One-fifth of Nasa employees have quit in the last few months. Here’s why

What happens when one of the world's most ambitious space agencies suddenly loses a fifth of its workforce? That is the question Nasa must now confront.

Since January, nearly 4,000 employees — over 20% of its civil workforce — have chosen to resign. Most of them accepted buyouts offered through a deferred resignation programme introduced by the Trump administration.

According to Nasa's official statement issued on 25 July, over 3,000 individuals applied for this second round of buyouts. An earlier round earlier this year saw 870 departures. While some resignations may yet be withdrawn or denied, the agency's workforce could shrink from 18,000 to approximately 14,000 civil servants.

This sudden exodus has raised concern among scientists and staff. In a strongly worded open letter called The Voyager Declaration, 363 current and former employees warned that recent hasty decisions are eroding the very structure of the agency. The letter, delivered to acting administrator Sean Duffy — appointed on 9 July — warns of compromised safety, weakened national security and squandered public investment.

The Trump administration has expressed lofty ambitions for Nasa, including a return to the Moon and a future crewed mission to Mars. Yet, the agency is being stripped of the very personnel needed to realise those goals. Former Nasa employee Keith Cowing put it bluntly to Gizmodo, "We do not have the people, programmes or funding… and yet we are expected to reach Mars sooner."

Demographics of the resigning employees have not been disclosed. However, informal reports suggest many of them are senior staff with years of expertise. The long-term cost of these departures may only become clear when the gaps begin to show.