\n<\/p>\n
NASA is quietly ending financial support for independent planetary science advisory groups, according to a letter posted to the agency\u2019s website on January 16.<\/p>\n
The affected groups have historically offered feedback to the space agency on science efforts ranging from the exploration of Mars and ocean worlds to the storage of extraterrestrial samples, and more.<\/p>\n
According to the letter, signed by Louise Prockter, director of NASA\u2019s Planetary Science Division, funding to support these \u201cAnalysis and Assessment Groups\u201d will end \u201ctoward the end of April 2026.\u201d<\/p>\n
If you’re enjoying this article, consider supporting our award-winning journalism by subscribing. By purchasing a subscription you are helping to ensure the future of impactful stories about the discoveries and ideas shaping our world today.<\/p>\n
The letter cites \u201cseveral recent changes in the NASA landscape,\u201d including U.S. president Donald Trump\u2019s executive orders and a \u201chighly constrained\u201d budget, as reasons for no longer supporting the groups.<\/p>\n
At the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine\u2019s Committee on Astrobiology and Planetary Sciences meeting on Tuesday, Prockter stressed that the groups won\u2019t necessarily be eliminated by the decision but that they will lose funding, SpaceNews reported. \u201cWe are simply not able to support them for a number of reasons,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Editor\u2019s Note (1\/21\/26): This is a breaking news story and will be updated.<\/p>\n
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