Insider Brief
- Hundreds of NASA employees accepted a voluntary resignation offer as part of a federal workforce reduction effort, raising concerns about impacts on space agency operations.
- Private space companies, including Blue Origin and Boeing, are also laying off workers amid delays and budget overruns in NASA’s Artemis lunar program.
- Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis renewed calls to relocate NASA’s headquarters to Cape Canaveral, but the proposal lacks confirmed federal support.
- The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), led by SpaceX CEO Elon Musk, is overseeing federal job reductions, raising concerns about potential conflicts of interest in NASA’s workforce decisions.
- Image: NASA
Hundreds of NASA employees signed up for a voluntary resignation offer as the federal government continues cutting jobs nationwide, raising concerns about potential impacts on the space agency’s workforce.
NASA announced Wednesday that it is verifying resignations submitted under President Donald Trump’s Deferred Resignation Program, which is part of a broader effort to downsize federal employment. The cuts come amid layoffs at other agencies, including the Centers for Disease Control, the Environmental Protection Agency, and the Internal Revenue Service, according to USA Today.
“NASA continues to work as quickly as possible to comply with the guidance and direction provided by the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) for the Deferred Resignation Program and probationary employees,” Cheryl Warner, NASA news chief, said in a statement.
The agency is “validating hundreds of employees who responded” before the deadline, according to the statement. Probationary employees who accepted the resignation offer will be placed on administrative leave by the end of the week. NASA is working with OPM to seek exemptions for workers in “mission-critical functions,” Warner said in the statement.
NASA employs just under 18,000 people, with a significant number working at Kennedy Space Center on Florida’s Space Coast. The latest wave of government job reductions has sparked concerns in the region, where space-related employment plays a key role in the economy.
Layoffs Across The Industry
The cuts follow recent layoffs by private space companies. Blue Origin, Jeff Bezos’ rocket company, announced on Feb. 13 that it would cut about 10% of its workforce — approximately 1,000 jobs — citing inefficiencies and excess bureaucracy. Boeing, which supports NASA’s Artemis lunar program, warned earlier this month that it may eliminate about 400 jobs from its Space Launch System (SLS) rocket team by April. NASA has delayed the Artemis II mission until at least April 2026, and the program’s budget has exceeded initial projections by billions of dollars.
Some lawmakers view the NASA workforce reductions as a threat to U.S. leadership in space.
“We are in a race with the Chinese Communist Party to return astronauts to the lunar surface for the first time in over 50 years. The Artemis Program is our ticket to the Moon and a critical first step toward Mars,” U.S. Rep. Mike Haridopolos, R-Indian Harbour Beach, said in a Wednesday statement.
Haridopolos, who chairs the House Subcommittee on Space and Aeronautics, added in the statement: “Winning this race carries immense national security implications, and NASA needs all hands on deck to ensure Artemis II launches successfully in early 2026,”
NASA Work Reductions And Furloughs Directive
In an internal directive issued Feb. 11, NASA outlined plans to conduct workforce reductions and furloughs exceeding 30 days “in a manner that minimizes adverse impact on employees and limits disruption to critical Agency missions.” The seven-page document states that NASA will consider voluntary separation incentives, early retirement programs and retraining efforts to reduce the number of involuntary job losses.
Officials at Kennedy Space Center declined to provide further details Wednesday on how the NASA job reductions might affect operations.
KSC News Chief Patti Bielling told USA Today in an email that NASA was in the process of transitioning to new directions under the Trump administration. That would also include adherence to dozens of new executive orders.
NASA HQ Moves?
Meanwhile, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis renewed his call for NASA to relocate its headquarters from Washington, D.C., to Cape Canaveral. Speaking at a press conference in Tallahassee on Wednesday, DeSantis estimated that the move would save about $1 billion.
“Don’t build that new NASA building in D.C. You don’t have people showing up anyway. Move the headquarters to Florida,” he said. “We already have stuff going on at Kennedy Space Center. Things are already being expanded.”
Concerns About DOGE Conflicts of Interest
The proposed headquarters move would align NASA leadership more closely with the growing commercial space sector in Florida, but it is unclear whether the plan has federal support. The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), which is overseeing federal job reductions, is led by SpaceX CEO Elon Musk, raising concerns among some Florida lawmakers about potential conflicts of interest.
“Elon Musk has made billions from privatizing the space industry. He obviously has every intention of continuing to do that,” Florida State Rep. Anna Eskamani, D-Orlando, told Florida Today, which is part of USA Today. “So it’s really concerning for DOGE to be at NASA, because this is not a character that is approaching these issues objectively.”
Eskamani said she believes the government’s workforce reduction efforts could shift more space operations to private companies. “He’s approaching with a goal to essentially eliminate government jobs, to give corporate tax breaks later, to also basically get private contracts to fill in the gaps that he’s intentionally creating,” she said. “So, I mean, it’s very concerning. It’s pretty transparent what’s happening.”
Share this article:
