20% of Nasa workforce set to leave, says agency

WASHINGTON: Around 20% of Nasa’s workforce is expected to leave the agency, a spokesperson said on Friday, with approximately 3,870 employees set to depart in the coming days and weeks.

The final figure may fluctuate, the spokesperson added. Following the exits, Nasa’s workforce is projected to stand at roughly 14,000.

Earlier this month, Politico reported, citing documents obtained by the news outlet, that around 2,145 senior-ranking employees at Nasa are set to leave under a push to shed staff.

Most employees leaving are in GS-13 to GS-15 positions, senior-level government ranks, the report said, adding that the agency has offered staff early retirement, buyouts and deferred resignations.

"Nasa remains committed to our mission as we work within a more prioritised budget", the agency's spokesperson Bethany Stevens told Reuters in an emailed statement.

Under President Donald Trump's administration, in recent months the US space industry and Nasa's workforce of 18,000 have been whipsawed by looming layoffs and proposed budget cuts that would cancel dozens of science programs, while the US space agency remains without a confirmed administrator.

Trump's nominee for Nasa administrator, Musk ally and billionaire private astronaut Jared Isaacman, appeared to be an early casualty of Musk's rift with the president when the White House abruptly removed him from consideration last month, denying Musk his pick to lead the space agency.