NASA Watch is a popular blog that reports on all things related to NASA specifically and space exploration in general. It is run by former NASA astrobiologist Keith Cowing, and generally provides very accurate news and information to space enthusiasts around the world.

In a recent post, he reported that NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory is holding a “Going Out Of Business” sale on a wide range of things, including fully operational satellites.

In the published list of assets that are up for sale there are several different satellites that have been in space for around 20 years, including some that were previously used to study the environment, help to predict hurricanes, and measure the effects of climate change.

In addition to those operational satellites, there are options like the Geostationary Littoral Imaging and Monitoring Radiometer (GLIMR) instrument, which hasn’t even been launched yet.

These satellites and other instruments are reportedly looking for new owners. This could be other government agencies, foreign governments, private companies, or even individuals. So, if you have ever wished you could own your very own satellite, now might just be the time to buy.

The sale was reportedly triggered because many of these satellites were either targeted for shutdown, or their funding for launch was canceled, in the new 2026 budget request. The Trump administration’s budget request is set to cut NASA’s directorate budget by more than half according to The Planetary Society’s Chief of Space Policy, Casey Dreier.

Such a massive cut would obviously result in far fewer missions for NASA and the need for the agency to be very careful when it comes to picking what they want to focus on. Selling satellites and other assets may also help to bring in some funds to keep other higher-priority projects running.

It is important to note that the 2026 budget hasn’t even been passed yet, so there is no way to know whether NASA’s funding will be cut, though that does seem likely. The leadership at NASA does not seem to want to wait around until it is too late to find out, so they are taking these seemingly drastic actions.

If you thought that was interesting, you might like to read about the mysterious “pyramids” discovered in Antarctica. What are they?