NASA's next-generation X-ray telescope project, the Advanced X-Ray Imaging Satellite (AXIS), has been stopped in its tracks due to mismanagement by the space agency. The project's leader, Christopher Reynolds, blamed mismanagement at NASA for the cancellation due to last year's budget confusion. AXIS was one of two concepts selected for detailed design studies in NASA’s, competing with the far-infrared observatory concept PRIMA. The decision to discontinue the project was not a judgment on the importance of AXIS science, but was tied to disruptions at NASA's (GSFC) in Maryland, which managed the mission throughout 2025. The mission was also ruled ineligible for selection by NASA Headquarters, ending the project's run before its concept study could undergo full technical review. Reynolds stated that the project lost over 20 GSFC personnel with key expertise due to NASA's Department of Funding (DRP) and reorganizations.