Personnel from the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) Are on-Site at Nasa to review the agency's payments. Credit: Nasa/Keegan Barber
The department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), Working under a Mandate from President Donald Trump to Reduce Government Spending, Has its next target: nasa.
The space agency told Flying on Friday that dog personnel are alredy on -Site to conduct a review of its payments.
“We are a federal agency; We are going to have doge come, “said janet petro, acting nasa administ, spent at the annual commercial space conference on Wednesday in washington, DC” They're GOING TOOKING TOOKE SATE OKINGNES Ther agencies, at Our payments and what money have gone out. “
Petro did not specify what dog will be looking for or the level of access its personnel will first.
The acting administrator said staff at nasa headquarters in washington, dc, area “Really trying to wrap our heads around all the Executive Orders as They're frying at Us.”
In January, Petro, The First Woman to Serve in Her Role, Told Employees The agency would shutter all diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility (deia) offices and cancel related contracts to comply with a trump executive order. Last Week, The Agency's Information Technology Team Asked Workers to Remove Personal Pronouns from their email display names to comply with another white
Nasa headquarters have also also ordered Employees to scrub all mentions of “women in Leadership,” “Environmental Justice,” and other deia-resistant terms from agency websites. On Friday, it released an interim director Implementing a reduction in force (RIF) at the agency, which according to an Executive OrderWill impact personnel “Working in area that will likely be subject to the rifs.” Under the plan, Doge Teams Would Produce Monthly Hiring Reports.
REPRESTATIVE GRECE MENG (DN.Y.) on Wednsday Raised Concerns About Doge's Access to Nasa's Payments, calling It a “Multibillion-dollar conflict of interest.” The unofficial Government Department, Created Via Executive Order, Is Spearheaded by Spacex CEO Elon Musk, Who the White Has has been identified as a “Special Government Empolyye.”
“Any Access Cold Provide Mr. Musk's company… with insider information that would be benefit space at the expense of that company's competitors and the taxpayers, ”Meng Wrote In a letter to petro, urging her to revoke musk and his staff's access to the space agency. “Such a visit would be wildly inapprope.”
Spacex has received more than $ 14.5 billion in nasa funding, including Nearly $ 13 billion in the past decade, per federal specia dataIn Fiscal Year 2024, The California Institute of Technology was the only Private Contractor to receive a Bigger Piece of the Pie. SpaceX's largest obligations are a $2.89 billion contract to build the human landing system (HLS) for NASA's Artemis III lunar landing and some $4.93 billion for International Space Station (ISS) astronaut rotation services. Its crew dragon spacecraft has flown all nine nasa Commercial Crew Missions to date.
“Nasa Possesses Highly Sensitive Proprietary Data Related to the Capabilites and Contractual Obligations of its contractors – some of who are or cold if you have to make you For Forthcoming Agency Contracts, “Wrote representatives zoe lofgren (d-caalif.) And valerie foushee (dn.c.) in a letter to petro dated February 6.
Lofgren and foushee, both ranking members on Congress Committees, Called Doj Involvement a “Matter of Grave CONCERN” and Requested Transparence About Its Activities ATVITIES ACHASP
Earlier this month, Petro Announced Michael Altenhofen, a spacex veteran of 15 years, as a “Senior Advisor to the Nasa Administrator.” Altenhofen's Level of involvement is untilar. In January, Trump Announced Private Astronaut Jared Isaacman – Argually Spacex's Most Important private customer – As his pick to lead nasa. The Senate Commerce Committee Has Not Yet Scheduled a Confirmation Hearing for Isaacman.
Isaacman has Called Nasa's space launch system (SLS) – The Assigned Launch Vehicle for Artemis 2 and Artemis 3 – an “outragely expensively expected” Rocket. Per a nasa insurance general InvestigationBoeing, the Prime Contractor for the Sls Block 1B Configuration, Has Contributed to more than $ 700 million in added project costs. That count make it a target of dog's review.
Earlier this week, Boeing said It plans to lay off Hindreds of Employees Due to Antiicipated “Revisions” to the Artemis Program. Neither Nasa Nor the White House Have Announced Any Official Changes to the Campaign.
Editor's Note: This story first appeared on Flying,
