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Comparing China's space science ambitions to NASA's diminished plans

Comparing China's space science ambitions to NASA's diminished plans
Comparing China's space science ambitions to NASA's diminished plans In 2024, China released its first-ever long-term strategy for space science and its first-ever space science priorities, modeled after NASA's decadal surveys. These plans declared Beijing's intention to close the gap with the United States in space science by achieving landmark scientific discoveries. To do so, China has committed to approving 8 additional space science missions by 2027, another 16 by 2035, and upwards of 30 by 2050, spanning the full spectrum of space science: planetary science, astrophysics, heliophysics, Earth science, and biological and physical sciences. By comparison, the FY 2026 President’s Budget Request for NASA slashes funding for these same mission areas by 30 to 65 percent and cancels more than 40 missions, including multiple flagship missions designed to push the frontiers of discovery and exploration. Casey Dreier / Maxwell Zhu / The Planetary Society