Key Metrics
17.85
Heat Index-
Impact LevelMedium
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Scope LevelNational
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Last Update2025-08-13
Key Impacts
Positive Impacts (1)
Negative Impacts (10)
Event Overview
The decision to retire key Earth-observing satellites reflects tensions between political priorities and scientific infrastructure. By discontinuing missions tracking carbon emissions, atmospheric changes, and environmental trends, the move risks reducing long-term climate data continuity. Such actions highlight conflicts over resource allocation for environmental monitoring and underscore broader debates about the role of government-funded science in addressing global ecological challenges.
Collect Records
Trump Administration Plans to Decommission NASA Carbon and Climate Monitoring Satellites
The Trump administration is planning to terminate several NASA Earth science missions that monitor greenhouse gases, climate conditions, and environmental changes, with decommissioning to begin as early as October 2025. According to multiple sources inside and outside NASA, the affected missions include the Orbiting Carbon Observatory (OCO) series — OCO-2 and OCO-3 — as well as the Aqua, Terra, and Aura satellites. Planned missions for measuring solar radiation, heavy precipitation, and cloud properties are also at risk.
The OCO satellites measure atmospheric composition to detect greenhouse gas concentrations, providing valuable data on fossil fuel and ecosystem-related emissions. OCO-2 is an independent satellite, while OCO-3 is mounted on the International Space Station. Other satellites slated for shutdown, such as Aqua (carrying the MODIS high-resolution imaging instrument), help detect wildfires and provide critical environmental data.
President Donald Trump’s fiscal year 2026 budget proposal significantly reduces NASA’s Earth science allocation, targeting these missions under cost-cutting justifications. However, scientists involved view the cuts as part of a broader anti-climate science agenda. David Crisp, a retired NASA scientist who managed the OCO missions until 2022, confirmed that decommissioning plans for OCO-2 and OCO-3 are moving forward. A current NASA employee, speaking anonymously, corroborated the information.
A NASA spokesperson stated that it would not be appropriate to comment further while the budget process is ongoing, but if passed as written, the shutdowns will proceed when the new fiscal year begins in October. Congress can still reject all or part of the proposed cuts, but NASA is acting in line with the assumption that the White House plan will be implemented.