21.02.2024
On Monday, Sept. 16, 2024, the Artemis II crew stood by the core of their rocket and Orion spacecraft, which will take them around the moon in 2026.
Hundreds of NASA employees signed up for President Donald Trump's deferred resignation offer earlier this month, the space agency said Wednesday afternoon.
The announcement came amid rumors and published reports of potential mass job losses looming at NASA and Kennedy Space Center, generating concerns across Florida's Space Coast.
Trump's Department of Government Efficiency continues eliminating tens of thousands of government jobs nationwide. In addition to the severance-package buyouts, thousands of federal probationary employees are being laid off at an array of agencies nationwide, including the Centers for Disease Control, Environmental Protection Agency and Internal Revenue Service, USA Today reported.
NASA employs just under 18,000 people.
"NASA continues to work as quickly as possible to comply with the guidance and direction provided by the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) for the Deferred Resignation Program and probationary employees," Cheryl Warner, NASA news chief, said in a statement.
"The agency is in the process of validating hundreds of employees who responded to the deferred resignation offer before the deadline. Some probationary employees have taken the deferred resignation offer and those individuals have been, or will be, on administrative leave by the end of this week," the statement said.
"NASA is working with OPM on exemptions for those in the probationary period in mission critical functions," the statement said.
NASA job losses on the Space Coast would arrive on the heels of Blue Origin's Feb. 13 announcement that about 10% of its workforce of nearly 14,000 employees will be laid off. In an email to workers, CEO Dave Limp said the company's swift growth in recent years spawned "more bureaucracy and less focus than we needed."
And earlier this month, Boeing told workers to brace for the potential loss of about 400 jobs by April in the Space Launch System rocket team in NASA's Artemis program. The Artemis II lunar campaign is over budget by billions of dollars, and the launch date has been pushed back to April 2026.
“We are in a race with the Chinese Communist Party to return astronauts to the lunar surface for the first time in over 50 years. The Artemis Program is our ticket to the Moon and a critical first step toward Mars," U.S. Rep. Mike Haridopolos, R-Indian Harbour Beach, said in a Wednesday statement.
"Winning this race carries immense national security implications, and NASA needs all hands on deck to ensure Artemis II launches successfully in early 2026," said Haridopolos, who chairs the House Subcommittee on Space and Aeronautics.
On Feb. 11, NASA issued an interim directive that implemented regulations to conduct "reduction in force" and furloughs exceeding 30 days "in a manner that minimizes adverse impact on employees and limits disruption to critical Agency missions, programs, operations, and organizations, consistent with employees’ assignment and displacement rights."
The seven-page document said management will proactively consider and evaluate a voluntary separation incentive program, voluntary early retirement, retraining programs and other measures to minimize involuntary job separations.
KSC officials did not have further information available Wednesday afternoon on potential NASA cutbacks or their impact. In an email, KSC News Chief Patti Bielling said NASA is in the process of transitioning to new directions under the Trump administration, including adherence to dozens of new executive orders.
Move NASA headquarters to KSC: DeSantis
In a Wednesday press conference in Tallahassee, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis repeated his call for NASA to move its headquarters from Washington, D.C., to Cape Canaveral. He estimated the move would save about $1 billion.
"I know we're meeting with Cabinet secretaries on Friday. I don't know if we're going to meet with any representatives from DOGE. But if they ask me, 'What would you think?' that would be the first thing I would say," DeSantis said.
"Don't build that new NASA building in D.C. You don't have people showing up anyways. Move the headquarters to Florida. We already have stuff going on at Kennedy Space Center. Things are already being expanded," he said.
"And I've talked to the folks down there. It could be pretty seamless to be able to get that done. So that would be good for Florida. And I think it would save the American taxpayer a lot of money," he said.
DOGE is led by SpaceX founder and CEO Elon Musk.
Florida State Rep. Anna Eskamani, D-Orlando, said she did not have information on potential NASA job cuts Wednesday, but she said space industries are essential to Central Florida's economy.
"I think it's important to note that Elon Musk has made billions from privatizing the space industry. He obviously has every intention of continuing to do that. So it's really concerning for DOGE to be at NASA, because this is not a character that is approaching these issues objectively," Eskamani said.
"He's approaching with a goal to essentially eliminate government jobs, to give corporate tax breaks later, to also basically get private contracts to fill in the gaps that he's intentionally creating. So I mean, it's very concerning. It's pretty transparent what's happening," she said.
"And my heart hurts from our federal workers, who are incredible public servants," she said.
Quelle: Florida Today