NASA Seeks Smaller Washington Headquarters by Year-End as 2028 Lease Expiration Looms
Updated
Updated · SpaceNews · Jun 8
NASA Seeks Smaller Washington Headquarters by Year-End as 2028 Lease Expiration Looms
2 articles · Updated · SpaceNews · Jun 8
Summary
NASA has begun touring Washington commercial properties and aims to choose a new headquarters by the end of 2026, with special assignment lead Dave Mitchell saying the search is already underway.
August 2028 is the deadline driving the move: the agency’s current headquarters lease expires then, and Administrator Jared Isaacman has directed NASA to find a more efficient, smaller footprint in the Washington area.
Eight to 10 properties have been reviewed so far with help from the General Services Administration, and Mitchell said Washington’s weak office market could give NASA favorable lease or purchase terms.
Washington’s commercial vacancy rate reached 23.2% in the first quarter of 2026, up from 21.6% a year earlier, conditions Mitchell said support the agency’s accelerated search.
Some headquarters staff could eventually be reassigned to Goddard Space Flight Center in Maryland as NASA trims space needs, even as it refreshes the current building’s public lobby before leaving.