Astronomers Fight to Save Chandra Space Telescope

All images: NASA

NASA Slashes Budget for Chandra

Last month, NASA announced that it would be slashing the budget for the Chandra X-Ray Observatory significantly. The budget cut layoffs for half of the observatory’s staff in the near future.

From $41 Million in 2025 to Only $5 Million in 2029

The observatory's budget goes from a proposed $41.1 million next year to $26.6 million in 2026. That second figure sticks for 2027 and 2028, but then, in 2029, the budget allocates only $5.2 million for Chandra.

An Open Letter to Keep Chandra Working

On March 14, a group of astronomers said in an open letter that Chandra, which was launched in 1999, was capable of many more years of operation and scientific discovery. A cut in the budget could have an outsized impact on American high-energy astrophysics research and the larger astronomy and astrophysics community.

A Look at a Few Achievements of the Telescope

The Chandra Observatory has helped scientists glimpse the universe in action. Chandra was responsible for the first observation of sound waves from supermassive black holes, helping scientists understand dark matter, and even helping in observing the most distant black holes ever discovered.