On January 16, 2026, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) announced the termination of funding for 8 independent planetary science advisory groups, citing budget constraints and executive orders from President Trump. Each group, consisting of volunteers from universities and NASA centers, focuses on a different part of the solar system and has been vital in advising NASA on decisions and priorities, including the Veritas Venus mission and the Artemis moon program. They meet multiple times a year to provide feedback on agency decisions and priorities, help shape plans for future exploration, and provide the public with a look into NASA missions.
The loss of funding ends support for meetings, travel, and websites, limiting NASA’s ability to gather scientific input and reducing public transparency. While NASA may still fund planetary science workshops through competitive grants, some argue that such a process will lead to inefficiencies while also potentially slowing collaboration and forcing groups to compete for funding.