NASA Faces Personnel Crisis: Every Fifth Employee Left the Agency

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has faced an unprecedented staff shortage over the past year. According to a new report by the US Government Accountability Office (GAO), nearly 22% of the agency's employees have left their jobs due to early retirement and other reasons. This situation is directly and negatively impacting 25 out of 36 major space research projects. This is reported by Ixbt.com reports .

Experts believe that the current workforce is insufficient to fulfill the ambitious tasks set before NASA. Among the hardest-hit projects are the Orion crewed spacecraft and the Space Launch System (SLS) super-heavy rocket. The Orion project has lost 10% of its personnel, while the SLS program has lost nearly 20% of its specialists. This raises concerns about the future of the Artemis moon return mission.

Severe Situation at the Goddard Center

The most critical staffing situation was observed at the Goddard Space Flight Center, where 34% of employees have left. As a result, the DAVINCI mission to study Venus lost its most crucial specialists. Currently, some of the preparation work for this mission is being revised.

So far, the personnel issue has not seriously affected project deadlines. According to GAO data, only two projects experienced a one-month delay, while the IMAP mission even launched three months ahead of schedule. However, financial costs are rising sharply: overspending on major programs has reached USD 478.2 million. The bulk of this funding is attributed to the SLS Block 1B and Orion projects.

Future Risks and New Strategy

NASA's human resources department has acknowledged a shortage of specialists in aerospace, mechanical, electrical, and computer engineering, as well as in IT and cybersecurity. For instance, due to staff shortages, the Psyche mission was not launched on time, causing an additional USD 132 million in costs.

To rectify the situation, the agency is planning a series of measures. In particular, it plans to transition contractor personnel to permanent staff and launch the NASA Force program to temporarily attract technical specialists. However, the final personnel strategy has not yet been approved.

The implementation of these plans largely depends on the 2027 budget currently under discussion in the US Congress. If the funding issue is not resolved positively, the space agency may face serious obstacles not only in launching new projects, but also in completing existing ones.