Trump layoffs strike NASA: Will space agency job cuts impact its future projects? Check details

NASA has abruptly shut its chief-scientist office along with 2 other offices, firing 23 employees. NASA will close several offices and reduce its workforce to comply with an executive order from US President Donald Trump.

The space agency in an emailed statement said NASA's Office of Technology, Policy and Strategy will be shuttered, as will the Office of the Chief Scientist, and the Diversity, Equity, Inclusion (DEI) and Accessibility Branch of the Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion.

"To optimize our workforce, and in compliance with an Executive Order, NASA is beginning its phased approach to a reduction in force, known as a RIF," NASA officials said in the statement. "A small number of individuals received notification Monday they are a part of NASA's RIF. If they're eligible, those employees may opt to participate in the Voluntary Early Retirement Authority, or VERA, or complete the RIF process."


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NASA dissolves DEI department

Moreover, NASA revealed it dissolved two additional departments, including the one which dealt with diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility (DEIA), and abolished the position of its head scientist and other key roles as part of President Donald Trump's federal “efficiency” campaign. NASA's acting administrator Janet Petro signed a memo that was sent to the employees, stating that the office of technology, policy, and strategy, which advises the space agency on critical leadership choices, was also shut down. Katherine Calvin, a climate science specialist and NASA top scientist, is one of 23 employees fired by the US space agency, as per Reuters.

Petro, who called the DEI initiatives contentious, costly, and embarrassing in a January memo, described the cuts as “a thoughtful approach that aligns with both administration priorities and our mission needs.”

The acting administrator further encouraged employees to “embrace the challenge” when the cuts go into effect as Jared Isaacman, Trump's choice for NASA administrator, is expected to succeed him. She claimed the moves were made in preparation for an upcoming and more significant agency “reduction in [work]force and reorganization plan.”

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How will NASA layoffs impact the space agency?

NASA's recent move has not affected the operational aspects of its space programs. However, some experts worry this may be just the beginning of broader budget cuts that could eventually impact future missions.

According to the US news website Ars Technica, NASA’s Science Mission Directorate—responsible for planning and managing space research—could face budget reductions of up to 50%.

The Planetary Society, a prominent non-profit advocating for space exploration, warned that such cuts would be “nothing short of an extinction event for space science and exploration in the U.S.” While NASA has fared better than some other federal agencies facing severe budget reductions, there are signs of change. Only a few positions within NASA’s Office of Diversity and Equal Opportunity (ODEO) have been eliminated, but its webpage has already been removed from the agency’s official site.

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Grant Tremblay, an astrophysicist at the Harvard & Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, voiced concerns on X (formerly Twitter). While he acknowledged the need for some reforms at NASA, he described the elimination of entire departments as extreme.

“Nasa is small, but it is arguably the most legendary and globally beloved agency in American history. Its gutting has begun, and the cuts to come are so massive that we won’t recognize it in a year,” Tremblay wrote.

He further warned that many of these cuts may be irreversible: “It’s hard to build something great from a pile of ash and rubble. The people you lose will not come back. When you lose a lead, you never recover it. Memory lost is lost for good.”