At 7:03 p.m. local time on March 14, 2025, the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket and Dragon spacecraft carrying four astronauts launched from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Aboard the spacecraft were NASA astronauts Anne McClain and Nichole Ayers, JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut Takuya Onishi and Roscosmos cosmonaut Kirill Peskov,
Washington D.C. – NASA, the iconic space agency known for its groundbreaking space exploration and scientific achievements, is undergoing significant changes under the direction of the Trump administration’s push to streamline federal agencies. This effort, focused on eliminating “waste, bloat, and insularity,” is prompting significant restructuring at NASA, though the full scope of the changes remains unclear.
The agency is scrambling to comply with an executive order issued by President Trump that mandates federal agencies cut costs and reorganize their operations. In response, NASA has set up a specialized “Tiger Team” to evaluate potential cost-saving measures and identify areas where efficiency can be improved. This move is part of NASA’s broader goal to achieve its most ambitious objectives in recent history, including returning humans to the Moon and establishing a permanent lunar settlement by the end of the decade.
“Over the past few weeks, an internal team has defined a strategy to identify and act on opportunities for optimizing our organization,” said NASA Acting Administrator Janet Petro in a communication to the agency’s staff. This message outlined plans to explore ways to streamline operations, reduce unnecessary reporting, and eliminate duplicate efforts. However, it was unclear exactly what changes would be implemented and when, leaving many employees uncertain about the future.
In addition to the restructuring efforts, NASA has already experienced significant layoffs, a direct result of the executive orders and the broader goals of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), a group led by SpaceX CEO Elon Musk. The March 10 layoffs affected 23 employees, including key staff members in NASA’s policy and science divisions. These cuts have raised alarms among remaining staff, with some employees describing the process as harsh and unnecessarily swift. Layoffs were carried out with just 30 days’ notice, a timeline that many workers feel violated federal guidelines.
“I think we were targeted,” one laid-off employee told CNN, expressing frustration with the short notice and the denial of expected bonuses. The layoffs also involved the shutdown of NASA’s Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility branch, in line with the Trump administration’s broader directive to cut diversity-related programs across the federal government.
Despite these setbacks, NASA insists that it will continue to prioritize its space missions and scientific integrity, emphasizing that it remains committed to conducting groundbreaking research. However, some employees are worried about the long-term effects of these cuts on the agency’s ability to meet its ambitious goals. “There’s a massive concern across the agency that we’re going to have significant brain drain,” one NASA employee said. “This could affect not only current missions but engineering and science for generations to come.”
As NASA navigates these challenging waters, the agency’s future is uncertain. The nomination of Shift4 Payments CEO Jared Isaacman as NASA’s new administrator has further fueled concerns. Isaacman, a close ally of Musk, has yet to undergo Senate confirmation, and many at NASA are wary of how his leadership could reshape the agency’s mission and priorities.
The coming months will reveal whether NASA’s efforts to streamline its operations will allow it to continue making significant strides in space exploration or whether the ongoing restructuring will undermine its ability to lead the charge into the future of space.
