Latest news with #spaceagency
Washington Post
4 hours ago
- Business
- Washington Post
NASA workforce cuts raise fears about safety for space missions
NASA and SpaceX are scheduled to launch another crew of astronauts to the International Space Station on Thursday in the sort of mission that has given the U.S. space program an aura of triumph. But this time around it comes amid deep turmoil at the space agency, which has seen 4,000 employees decide to leave as part of President Donald Trump's effort to cut federal spending.
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
When will NASA get a permanent leader and why is it taking so long?
Six months into President Trump's second term, name almost any federal agency and it has an ambitious leader carrying out significant change. Except NASA. The world's premier space agency does have significant change in its forecast, based on President Trump's spending plan, but it still has no permanent leader. That absence at the top has increased concern among the agency's 18,000 or so employees as the president proposed a $6 billion agency-wide funding cut, as well as a 47% cut to NASA science missions – although Congress has pledged to put some of that back in. This week, 287 NASA employees signed a letter warning of "catastrophic impacts" to America's space ambitions. They addressed it to acting NASA administrator Sean Duffy, who also leads the Department of Transportation. He's the second acting administrator since Trump took office, and according to some experts, there's a good chance he may hold that role through the end of 2025 or even take on the dual role of NASA leader and Transportation head on a permanent basis. "It is unusual to have multiple acting administrators before confirmation," Mary Guenther, head of Space Policy at Progressive Policy Institute, told FLORIDA TODAY. Sean Duffy, who was confirmed as head of Department of Transportation in January, was put in as interim NASA administrator on July 9, taking over from previous acting administrator and former Kennedy Space Center director Janet Petro. "I don't think its common to have someone who has already been Senate confirmed, but for a different position -- a dual hat role -- trying to oversee NASA and something else," said Guenther. Bill Nelson was the last NASA administrator, resigning after Trump took office. What happened to Jared Isaacman's NASA nomination? It didn't start out this way when Trump took office. It looked like not only was NASA in line to get a new administrator fairly quickly but Trump's initial pick generated excitement in the space community. Trump's initial choice was billionaire businessman and and private astronaut, Jared Isaacman, who was close to SpaceX CEO Elon Musk, who was leading Trump's Department of Government Efficiency at the time. But on May 31, Trump dropped Isaacman, citing loyalty issues. Isaacman had moved forward to a final Senate vote with a favorable Senate committee vote of 19-9, and large support in the space industry. Trump said he was concerned that Isaacman had donated to Democratic campaigns. The change came around the same time as Trump and Musk had a very public falling out. "Now they have to find somebody else," said Space Policy analyst and historian, John Logsdon. "And that somebody else has to deal with what Trump wants to do with NASA." He said it's become clear that all Trump appointees are being assessed on loyalty. "These nominations -- just finding the right person, vetting them, all that jazz, usually takes a couple of months," said Guenther. "I would suspect we have a little bit longer to go." Guenther believes how long may depend, in part, on how well Duffy can handle running both NASA and the Department of Transportation. If he is successful, there could be less of a rush to get someone to NASA more quickly. How soon might NASA get a permanent administrator? There are multiple ways the next few months could play out. Guenther expects the whole process of assessing the situation and interviewing candidates to extend over the next few months. Then after a candidate is identified, there comes the Senate nomination process and vote, which can take time as was seen with Isaacman. For him, that lasted from January until his nomination was dropped in late May. "Once you get the nomination, you have to schedule the hearing and confirmation vote," said Logsdon. "It's a time consuming process." Guenther said she'd be surprised to see a confirmed administrator on the job this calendar year. She noted that may be a pessimistic way to look at it. One thing that could speed it up is if there had been another previously vetted candidate waiting in the wings even while Isaacman was proceeding through the nomination process. But it's not clear if such a candidate exists. "I think it's clear from the way Isaacman's nomination was pulled, there is a desire for loyalty − someone who is a strong proponent of the budget proposal that President Trump put forward," said Guenther. A White House budget proposal put NASA's annual budget as $18.8 billion beginning in 2026, down from the $24.8 billion this current year. The proposal includes massive cuts to science missions. Space Science will see a cut of $2.2 billion while Earth Science is set to see a $1.1 billion cut. Recently, U.S. Senate and House members approved appropriations bills which would keep NASA's annual budget at $24.9 billion. The White House proposal had also called for an end to NASA's SLS after the Artemis III moon landing in favor of commercial alternatives − however, the "big, beautiful bill" signed by Trump now allows for the Artemis IV and V missions. While it's not clear exactly what demands the administration wants from the next NASA leader, Guenther believes the candidate must be an advocate for commercial space. This means bringing in more of the private sector for NASA contracts. Logsdon said it's possible that Duffy could just assume both the Transportation and NASA jobs permanently. "He's just not confirmed as NASA Administrator, but he's been confirmed by the Senate as Secretary of Transportation, so I do not think they need to go through another hearing nomination, hearing confirmation. He's already there," said Logsdon. Should Duffy be picked to run both NASA and the Department of Transportation, the process could be expedited -- and, Logsdon said, it made sense that Petro was replaced. "If the Trump White House wanted to put Duffy in as administrator, and dual him with transportation, then Petro had to go," said Logsdon. Looking back in history: Waits for NASA leaders It's not unheard of for the space agency to be without a permanent leader for some time. Sean O'Keefe wasn't sworn in as NASA administrator until December 2001, 11 months after George W. Bush took office during his first term. Fred Gregory served as acting administrator during the wait. Gregory was then sworn in as deputy administrator. Looking back further, Richard Truly was not sworn in as NASA administrator until July 1989, serving under George H.W. Bush. "There's not one clear pattern," said Logsdon. "There have been several past instances where the nomination came in late." The best example of the nomination coming in late is James Beggs, who was nominated by President Reagan in June 1981. Six months after Reagan took office, Beggs was sworn in as NASA Administrator one month later. For now, it remains to be seen how long that wait will be during this second Trump administration. Brooke Edwards is a Space Reporter for Florida Today. Contact her at bedwards@ or on X: @brookeofstars. This article originally appeared on Florida Today: NASA still without a permanent administrator. Here's what could happen.
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
NASA says 20% of workforce to depart space agency
WASHINGTON (Reuters) -About 20% of the employees at the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration are set to depart the space agency, a NASA spokesperson said on Friday. Around 3,870 individuals are expected to depart, but that number may change in the coming days and weeks, the spokesperson said, adding that the remaining number of employees at the agency would be around 14,000. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
NASA says 20% of workforce to depart space agency
WASHINGTON (Reuters) -About 20% of the employees at the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration are set to depart the space agency, a NASA spokesperson said on Friday. Around 3,870 individuals are expected to depart, but that number may change in the coming days and weeks, the spokesperson said, adding that the remaining number of employees at the agency would be around 14,000.
CNA
5 days ago
- Business
- CNA
NASA says 20% of workforce to depart space agency
WASHINGTON :About 20 per cent of the employees at the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration are set to depart the space agency, a NASA spokesperson said on Friday. Around 3,870 individuals are expected to depart, but that number may change in the coming days and weeks, the spokesperson said, adding that the remaining number of employees at the agency would be around 14,000.
