NASA prepares for a crisis as over 2,000 employees could be let go of soon: Report

Donald Trump's cost-cutting spree continues as his administration is preparing to let go of over 2,000 NASA staff members. According to reports, the layoffs include several senior members whose invaluable experience was a boon for the space agency. A total of 2,145 employees will reportedly be asked to go. This includes those in senior-level government ranks. The method of cutting them out would include early retirement, buyouts, and deferred resignations. Of the total number, 1,818 of these NASA staff members work in core mission areas like science and human space flight. All the others in the list are in support roles, such as information technology (IT). This has left several people questioning the Trump administration and how it would affect NASA in view of the upcoming space missions. Also Read: 2-billion-light-year-wide cosmic void cocoons Earth and even the Milky Way

The Trump administration has already announced proposed budget cuts for 2026 for NASA, hitting dozens of science programs and missions. The one most likely to suffer would be the Artemis mission that plans to land humans on the Moon again after over 50 years. Earlier reports suggest that Trump plans on cutting a whopping 50 per cent of NASA's science budget. The Planetary Society feared at the time that this would mean massive layoffs, a fear that could soon come true. To avert a potential disaster, the group had supporters sign a letter which was sent to the White House, asking them not to go ahead with budget cuts. Also Read: Earth is unknowingly sending signals into space revealing our location to aliens

‘Extinction-level event for NASA’

It also turned to social media to save the day for NASA. The society wrote on X, "This would be nothing short of an extinction-level event for NASA's science and exploration, losing that much money, that fast, would force NASA to make so many terrible decisions." The video pointed out that if NASA's budget is cut, it would mean the cancellation of several missions to space. "You like missions to Venus? Too bad, they're gone. What about missions to Mars? Deep space? The sun? Earth? Anywhere? Active missions that are producing science right now? Too bad. Those are probably gone too."

Former chiefs of NASA's science Mission Directorate warned last week that is NASA's budgets are cut, it could put China in the pole position in space missions. Seven of them also signed a joint letter calling out the White House's proposed 47 per cent budget cuts. The letter states, "The economics of these proposed cuts ignore a fundamental truth: investments in NASA science have been and are a powerful driver of the U.S. economy and technological leadership."