The NASA budget for fiscal year (FY) 2026 is about $24.44 billion. Congress set the exact figure at $24.438 billion, which is $400 million less than the $24.838 billion NASA received in FY2025. The President’s budget request had proposed cutting NASA by 24.3%, so the final number sits far closer to the prior year than to the request.
Two accounts hold most of the money. Science received about $7.3 billion after the request had proposed $3.908 billion. Exploration, the account that funds Moon-to-Mars human spaceflight, received $7.783 billion plus a further $2.845 billion through a separate reconciliation law. The account figures come from the House-Senate conference agreement, as reported by SpacePolicyOnline.
The NASA Budget for Fiscal 2026
NASA’s appropriation for FY2026 is $24.438 billion. Congress set that total in the House-Senate conference agreement for the Commerce, Justice, Science; Energy and Water Development; and Interior and Environment Appropriations Act, 2026. That act became Public Law (P.L.) 119-74.
The year-over-year change is small. NASA received $24.838 billion in FY2025, so the FY2026 total is $400 million lower. Dividing $0.400 billion by $24.838 billion gives a drop of about 1.6%.
The drop looks different next to what the President asked for. The budget request proposed a 24.3% cut to NASA overall. If measured against the FY2025 total, a 24.3% cut would remove about $6.04 billion ($24.838 billion × 0.243) and leave NASA near $18.8 billion.
Congress kept NASA within $400 million of its FY2025 level instead. Rounded to two decimals, the enacted total is $24.44 billion. A figure of $24.4 billion or $24.44 billion for FY2026 describes the same $24.438 billion appropriation at lower precision.
How NASA Is Funded Each Year
The process runs in a fixed order, and each step produces its own number:
- The President sends Congress a budget request that proposes an amount for each NASA account.
- The conference agreement is enacted in an appropriations act.
- The enacted act becomes public law and sets the account totals.
The request is a proposal. Only the enacted appropriation sets what NASA receives.
The federal fiscal year runs from 1 October to 30 September and takes the name of the calendar year in which it ends. FY2026 therefore covers 1 October 2025 through 30 September 2026.
Congress appropriates NASA’s money by account, such as Science, Exploration, and STEM Engagement. For FY2026, NASA’s funding sat inside one combined act that also covered Energy and Water Development and Interior and Environment.
Congress can also provide money outside the annual appropriations acts through a reconciliation law. Reconciliation is a separate legislative path with its own bill. It added $2.845 billion to NASA’s Exploration account, as the Exploration section below shows.
NASA Funding by Account
Science and Exploration hold most of NASA’s FY2026 appropriation, and Exploration also receives reconciliation money outside the regular act. The table sets the FY2025 level, the President’s request, and the enacted FY2026 figure side by side.
| Account | FY2025 Enacted | President’s FY2026 Request | FY2026 Enacted |
|---|---|---|---|
| NASA total | $24.838 billion | 24.3% cut | $24.438 billion |
| Science | $7.334 billion | $3.908 billion (47% cut) | About $7.3 billion |
| Exploration | Not covered on this page | Spared from cuts | $7.783 billion, plus $2.845 billion via reconciliation |
| STEM Engagement | Not covered on this page | Not covered on this page | $143 million |
| Space Technology | Not covered on this page | About 50% cut | Not covered on this page |
| Aeronautics | Not covered on this page | About one-third cut | Not covered on this page |
| Space Operations | Not covered on this page | More than 25% cut | Not covered on this page |
The STEM Engagement account received $143 million, about 0.6% of the $24.438 billion total.
Science and Exploration together account for about $15.08 billion ($7.3 billion plus $7.783 billion), roughly 62% of the enacted total. Subtracting those two accounts and STEM Engagement from $24.438 billion leaves about $9.21 billion. That remainder covers the accounts not covered on this page, including Space Technology, Aeronautics, and Space Operations.
The request treated the accounts very differently. It proposed cutting Space Technology by about 50%, Aeronautics by about one-third, and Space Operations by more than 25%, while leaving Exploration alone.
