The line between US President Donald Trump and billionaire Elon Musk on a major expenditure bill has increased uncertainty on the future of NASA’s budget, which was already facing deep cuts.

The White House had requested a huge cut in the budget of the space agency, which would see money for about half the cut science projects.

The President has now threatened to withdraw federal contracts with Musk’s company, Space X, which further threatens the US space program.

The NASA firm’s Falcon 9 rocket depends on the fleet to re -form the international space station with the crew and the supply. The space agency also expects to send astronauts on the moon to use its starship rocket and eventually develop once on Mars.

A space scientist at Open University, Dr. Shimon Barber stated that uncertainty was “chilling impact” on the human space program.

“Amazing exchange, SNAP decisions and U-Turns that we have seen in the previous week reduce the foundation on which we create our ambitions.

“Space science and exploration depends on the long -term plan and cooperation between the government, companies and educational institutions.”

Even before the quarrel between Trump and Musk, there was concern about the proposed cuts.

Forty science missions, which are in development or are already in space, are in line to stand down.

All regions are kept for savings, besides efforts to send astronauts to Mars, which has been promoted to $ 100m (£ 74m).

According to the KC Draer, the head of the Space Policy for the Pasadeena-based Planetary Society, which promotes space exploration, the potential deduction shows “the greatest crisis so far to face the US space program”.

NASA has published a details of how it is planning to cut its budget request for the Congress by the White House, proposed to a quarter of a quarter. The agency says the plan “aligns” [its] Science and technology portfolio for missions required for the discovery of Moon and Mars “.

A space analyst at Cranfield University, Dr. Adam Baker told BBC News that if these proposals are approved by the Congress, it would fundamentally focus the agency.

“President Trump is rebuilding NASA for two things: to remove astronauts on the moon in front of the Chinese and astronauts to put an American flag on Mars. Everything else is secondary.”

Those who return the proposals say that the budget of the White House has given a clear objective to NASA, first after the days of Apollo Moon Landing of the 1960s and 70s, when the Soviet Union was to defeat the moon.

NASA critics say, since then, the space agency has become a bloated, disqualified bureaucracy which regularly In its space mission, the budget goes on a large scale and wastes taxpayer’s money,

One of the most arrogant examples of this is NASA’s new rocket, for a plan to return American astronauts to the Moon, Space Launch System (SLS). Its development is delayed, and costs have spirals in such a way that it costs $ 4.1BN (£ 3.3bn) for each and every launch.

In contrast, SpaceX’s equivalent rocket system, starship, cost $ 100m (£ 80m) per launch as it is estimated to be reusable. Jeff Bezos’s Blue Origin Space Company promises equal savings for its proposed new Glenn rocket.

To surprise someone, SLS will be phased out under the proposals of the White House, in the hope that starship and New Glenn can replace it. But the last three development launch of Starships has been unsuccessful, and Blue Origin has recently begun to test its moon rocket.

“The concern is that NASA can jump out of the frying pan, in the fire,” Dr. Barber says.

“These options for SLS are being developed by Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos.

“If they lose their hunger for this effort and SpaceX or Blue Origin says that they need more money to develop their system, then the Congress will have to give them.”

Dr. Barber says that is a matter of more anxiety, the potential loss of 40 missions to detect other planets and monitor the impact of climate change on Earth to Earth, many of which include collaboration with international partners.

“I think it is very sad that construction has taken so much time to knock so quickly with a debris that there is no plan to re -make it later.”

The projects that come up with the ax are already involved in the space, for which most development and launch costs have already been paid, with relatively small savings proposed on their operational costs.

Also there are two collaboration with the European Space Agency under the danger: an ambitious plan to bring the Martian rocks collected on Earth by NASA’s persistence Rover and a mission to send the Roselind Franklin Rover of Europe on the red planet to search for signs of previous life.

Professor Sir Martin Sweeting, Head of UK Space firm Surrey Satellite Technology Limited and co-writer Royal Society report on the future of spaceIt is said that when development was “unwanted”, there may be an upside down to Europe as it takes more responsibility for its own space exploration program.

“Maybe we have been very dependent on NASA [as] To put a lot of emphasis in space, “he told BBC News.

“It is an opportunity to think how Europe wants to get a better balance in its space activities.”

But the short term has a lot of negative side for Europe. With the return of Mars samples and its rover, ESA risks reduced access to the international space station, if this wound has occurred, and the budget cut planned NASA’s successor, Chandra Gateway, a multinational space station for classes around the moon.

ESA in its recently published strategy It has been stated that “” will try to build a more autonomous space capacity, and continue to be a reliable, strong and desirable partner with space agencies from all over the world “, with the implications that it will do so with or without NASA.

Dr. According to the baker, the cuts are faced, there are many current and proposed Earth observation programs.

“These Earth Overview programs are our canary in the coal mine,” he told BBC News.

“Our ability to predict and reduce the effects of climate change may be significantly reduced. It is a terrible possibility if we close this initial warning system.”

Budget proposals have not yet been approved by the Congress. KC Draer of the Planetary Society has told BBC News that many Republicans have privately told the lobists that they are ready to vote against the cut.

But, Mr. Draer is worried that there is a strong possibility that political gridlock may mean that no budget agrees.

It is likely that the budget of the reduced White House will be kept as an interim remedy, which may not be reversed easily, as it is difficult once the space mission is closed, if not impossible, if not impossible, to resume them.