Researchers in space and other crucial domains such as Earth sciences, agriculture, and climate change are expressing deep concern over the federal funding cuts to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) by the Trump administration, which are allegedly impacting research worldwide, reports Bala Chauhan of The New Indian Express.
“NASA’s data portals have been vital in providing high-quality datasets that help scientists understand local, regional, and global phenomena across various themes. Research centres everywhere rely on this open access. With updates now slowing or stopping, the flow of crucial information is disrupted,” Professor and Head of the Geospatial Research Programme at the Takshashila Institution, Bengaluru, Dr Nithyananda Yogeswaran, told TNIE.
NASA’s data portal on the Fire Information for Resource Management System (FIRMS) currently states: “Due to the lapse in federal government funding, NASA is not updating this website, and some data/information may be temporarily unavailable.”
On May 2, the US administration released its 2026 “skinny budget” request for the coming fiscal year, proposing to cut NASA’s funding by nearly 25 per cent — from USD 24.8 billion to USD 18.8 billion.
“Though some portals still share raw or processed data and interactive visual tools, the overall accessibility and frequency of updates have clearly taken a hit — affecting not only space research but also studies that protect human life and support sustainable development,” Dr Yogeswaran added.
Regular data updates are essential for monitoring climate patterns, weather systems, natural disasters, pollution, land cover changes, social development, resource management, and even military activities.
“NASA has invested heavily over decades in developing space-based systems that monitor Earth and beyond. It’s not just about satellite images—it’s about consistent, reliable data from both remote sensing and ground-based observations collected globally for nearly half a century. For many, NASA’s archives are the go-to source for understanding how the planet has changed over time,” explained the Bengaluru-based geo-spatialist.
When asked why researchers depend heavily on NASA and why other countries or space agencies have not taken the lead in data dissemination and analysis, Yogeswaran said, “What makes NASA’s portals unique is that they don’t just share raw data—they process and present it in ways that are easy to interpret, even for those without technical expertise. The visual formats and user-friendly interfaces make the data accessible to a wider audience. Moreover, these portals have been maintained and upgraded continuously to meet evolving scientific needs. While other nations and agencies do have data portals, none have matched NASA’s consistency, scale, or reach.”
Regarding the impact of the federal cuts on NASA on the Indian research community, the geo-spatialist said that Indian researchers, like their global counterparts, “depend heavily on NASA’s open datasets. For instance, assessing Landsat series satellite datasets through the Earth Explorer portal has long been a standard tool for accessing three decades of satellite imagery with uniform metadata. Thousands of studies and even routine academic exercises in remote sensing rely on them. Any long-term disruption will certainly affect research output in India unless quick alternatives are developed,” he said.
On whether the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) can better position itself in data dissemination, Yogeswaran explained, “ISRO operates several Earth observation satellites and provides valuable data, but the scale cannot yet be compared with NASA’s global coverage. It’s not just about data collection — true parity requires robust data analysis, visualisation systems, and extensive research and development in developing and validating algorithms. These demand significant investment in both technology and field instruments to ensure scientific accuracy.”
He cautioned that this could be a wake-up call for space agencies across the globe, including ISRO, to scale up their information dissemination capabilities.
“This should prompt space agencies and research organisations worldwide to develop alternatives to NASA’s data sources. There’s a need for more collaborative platforms that share Earth and atmospheric science data freely and in simplified formats for wider use. Agencies like the European Space Agency (ESA) and ISRO can help bridge the gap,” added Yogeswaran.
“For any geospatialist or geoscientist, the first go-to place for downloading free satellite datasets is the US Geological Survey (USGS) ‘Earth Explorer.’ When they say that updation has stopped due to federal cuts, it impacts researchers across the world,” he added.