NASA’s workforce is undergoing a significant reduction, with nearly 20% of employees leaving the agency, while Pulsar Fusion, a UK-based space company, is establishing its US headquarters in

NASA’s course reversal on firing about 1,000 probationary employees in February was hailed as a victory for those opposing cuts to the space agency’s civil workforce, which in January comprised more than 18,000 personnel. According to the latest update, however, NASA could be 20 percent smaller by January 2026.

A letter of dissent titled "The Voyager Declaration," with hundreds of signatures from current and former NASA employees, said: "Thousands of NASA civil servant employees have already been terminated, resigned, or retired early, taking with them highly specialized, irreplaceable knowledge crucial to carrying out NASA's mission."

About 3,870 employees have applied to depart NASA over two rounds through the Trump administration's deferred resignation program, the agency disclosed.

Nearly 4,000 NASA employees have opted to leave under Trump’s Deferred Resignation Program amid leadership shifts, budget cuts, and growing concerns about agency direction.

NASA is bracing for one of the largest staffing reductions in its history, with nearly 4,000 employees preparing to exit under a federal downsizing initiative led by the Trump administration .

NASA offered multiple voluntary options: the initial Deferred Resignation Program attracted about 870 employees (4.8 percent of the workforce), while a second program including Voluntary Early Retirement Authority and Voluntary Separation Incentive Program drew roughly 3,000 participants.

NASA plans a 20% workforce reduction as nearly 4,000 employees opt for voluntary resignations under Trump-era efficiency measures.