NASA

NASA's $26 billion budget — less than half a percent of federal spending — funds space exploration, Earth science, aeronautics research, and technology development. Major current programs include the Artemis initiative to return astronauts to the Moon, the James Webb Space Telescope (the most powerful space observatory ever built), Mars rovers and sample return missions, and climate monitoring satellites. NASA also supports the commercial space industry through partnerships with SpaceX, Boeing, and other companies, and its research has produced thousands of spinoff technologies used in everyday life.