--- title: "NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory Reportedly Holding “Going Out of Business Sale” for Satellites" description: "NASA's Jet Propulsion Lab is reportedly holding a \"going out of business sale\" for its satellites, NASA Watch reports." date: "2025-07-17" modified: "2025-07-17" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/nasa-jpl-going-satellites" categories: - "NASA" - "Space" tags: - "donald trump" - "JPL" - "NASA" - "satellites" - "the digest" --- # NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory Reportedly Holding “Going Out of Business Sale” for Satellites ![NASA's Jet Propulsion Lab is reportedly holding a "going out of business sale" for its satellites, NASA Watch reports.]() *\Image: Getty / Futurism\* ## Fire Sale NASA's Jet Propulsion Lab is reportedly holding a "going out of business sale" for its satellites, [*NASA Watch* reports](). The list of for-sale assets includes several Earth-monitoring satellites that were once tasked with studying the environment, helping with hurricane prediction efforts, and measuring the effects of climate change. Most launched over the last 20 or so years. Others, such as the Geostationary Littoral Imaging and Monitoring Radiometer (GLIMR) instrument, have yet to be launched. According to *NASA Watch*, a blog run by former NASA astrobiologist Keith Cowing, the satellites were originally "targeted for shut down" in the Trump administration's 2026 budget request. The budget [drew the ire from lawmakers]() earlier this year, proposing to cut NASA's science directorate's budget by more than half, in "nothing short of an extinction-level event for space science and exploration," [per The Planetary Society's chief of space policy](), Casey Dreier. However, "NASA HQ is apparently not waiting for an actual budget," [according to Cowing](), and is going ahead with the satellite shutdowns anyway, a troubling sign of extremely difficult days ahead for the space agency. None of this should come as much of a surprise. The Trump administration has been looking to decimate the government's efforts to study the environment, highlighting the president's well-documented climate change denial and ruthlessly anti-science agenda. ## Deals! Deals! Deals! Per *NASA Watch*, JPL is now trying to offload the satellites to "government and private sector buyers" in an apparent effort to raise funds. When asked for more details, Cowing said that it's an "evolving story," adding that "I post what I know and can confirm as soon as I can." The news was met with exasperation by the scientific community, including members currently employed by the space agency. "We got to keep a sense of humor these days at JPL," JPL senior engineer Luis Amaro [wrote in a LinkedIn post](), in response to Cowing's "going out of business sale" wording. "The American people voted for this," Yusef Johnson, mission integration lead of NASA's Artemis IV mission, [added](). "Snake oil still sells." *Do you know what's going on at NASA? Drop us a line -- from a private email account -- at [tips@futurism.com](). We can keep you anonymous.* **More on JPL:** *[NASA Powers Down Equipment on Voyager Probes as They Struggle for Life]()* ## Author I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()