The Fight over Science Funding
NASA’s Science account received about $7.3 billion in FY2026, close to its FY2025 level of $7.334 billion. The President’s request had proposed $3.908 billion for Science. Congress did not adopt that cut.
$7.334 billion minus $3.908 billion is $3.426 billion. Dividing $3.426 billion by $7.334 billion gives 46.7%, which rounds to the 47% cut cited for the request.
The enacted figure has a small spread between sources. Congress agreed to about $7.3 billion, and one analysis puts the number at $7.25 billion. Against FY2025, that is a reduction of $34 million at $7.3 billion or $84 million at $7.25 billion, both under 1.2%.
The $50 million gap between the two published Science figures is small next to the $3.426 billion cut the request proposed. A precise citation still needs one number. The official account figure sits in the explanatory statement that accompanies P.L. 119-74.
Without that statement in hand, “about $7.3 billion” is the safe wording for FY2026 NASA science funding. Writing “$7.3 billion” flatly, or “$7.25 billion” flatly, picks one source over the other.
Exploration and the Reconciliation Money
NASA’s Exploration account, which funds Moon-to-Mars human spaceflight, received $7.783 billion in the FY2026 conference table plus a further $2.845 billion through a reconciliation law known as OBBBA. Adding the two gives $10.628 billion for Exploration. Exploration was the one area the President’s request spared from cuts.
Both $7.783 billion and $10.628 billion are accurate Exploration figures. The first is what the annual appropriations act provided. The second adds the OBBBA money on top.
The choice of figure changes how Exploration compares with Science. Using the conference table alone, Exploration exceeds Science by about $0.48 billion ($7.783 billion minus $7.3 billion). Counting the reconciliation money, the gap grows to about $3.33 billion ($10.628 billion minus $7.3 billion).
Before comparing an Exploration figure across sources or years, look for the words “reconciliation” or “OBBBA” in the source. If one figure includes the $2.845 billion and the other does not, the comparison will overstate or understate the change. The Artemis program cost explained and Artemis program explained pages cover the Moon program in more detail.
Why the Headline Number Moves
Three NASA totals apply to FY2026:
- The request: a 24.3% cut to NASA overall, which was a proposal and never became law.
- The enacted total: $24.438 billion from the conference agreement in P.L. 119-74.
- Totals that add reconciliation money: the $2.845 billion from OBBBA comes from a separate reconciliation law and sits outside the conference table’s $7.783 billion Exploration line, so a figure that adds it in will be higher.
A statement that “NASA’s budget was cut by 24%” describes the request. A statement that NASA’s budget fell by $400 million describes the enacted law. Both refer to FY2026.
Account-level percentages follow the same pattern. The 47% Science cut, the roughly 50% Space Technology cut, the one-third Aeronautics cut, and the more-than-25% Space Operations cut were all proposals. For Science, the enacted figure shows Congress kept the account near its FY2025 level.
How to Read an Appropriation Figure
An appropriation is the amount Congress makes available to NASA for a fiscal year, and it can differ from what NASA actually spends in that year. A spending total reported for FY2026 and the $24.438 billion appropriation are two different measures.
Before using a NASA budget figure, answer five questions:
- Which fiscal year does it cover, counting from 1 October to 30 September?
- Is it a request, a draft bill, or the enacted law?
- Does it include the $2.845 billion OBBBA money for Exploration?
- Is it an agency total or a single account?
- Does it trace back to P.L. 119-74 or to a summary of the conference agreement?
Rounding produces small gaps that are not real differences. $24.438 billion, $24.44 billion, and $24.4 billion are the same appropriation at different precision. The $7.25 billion and $7.3 billion Science figures reflect a real disagreement between sources, so name which one you use.
Primary Sources for NASA Funding
The enacted FY2026 NASA figures trace back to P.L. 119-74, and Congress.gov carries the law text under that number. For wider context on American civil space, see the US space program page and the SLS rocket explained page.
To confirm the NASA budget figures account by account, open SpacePolicyOnline’s conference summary and then the enacted text of P.L. 119-74.