"I'll buy 10 of those"—NASA science chief yearns for mass-produced satellites

Key points

• There are more opportunities to access space than ever, thanks to a bevy of commercial rockets, some with reusable boosters, led by SpaceX’s workhorse Falcon 9. So why is NASA launching fewer telescopes and planetary science missions than it did a quarter-century ago?
• The answer is complex.
• It is not necessarily the money.
• The space agency’s science budget this year is $7.25 billion, roughly the same as it was in 2000, adjusted for inflation.
• This is despite attempts by the Trump administration to drastically reduce NASA science funding.