Janet Petro, acting administrator of NASA, said she is working to finalize a reorganization that would be at the top level of the space agency, SpaceNews reported Thursday.
“I expect to finalize the top-level structure for this agency within weeks,” Petro said Wednesday during a town hall for NASA employees. “Right now, we’re weighing several approaches, and we’ve been working on this since early March.”
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Approaches to Proposed NASA Reorganization
For the new top-level structure, the interim NASA chief said she is considering an approach that would organize the agency through mission directorates.
According to Petro, the second approach would be “center-centric,” revolving around the agency’s field centers. The third approach would be a “product line model.”
“After we’ve selected this high-level structure, then we will begin to define those details of the organization at the lower level, and then we’ll make sure our operating procedures and our governance reflect what is needed for each part of the agency to succeed,” Petro said.
“We’re considering moving most functions currently being performed in D.C. out to where the work is being executed, and refocusing the work done in D.C. to setting strategic direction and engaging with our external partners,” she added.
NASA Budget Request for FY 2026
NASA’s budget proposal for fiscal year 2026 would cut the agency’s overall budget by nearly 25 percent and reduce the civil servant workforce by about 6,000 jobs.
During the town hall, Petro touched on the proposed science funding. NASA’s proposed FY 2026 budget would reduce spending on science initiatives by 47 percent to $3.9 billion.
“You know, there’s still $4 billion. There’s a lot of science that can still be done with $4 billion,” said the director of NASA’s Kennedy Space Center.
“NASA is a member of the executive branch of government, and so it’s not our job to advocate, but let’s try to look at this in a positive way. We’ve still got a lot of money. Let’s see how much mission we can do,” she added.
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