Following concerns by MA lawmakers, NASA restored funding for telescope
Future funding cuts could cede telescope leadership to Europe, Japan, or China
Washington, D.C. – Senators Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.) and Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), along with Representatives Jim McGovern (D-Mass.), Stephen Lynch (D-Mass.), Seth Moulton (D-Mass.), and Lori Trahan (D-Mass.) wrote to the Chandra X-Ray Center (Chandra), funded by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), expressing concerns over the telescope’s long-term funding plans and seeking information on potential impacts from proposed future cuts.
In March 2024, NASA proposed an FY 2025 budget that included a 40 percent reduction in funding for the Chandra program, reducing its budget by tens of millions of dollars, with additional reductions planned through 2029. This proposal effectively threatened to shut down the project, leaving the U.S. without an X-ray telescope. Following concerns raised by Senators Markey, Warren, and Whitehouse, as well as Representatives Moulton, McGovern, Trahan, Lynch, DelBene, and Auchincloss, NASA restored funding for the program.
In a conference survey, 60 percent of the U.S. X-ray experts reported they would leave the United States if Chandra was eliminated, which could risk ceding U.S. leadership in X-ray astronomy to Europe, Japan, or China.
In the last few months, NASA officials assured Congress and Chandra staff that the agency would restore Chandra’s fiscal year 2025 funding, keeping the telescope fully operational for an additional year. However, NASA has not released plans to keep Chandra funded until a replacement is ready.
“We are glad NASA looked at the evidence we presented and decided to restore Chandra’s funding for another year, but Congress and NASA need to continue their support for X-ray astronomy,” wrote the Massachusetts lawmakers.
The lawmakers have requested that Chandra leadership provide a detailed account of the potential impact of shutting down the telescope, along with an evaluation of NASA’s justification for any funding reductions, by November 15, 2024.
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