Overview

• Dr. Makenzie Lystrup, who has led Goddard since April 2023, will step down as center director on August 1.
• Cynthia Simmons, the current deputy director, will serve as acting head of the Greenbelt facility.
• NASA has extended buyout and deferred resignation offers to more than 2,000 senior-level staff as part of broader workforce cuts.
• President Trump’s 2026 budget blueprint proposes slashing NASA funding by over $6 billion and phasing out key programs including the Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft.
• Over 280 current and former employees signed the Voyager Declaration, warning that the policy changes threaten mission continuity and safety.