NASA Slashes $420 Million in Contracts Amid DOGE’s Broad Cost-Cutting Measures

NASA terminated $420 million in “unneeded contracts,” according to the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), an entity established by executive order to slash costs across the federal government. The hundreds of millions in contracts are just the latest in a slew of cuts put into effect since the second Trump administration began in January. Many of the cuts have come in the form of layoffs, canceled grants, and terminated programs in the federal government’s science-focused agencies—from health, to weather, to natural resources. DOGE, which is not a government department but has been given broad authority under Elon Musk to tighten the belt across governmental agencies, announced the cuts on X, which is owned by the billionaire. In a statement delivered to SpaceNews, NASA press secretary Bethany Stevens said that “This streamlining effort ensures that taxpayer dollars are directed toward the highest-impact projects while maintaining NASA’s essential functions at the highest l ... Read full article.