Over 2,000 senior-level NASA employees resign, one ‘warns’: Things just sound like it’s going to get ..
NASA is facing a significant loss of expertise, with 2,145 senior-level employees in GS-13 to GS-15 positions, including 875 GS-15 staff, set to depart, according to internal documents cited by Politico. These employees, who represent critical managerial and technical expertise, make up the majority of the 2,694 civil staff accepting early retirement, buyouts, or deferred resignations as part of broader federal workforce reduction efforts.
Is it Exodus at NASA
The exodus spans NASA’s core mission areas, with 1,818 staff from science and human space flight roles leaving, alongside others in support functions like IT and finance. “You’re losing the managerial and core technical expertise of the agency,” warned Casey Dreier, chief of space policy at The Planetary Society, questioning the strategy behind the cuts.The departures align with a proposed 2026 White House budget that would cut NASA’s funding by 25% and reduce staff by over 5,000, shrinking the agency to its smallest size since the early 1960s. All 10 NASA regional centers are affected, with Goddard Space Flight Center losing 607 staff, Johnson Space Center 366, Kennedy Space Center 311, NASA headquarters 307, Langley Research Center 281, Marshall Space Flight Center 279, and Glenn Research Center 191.
Lot of experience drain
While some cuts, like those at Goddard, align with White House goals, the loss of staff critical to lunar missions by mid-2027 and future Mars plans raises concerns. A departing NASA staffer, speaking anonymously, described the cuts as causing “a lot of experience drain,” potentially disrupting operations. “You’re losing the managerial and core technical expertise of the agency,” said Casey Dreier, chief of space policy at The Planetary Society. “What’s the strategy and what do we hope to achieve here?”A an employee who has resigned described their decision to leave as influenced in part by fear of the proposed NASA budget cuts and the lack of a Senate-approved NASA administrator: “Things just sound like it’s going to get worse.”The staffer cited fears of deeper budget cuts and the absence of a Senate-approved NASA administrator as factors in their decision to leave.With only half of the White House’s targeted 5,000 staff reductions met, further involuntary cuts loom if participation in the deferred resignation program, ending July 25, falls short. However, Congress could reject these proposals, as the Senate Commerce Committee has signaled support for retaining NASA staff in a March bill.