In January 2026, NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman, without public consultation, released a plan named "Ignition", which, among other things, cancels the Lunar Gateway project and the planned upgrades to the Space Launch System.

Whatever his reasoning is, these cancellations are unlawful, undermine international space cooperation, threatens thousands of jobs, and guarantees delays as NASA's partners try to figure out the new plan.

Specifically, Gateway's funding is guaranteed by Section 40005 of the Working Families Tax Cut bill (PL 119-21), explicitly allocating 2.6 billion US dollars to the Gateway project (see also 51 U.S. Code § 20306). Furthermore, development of the SLS upgrades and Gateway are guaranteed under sections 10811 and 10812 of the 2022 NASA Authorization Act (PL 117-167). Congress has the power of the purse, not Jared.

This is illegal. No law or legal precedent allows Isaacman to carry out these actions. When Isaacman is asked about this, he dodges the question. If no one in the higher places is willing to stand up to him, then we must cry out against him.