellow, a prestigious program managed by the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). Ari’s presence increases our bandwidth in D.C., allowing us to engage more people more frequently on our core issues of space science and exploration.
The Planetary Society also opened its first dedicated office in Washington, D.C., just minutes away from Capitol Hill. This location enables us to work closely with partners, provide meeting space for members and visiting advocates, host training for future Days of Action in a first-rate conference center, and further establish The Society as the preeminent organization supporting space science.
Again, none of these investments would have been possible without the steadfast financial support of our membership.
Real Impact
At the time of publication, NASA’s 2026 budget was still in limbo due to an extended government shutdown. However, we have made significant progress in both Senate and House funding legislation.
The Senate appropriations bill rejects all cuts to NASA and NASA science. They provide $25 billion for NASA and $7.3 billion for NASA Science, the same as 2024 and 2025. It specifically calls out support for nearly every mission proposed for termination and directs ongoing investments to current and future scientific initiatives.
The House appropriations bill for NASA fully funds our top priorities of Planetary Science and Astrophysics, though it would cut Earth Science and Heliophysics. It also provides specific funding for missions threatened with termination, including New Horizons, Chandra X-Ray Telescope, and Mars Sample Return. The House bill rejects any cuts to NASA’s overall budget.
Furthermore, protecting NASA science was explicitly called out as a priority by congressional leaders working on these bills.
We will continue to work with congressional allies to argue for the best qualities of each bill to be included in the final compromise legislation to fund NASA in 2026.