NASA Satellites Monitoring Climate and Plant Health Face Elimination by the White House
The Trump administration has announced plans to terminate and destroy two carbon-monitoring satellites, the Orbiting Carbon Observatories (OCO-2 and OCO-3), as part of its fiscal year 2026 budget proposal that cuts all funding for these missions.
The decision, which seems politically motivated, is linked to President Trump's well-known climate change denial and efforts to reduce funding for NASA's Earth science programs.
These satellites provide the most precise global measurements of carbon dioxide ever obtained and monitor plant health by detecting photosynthesis activity. Their data is crucial for understanding greenhouse gas emissions, tracking deforestation, verifying international climate agreements, and anticipating agricultural impacts such as drought and food shortages.
The satellites' continued function is scientifically important and cost-effective, costing NASA about $15 million annually—a small fraction of its budget. If terminated, OCO-2 will be deliberately deorbited to burn up in Earth’s atmosphere, meaning it will be destroyed. This would represent the loss of unique, irreplaceable environmental intelligence.
Scientists warn that ending these missions would severely impair climate research, weather forecasting, and disaster management. There is also controversy about the legality of enforcing proposed budget cuts for 2026 before congressional approval, with lawmakers calling such actions illegal.
The Orbiting Carbon Observatories (OCO-2 and OCO-3) are being prepared for termination and destruction by senior Trump administration officials. This move is met with strong opposition from scientists and some lawmakers who cite detrimental effects on environmental and climate research and potential legal violations.
NASA's own 2023 review found the data coming from the satellites to be "exceptionally high quality." The data from these satellites is valuable and widely used by farmers, the oil industry, scientists, NGO groups, and is among the best tools Earth has for understanding climate change.
The USDA uses OCO data for long-term planning, and oil and gas companies rely on this data to model carbon sinks and risks to infrastructure. The missions were recommended for continuation through at least 2026, likely beyond.
The Senate's draft 2026 budget explicitly rejects the Trump administration's proposed Earth science terminations and includes a directive for NASA to retain public ownership of technologies, scientific data, and discoveries made using public funds.
This isn't the first time Trump has taken a hatchet to NASA's science division. In 2018, during his first term, he attempted to cancel the Orbiting Carbon Observatory program along with four other Earth science missions, but failed due to Congress restoring funding.
The Trump administration's strategy is to move fast, break all the things it doesn't like, do it quietly, and don't ask permission, including dismantling the infrastructure of climate science, piece by piece. The administration refused to publish a climate change report that it had already completed, citing 'no legal obligation' to do so.
David Crisp, a retired NASA atmospheric physicist, has received questions from NASA employees indicating they were looking for ways to shut down the satellites. The current dynamic is different due to a Congress that seemingly bends to Trump's whim, fewer checks in place, and a team of loyalists in key agency positions.
For a country that claims to be the leader in science and innovation, killing your carbon-monitoring satellites in the middle of a climate crisis is about as self-sabotaging as it gets.
- The decision to terminate and destroy the Orbiting Carbon Observatories (OCO-2 and OCO-3) by the Trump administration is linked to President Trump's climate change denial and efforts to reduce funding for NASA's Earth science programs.
- These satellites provide the most precise global measurements of carbon dioxide ever obtained and monitor plant health, making their data crucial for understanding greenhouse gas emissions, tracking deforestation, and anticipating agricultural impacts.
- The satellites' continued function is scientifically important and cost-effective, costing NASA about $15 million annually—a small fraction of its budget.
- Scientists warn that ending these missions would severely impair climate research, weather forecasting, and disaster management.
- There is controversy about the legality of enforcing proposed budget cuts for 2026 before congressional approval, with lawmakers calling such actions illegal.
- The US Senate's draft 2026 budget explicitly rejects the Trump administration’s proposed Earth science terminations and includes a directive for NASA to retain public ownership of technologies, scientific data, and discoveries made using public funds.
- For a country that claims to be the leader in science and innovation, killing your carbon-monitoring satellites in the middle of a climate crisis is about as self-sabotaging as it gets.
- The Trump administration's strategy is to move fast, break all the things it doesn't like, do it quietly, and don’t ask permission, including dismantling the infrastructure of climate science, piece by piece.
