Satellites monitoring carbon dioxide and plant health face closure as budget slashes funding

The Trump administration is moving to shut down two NASA missions that monitor a potent greenhouse gas and global plant health, a step that could cut off a critical data source for scientists, policymakers and farmers, reported by Associated Press.

President Donald Trump’s budget request for fiscal year 2026 includes no allocation for the Orbiting Carbon Observatories, which precisely measure where carbon dioxide is being emitted and absorbed, and how well crops are growing.

NASA stated in an email on Wednesday that the missions were “beyond their prime mission” and are being terminated “to align with the President’s agenda and budget priorities.”

According to David Crisp, a retired NASA scientist who led the development of these missions, both the free-flying satellite launched in 2014 and the instrument attached to the International Space Station in 2019 remain more sensitive and accurate than any other systems currently operating or planned. He described them as a “national asset” that should be preserved.

The instruments helped scientists uncover, for example, that the Amazon rainforest emits more carbon dioxide than it absorbs, while boreal forests in Canada, Russia and regions with melting permafrost absorb more than they release, Crisp said.

These systems also detect the faint glow of photosynthesis in plants, offering early warnings of drought and food shortages that can spark civil unrest and famine, he added. “This is really critical,” said Crisp. “We’re learning so much about this rapidly changing planet.”

Jonathan Overpeck, a climate scientist at the University of Michigan, called the decision to end the missions “extremely shortsighted.” He added, “The observations provided by these satellites are critical for managing growing climate change impacts around the planet, including in the United States.”