The White House and the newly formed Department of Government Efficiency have spent the first weeks of Donald Trump’s new administration looking to reduce the number of federal workers and shrink spending.
The cuts have followed roughly the same formula from agency to agency. What does that mean for space? It’s challenging to track every corner of the federal workforce that works on space, making it difficult to determine exactly how many jobs have been lost.
Below are the latest developments for each department, including what we don’t know. SpaceNews reporters are on Signal and welcome tips.
National Aeronautics and Space Administration
Total number of employees: ~18,000
- Were employees offered the deferred resignation program or did they receive the so-called “fork in the road” email? Yes. NASA officials have said about 5% of employees have accepted the offer. That would translate to roughly 900 positions.
- Were there probationary layoffs? Layoffs of probationary employees have been deferred for now. Roughly 1,000 employees were thought to be part of the cut.
- Notes: NASA leaders are developing plans for a larger reduction in force as part of Trump’s vision to shrink the federal workforce. The Planetary Society, an advocacy group, has estimated that the 10% cut would be the largest single reduction in force at the agency since the end of the Apollo program more than a half-century ago.
Department of Defense
Total number of civilian employees: +700,000
Total number of civilian employees in the Space Force: ~5,600
- Were employees offered the deferred resignation program or did they receive the so-called “fork in the road” email? Yes. Specifically, the Department of the Air Force, which oversees the Air Force and Space Force, sent the email to employees Feb. 28. Pentagon officials have not disclosed how many employees accepted the offer thus far.
- Were there probationary layoffs? Not yet. But some officials have said those could begin before the end of March.
- Notes: Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has told Pentagon officials to plan for a 7% reduction of budget and a senior Pentagon official has said to anticipate a reduction of the Department’s civilian workforce by 5-8% to produce efficiencies. It is unclear how many of those employees will work for the Space Force or on space programs.
- Specifics: The head of Space Systems Command, the Space Force’s primary acquisition arm, said March 4 that the office “had a considerable number” of employees apply for the deferred resignation program. He expected those employees to leave soon, according to Defense News.
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Total number of employees: ~12,000
- Were employees offered the deferred resignation program or did they receive the so-called “fork in the road” email? Yes. The New York Times reported approximately 500 people took that offer and left the agency Feb. 28. It is unclear how many of them worked on space programs.
- Were there probationary layoffs? Yes. CBS News reported that about 880 people were fired Feb. 27. It is unclear how many of them worked on space programs.
- Specifics: Layoffs at the Office of Space Commerce within NOAA Feb. 27 included staff working on the Traffic Coordination System for Space (TraCSS) and in the Commercial Remote Sensing Regulatory Affairs Division, which oversees commercial imaging satellite licensing. TraCSS is set to take over space traffic coordination from the Defense Department. The cuts, which affected as many as a quarter of the office’s 60-person staff, are expected to disrupt programs, a former NOAA official said. However, by March 4, two senior leaders, the TraCSS program manager and a division director, had been reinstated after industry groups raised concerns with Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick.
National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency
Total number of employees: ~14,500
- Were employees offered the deferred resignation program or did they receive the so-called “fork in the road” email? Yes.
- Were there probationary layoffs? None have been reported thus far.
- Notes: There was confusion at NGA — a U.S. intelligence agency that analyzes geospatial data for the U.S. military, allies and homeland security organizations — because many employees believed their role in national security made them exempt from the hiring freeze announced Jan. 20 and from subsequent layoffs.
National Reconnaissance Office
Total number of employees: ~3,000
- Were employees offered the deferred resignation program or did they receive the so-called “fork in the road” email? Yes.
- Were there probationary layoffs? None have been reported thus far.
- Notes: The NRO builds and acquires satellites for the intelligence community. Like the NGA, many employees believed their role in national security made them exempt from the hiring freeze announced Jan. 20 and from subsequent layoffs.
