NASA layoffs and office closures threaten a legacy of innovation

We’re only in March, and 2025 is already shaping up to be the official year of layoffs! Tech giants? Slashing jobs, left, right and center. Media companies? Downsizing layoffs like it’s a sport. And now, NASA has decided to trim the fat because even rocket scientists aren’t safe from budget cuts. NASA layoffs have begun in earnest as the agency announced a series of job cuts and office shutdowns on Monday. The move, announced on March 10, 2025, marks the beginning of what could be agency’s most substantial workforce reduction in decades.

Along with layoffs, NASA also announced the closure of three key departments—the Office of Technology, Policy, and Strategy; the Office of the Chief Scientist; and the Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Accessibility (DEIA) brand within the Office of Diversity and Equal Opportunity, along with the termination of 23 staff members, including NASA’s chief scientist, Katherine Calvin.

Acting Administrator Janet Petro informed employees of NASA layoffs in a memo. Petro framed the NASA job cuts as part of a broader “phased reduction in force” aimed at streamlining the agency’s operations. “We’re viewing this as an opportunity to reshape our workforce,” Petro wrote. “Our strength comes from our shared mission and each other.”

The official number of those impacted by NASA layoffs hasn’t been disclosed yet.

NASA layoffs and policy office closure sparks outrage

The news of NASA layoffs in 2025 has sparked alarm across the scientific community. Analysts warn of a potential funding crisis that could jeopardize NASA’s leadership in space exploration and research.

“The mood here is disbelief mixed with dread,” a NASA official confided to The HR Digest on March 11, 2025. “With the chief scientist gone and entire offices shuttered, it’s not just about job losses; it’s about losing the soul of what keeps NASA pushing boundaries. No one knows how deep these cuts will go.” (Image: Expedition 71 Astronauts Speak with U.S. Senate Youth Program; Photo Credit: NASA/Joel Kowsky)

The Office of the Chief Scientist, which has enjoyed its status as an advisory body, is now shuttered amid the current round of layoffs at NASA. The advisory body has been instrumental in guiding NASA’s scientific priorities since the 1980s. Its closure raises questions about NASA’s capacity to maintain its cutting-edge research programs. The termination of Katherine Calvin, a climate scientist who has advised on critical missions since 2022, hasn’t gone well with employees either.

The news of NASA’s policy office closure hasn’t been well-received either. Established in 2021, the Office of Technology, Policy, and Strategy was designed to provide evidence-based insights to NASA’s leadership. It’s closure, along with the shuttering of the DEIA branch, reflects a significant rollback of initiatives championed in recent years. As recently as September, NASA had supported partnerships aimed at empowering underrepresented students.

NASA budget cuts, will Artemis survive the 2025 job cuts?

The NASA budget cuts driving these layoffs and office closures remain opaque. However, sources familiar with the current administration’s upcoming budget proposal suggest that NASA could face a 25% cut in funding for the 2026 fiscal year, with programs getting slashed by as much as 50%. These budget cuts at NASA would represent the biggest single-year decline since the post-Apollo era. What’s worse is that this might end up threatening missions ranging from planetary explorations to Earth observations.

“This is a moment of reckoning,” said Casey Dreier, chief of space policy at the Planetary Society, a major advocacy group. “These NASA job losses and office closures aren’t just administrative tweaks—they signal a retreat from the ambition that has defined America’s space program for generations.”

NASA layoffs and closures in 2025

The current NASA staff reductions have drawn comparisons to the agency’s learn years after the Apollo program. However, today’s layoffs at NASA are slightly different. NASA is in the midst of its Artemis program and aims to return astronauts to the Moon by 2027. Furthermore, the threat of further NASA layoffs and office closures looms large as the agency prepared for a reorganization plan due later this year. What makes matters worse is that NASA is one of the many federal agencies being pressed by the current administration to streamline operations. If one thing is certain, it is that 2026 won’t be an easy year for NASA.

“We’re seeing a ripple effect across morale and mission readiness that no one anticipated,” said an anonymous NASA insider to The HR Digest on March 10, 2025. “These layoffs aren’t just numbers on a spreadsheet, they’re gutting teams that have spent years building NASA’s future. The policy office closure alone feels like a signal to abandon long-term vision for short-term cuts.”

The immediate impact of NASA layoffs is felt by those directly affected. “Our colleagues impacted by these changes have been valued members of our team,” Petro noted in her memo. The sentiment however, does little to soften the blow for employees laid off at NASA on Monday.

NASA job cuts threaten a legacy of innovation

The NASA office shutdown has also fueled speculation about leadership changes, with Acting Administrator Petro’s tenure nearing its end. Billionaire Jared Isaacman could oversee the next phase of this major overhaul, though no confirmation has been forthcoming.

As NASA grapples with these job cuts in 2025, the broader implications for U.S. space policy remain uncertain. The agency’s ability to innovate, explore, and inspire now hangs in the balance amid a major funding crisis.

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