NASA Faces Uncertain Future as Thousands of Employees Exit Amid Budget Cuts and Workforce Reductions

NASA is bracing for a critical transition after concluding a voluntary workforce reduction initiative aimed at aligning with the Trump Administration’s proposed budget cuts. The agency confirmed late Friday that more than 3,000 employees—roughly 21 percent of its civil service workforce—have opted to leave through various voluntary exit programs, raising serious concerns across Congress and the aerospace community about the agency’s capacity to deliver on its missions.

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SpaceX Defies Stormy Weather to Launch Two SES Satellites into Medium Earth Orbit

SpaceX overcame unfavorable weather conditions on Tuesday to successfully launch two communications satellites for SES, one of its longest-standing customers. The Falcon 9 rocket lifted off from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station’s Space Launch Complex 40 at 5:12 p.m. EDT (2112 UTC), carrying the ninth and tenth O3b mPOWER satellites into medium Earth orbit (MEO), roughly 8,000 kilometers (4,971 miles) above the Earth.

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NASA’s ESCAPADE Mars Mission Set for August Launch on Blue Origin’s New Glenn Rocket

After months of uncertainty, NASA’s ESCAPADE (Escape and Plasma Acceleration and Dynamics Explorers) mission is finally on track for liftoff. The twin Mars probes, which were initially scheduled to launch in October last year, will now embark on their journey aboard Blue Origin’s New Glenn rocket no earlier than August 15 from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida.

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Amazon Launches Third Project Kuiper Satellite Batch Aboard SpaceX Falcon 9

Amazon marked a major milestone in its ambitious Project Kuiper initiative early Wednesday with the successful launch of 24 broadband internet satellites aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. The mission, designated Kuiper Falcon 1 (KF-01), lifted off at 2:30 a.m. EDT (0630 UTC) from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida.

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NASA and SpaceX Set July 31 Launch Date for Crew-11 Mission to ISS

NASA and SpaceX are gearing up for the next crewed mission to the International Space Station (ISS), targeting a launch date of July 31 for the Crew-11 mission. The four-member crew will lift off aboard a SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida at 12:09 p.m. EDT (1609 UTC).

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