The release of NASA's latest budget reveals the Orion spacecraft and Lunar Gateway space station are getting the chop. The US$18.8-billion total figure decreases spending by $6 billion, or 24%, as the space agency increases funding for crewed Moon and Mars missions.

U.S. President Donald Trump's administration is seeking to axe key parts of NASA's moon program in favour of commercial alternatives and his Mars-focused agenda. It also proposes cuts to Gateway, a lunar space station in which Canada has already invested.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -U.S. President Donald Trump's administration is seeking to cut key elements of NASA's moon program in favor of commercial alternatives and his emerging Mars-focused agenda, targeting an array of established projects in a proposed $6 billion cut to the space agency's overall budget for next year.