The Planetary Society's political advocacy program educates and encourages policymakers to invest in space science and exploration. It enables and requires the participation of tens of thousands of Planetary Society members and supporters who take civic action in support of space.

Our advocacy work is the implementation side of The Planetary Society's Space Policy Program.

Current Advocacy Priorities

The Planetary Society is working nonstop to push back against the draconian cuts proposed for NASA's scientific programs in 2026. Such indiscriminate cuts will weaken NASA's ability to achieve national goals, undermine decades of investment in scientific and technical capability, and cause an inconceivable loss of knowledge and discovery.

Save NASA science action center

The White House proposed a 47% cut to NASA science in 2026. Here's what you can do to help stop it.

Background and Context

The resources below provide additional background regarding our current advocacy priorities.

New NASA budget would shut down 41 space missions

Proposed NASA cuts would cancel dozens of space missions — including spacecraft already paid for, launched, and making discoveries.

The Planetary Society reissues urgent call to reject disastrous budget proposal for NASA

The Planetary Society, the world's largest and most influential space advocacy group, issued a statement following the release of the Trump administrations's FY26 budget, which would slash NASA's science program's budget nearly in half.

Science, industry, and advocacy groups unite in opposition to deep cuts to NASA science

A coalition of leading space industry organizations, scientific societies, and public advocacy groups are submitting a joint letter to Congress opposing the budget cuts to NASA’s Science Mission Directorate (SMD) currently under consideration by the White House. The letter reflects widespread concern about the future of American leadership in space exploration.

The Planetary Society warns of dark age for space science under reported NASA budget cuts

The Planetary Society, the world’s largest independent space interest organization, issued a statement in response to reports of the White House’s budget “passback” to NASA for fiscal year (FY) 2026.

A billion dollars short: A progress report on the Planetary Decadal Survey

NASA is underfunding planetary exploration relative to recommendations made by the National Academies Decadal Survey report, resulting in mission delays and cancelations.

Space Policy Resources

Additional data, detailed reports, and policy proposals by The Planetary Society that outline the organization's priorities and recommendations.