The White House demands NASA destroy vital satellite as experts warn 'this is illegal'
The White House is asking NASA to destroy two essential satellites, but experts are warning that this could be 'illegal.'
The Trump administration is making more aggressive moves to reshape the US space agency's mission priorities.
Climate science is now the most recent to appear in the crosshairs.
Multiple sources report that White House officials have been quietly pressuring NASA to scale back or eliminate Earth-monitoring programs that track environmental changes.
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Now, the administration has ordered the termination of two major, climate change-focused satellite missions.
According to NPR, White House officials contacted the space agency requesting detailed plans to shut down the Orbiting Carbon Observatories.
This pair of satellites has been tracking carbon dioxide levels and providing valuable data to oil and gas companies and farmers about carbon dioxide distribution and crop health.
One observatory operates from the International Space Station, while the other functions as an independent satellite. If the latter mission were to be terminated, the satellite would be burned up in the Earth's atmosphere, destroying years of future research.
Both observatories were expected to continue functioning for many more years, and a 2023 NASA review praised their data as 'exceptionally high quality.'
The satellites provide detailed measurements of carbon dioxide across different regions, revealing how human activities directly affect greenhouse gas emissions.
"They were asking me very sharp questions," said David Crisp, a former NASA employee, after current staff approached him. "The only thing that would have motivated those questions was [that] somebody told them to come up with a termination plan."
Crisp, who worked on the Orbiting Carbon Observatories' instruments, added that it 'makes no economic sense to terminate NASA missions that are returning incredibly valuable data.'
From a financial standpoint, Crisp noted that it only costs $15 million per year to maintain both observatories, which is a fraction of NASA's $25.4 billion budget.
Meanwhile, dozens of space missions are also threatened by the Trump administration's proposed 2026 budget, with scientists arguing that it could end America's leadership in space exploration and Earth monitoring.
But the bigger concern may be legal.
House Representative Zoe Lofgren, the ranking member of the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology, explained that cutting already-appropriated funds could also be a violation of the law.
"Eliminating funds or scaling down the operations of Earth-observing satellites would be catastrophic and would severely impair our ability to forecast, manage, and respond to severe weather and climate disasters," Lofgren told NPR.
"The Trump administration is forcing the proposed cuts in its FY26 budget request on already appropriated FY25 funds," she added. "This is illegal."
Last week, NASA announced it is seeking private companies and universities willing to cover operational costs for both the International Space Station observatory and the standalone satellite.