Trump Admin Seeks to Destroy Vital NASA Climate Satellites

The Trump administration reportedly asked NASA to develop plans to end at least two major satellite missions, one of which involves intentionally deorbiting a satellite to burn up in the atmosphere. These missions, the Orbiting Carbon Observatories (OCO), collect data widely used by scientists, energy companies, and farmers to monitor atmospheric carbon dioxide and plant growth. They are uniquely designed to monitor planet-warming greenhouse gases. Despite internal NASA assessments highlighting the high quality of the data and recommending continued operation, termination plans are reportedly advancing. This move has sparked strong opposition from the scientific community and Congress, who argue it would cause significant scientific loss and threaten national security and food security.