NASA may have to shut down the Chandra X-ray Observatory. It does not have enough money for its operation – VTM.cz

On March 11, NASA released its proposed budget for fiscal year 2025—and it shocked astronomers. The cost of operating the Chandra X-ray Observatory should decrease from last year’s $68.3 million to $41.1 million in 2025 and then to $26.6 million in 2026.

By 2029, they could be just $5 million, which is ridiculously low. Especially considering that future observatories probably won’t be able to match Chandra in terms of sensitivity.

“The Athena X-ray observatory under development by ESA would provide many similar capabilities with a much larger collection area, but with an angular resolution that will not match Chandra’s excellent imaging capabilities,” said Chandra X-ray Center Director Patrick Slane.

On top of that, there’s the fact that the Athena project is also facing budget cuts. And the planned successor to the Chandra, called the Lynx, probably won’t be operational until sometime in 2035. Needless to say, for the same reason…

However, according to Slane, there is still some chance that scientists will eventually convince NASA to reconsider its decision. As they say, hope dies last.

“If you shut down Chandra, it would have a huge impact on X-ray astronomy in the US. So maybe the astronomical community will scream loud enough for NASA to decide that we should do something else,” said astrophysicist David Weinberg of Ohio State University.