NASA Fires 1,000 Probationary Employees

Space agency says it is following a directive from the federal Office of Personnel Management (OPM).

Tuesday, February 18, 2025 at 04:03 PM ET

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NASA employees affected by the cuts are ‘probationary’ staff who were recently hired or moved into new positions. [Courtesy: NASA]

Key Takeaways:

NASA laid off nearly 1,000 "probationary" employees on Tuesday, following a directive from the Office of Personnel Management (OPM).
These firings, combined with approximately 750 employees accepting deferred resignations, will reduce NASA's workforce by close to 10 percent since early 2025.
The Planetary Society condemned the mass firings as the largest involuntary workforce reduction since the Apollo program, warning of severe ramifications for the U.S. space economy and capabilities.

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Correction: Keith Cowing is a former NASA employee, not a former NASA astronaut, as a previous version of this story stated.

NASA, whose workforce of nearly 18,000 civil servants makes it the largest space agency in the world, fired hundreds of workers on Tuesday.

Jack Daleo

Jack is a staff writer covering advanced air mobility, including everything from drones to unmanned aircraft systems to space travel—and a whole lot more. He spent close to two years reporting on drone delivery for FreightWaves, covering the biggest news and developments in the space and connecting with industry executives and experts. Jack is also a basketball aficionado, a frequent traveler and a lover of all things logistics.