The Trump administration is moving to shut down two of NASA’s most critical carbon monitoring missions, raising alarm across the scientific community. President Trump’s fiscal year 2026 budget proposal includes no funding for the Orbiting Carbon Observatories (OCO)—satellite systems that track global carbon dioxide emissions and plant health with unmatched precision.
These missions help researchers understand how carbon moves through the Earth’s systems and provide early warnings for droughts and food shortages. Their cancellation could severely limit policymakers, scientists, and farmers from making informed climate and agricultural decisions.
NASA Defends Shutdown Decision
In a statement released Wednesday, NASA confirmed the shutdown, stating the missions are “beyond their prime mission” and that the move aligns with the President’s agenda and budget priorities. The OCO program includes a free-flying satellite launched in 2014 and a second instrument launched in 2019, now operating on the International Space Station.
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Despite being past their original mission timelines, both tools continue to function better than any other comparable system worldwide. The technology includes sensors developed for the Hubble Space Telescope and offers data accuracy that still leads the field.
Scientists Warn of Global Consequences
David Crisp, retired NASA scientist and the program’s original developer, criticized the decision. He said the missions remain a “national asset” and have made groundbreaking discoveries, such as proving the Amazon rainforest emits more carbon than it absorbs, while boreal forests in northern latitudes store more carbon than expected. He stressed their ability to detect plant photosynthesis in real-time, crucial for tracking droughts and predicting food shortages that could cause famine or unrest.
“This is really critical,” Crisp said. “We are learning so much about this rapidly changing planet.”
University of Michigan’s Jonathan Overpeck echoed this concern, calling the move “extremely shortsighted.”
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Congress May Hold the Key
Currently, the missions are funded until September 30, 2025. A House bill matches the President’s plan to cut them, but a Senate version seeks to preserve them. With Congress in recess, it remains uncertain whether a full budget will pass in time. Lawmakers could extend current funding through a continuing resolution. Still, some Democrats warn the administration might try to delay or block those funds illegally.
Eyes on Alternatives and International Support
Crisp and his team are pursuing outside partnerships, possibly involving Japan and Europe, to save at least the space station-based instrument. NASA has opened the door to external proposals, with a deadline set for August 29.
The free-flying satellite, however, could soon be deorbited and destroyed. Advocates are lobbying NASA to allow it to be transferred to outside control—despite legal challenges tied to handing over a U.S. satellite to potential foreign partners.
“We are going out to billionaires. We are going out to foundations,” Crisp admitted. “But it’s a really, really bad idea to try and push it off onto private donors. It just does not make sense.”
The potential loss of this global monitoring capability, many say, reflects a broader strategy to reduce emphasis on climate science.
As University of Pennsylvania climate scientist Michael Mann noted, “If we stop measuring climate change, it will just disappear from the American consciousness.”
