Radical cuts

NASA chief scientist fired because of Musk

Musk has recently come under fire for his sometimes radical cost-cutting plans - the job cuts at NASA are just another chapter in this.

(Bild: Alex Brandon)

The still opaque deregulation authority of tech billionaire Elon Musk continues to crack down in the USA in order to cut costs. This is now also affecting the space agency NASA, which is facing a veritable wave of redundancies - and is having to mourn high-profile departures.

As part of US President Donald Trump's drive to cut staff at federal agencies, the US space agency NASA has announced its first wave of redundancies.

Important climatologist also has to go
As a spokeswoman announced on Tuesday (local time), 23 employees will have to go first, including NASA chief scientist Katherine Calvin. Calvin, a renowned climatologist, was appointed chief scientist at NASA in 2022 under Trump's predecessor Joe Biden.

Calvin was involved in numerous important UN reports on climate change. In February, she and other US scientists were prevented by the Trump administration from attending a conference of UN climate scientists in China.

Gradual reduction in personnel
To "optimize its workforce" and "in accordance with an executive order", NASA has begun a gradual reduction in personnel, explained NASA spokesperson Cheryl Warner.

Thanks to the fleet of Earth observation satellites it operates, NASA plays an important role in climate research and provides the international scientific community with free data for its studies.