An ESA Gateway Update

Credit: Andrew Parsonson

Earlier this year, Donald Trump's White House released a proposed “Skinny Budget” that included extreme cuts to NASA's budget. One of the many line items on the proposed chopping block was the lunar Gateway space station programme. As the contributor of two of the station’s modules, the European Space Agency and its Member States scrambled to assess the impact of these cuts, with ESA Director General Josef Aschbacher explaining in May that the agency was studying potential actions and "alternative scenarios" for impacted ESA programmes.

In early July, President Trump signed the “One Big Beautiful Bill” into law, which allocates $2.6 billion through 2032 for the completion of the Gateway space station. The bill earmarks $750 million per year for the programme for Fiscal Years 2026, 2027, and 2028. And just like that, months of apprehension and panic gave way to cautious relief as the programme’s future was seemingly secured.

With Gateway’s near-term future now see…