- NASA will shutter three departments, according to an email reviewed by BI.
- The email said that the closures are part of a larger reduction in force.
- Twenty-three employees were fired on Monday, an agency spokesperson told BI.
NASA has officially started its restructuring effort.
The agency will close three departments as part of the Trump administration’s broader goal to reduce the federal workforce, according to an email reviewed by Business Insider.
NASA employees received the email on Monday from the agency’s acting administrator, Janet Petro. The three departments affected are the Office of Technology, Policy, and Strategy; the Office of the Chief Scientist; and the Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility branch of the Office of Diversity and Equal Opportunity. An agency spokesperson told BI that 23 individuals were fired.
“NASA’s Office of the Chief Scientist is tasked with ensuring that all the Agency’s scientific endeavors align with the Administration’s goals. Eliminating the office sends a chilling message that NASA’s scientists aren’t part of the nation’s goals,” a current NASA employee told BI in a written response.
Petro said the changes put the agency in compliance with President Donald Trump’s executive order to implement the White House DOGE office’s workplace restructuring.
She wrote that Monday marked the beginning of NASA’s reduction in force effort.
“While this will mean making difficult adjustments, we’re viewing this as an opportunity to reshape our workforce, ensuring we are doing what is statutorily required of us, while also providing American citizens with an efficient and effective agency,” Petro wrote in the email.
It’s not clear if all employees in the departments were terminated, or if some might be moved to different areas within NASA.
“A small number of individuals received notification Monday they are a part of NASA’s RIF. If they’re eligible, those employees may opt to participate in the Voluntary Early Retirement Authority, or VERA, or complete the RIF process,” the NASA spokesperson told BI in a statement.
Representatives for DOGE and the White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment from BI.
The latest restructuring plans from NASA follow weeks of changes to the federal workforce. The Trump administration has fired thousands of workers across a range of federal agencies and has cut billions of dollars in federal spending programs. The Office of Personnel Management also instructed all federal agencies to develop reorganization plans by March 13.
Have a tip? Contact these reporters via Signal at asheffey.97 or alicetecotzky.05 or via email at asheffey@businessinsider.com or atecotzky@businessinsider.com. Use a personal email address and a nonwork device; here’s our guide to sharing information securely.
