The American space agency NASA is expected to lose around 20 percent of its workforce after it accepted the President Donald Trump-led administration's "deferred resignation" (DRP) option, media reports said.

The step is seen as a step taken by the Trump administration to reduce federal workforce.

Nearly 4,000 workers have requested to depart the space agency through two rounds of the deferred resignation program, reported The Hill.

In the first round, about 870 employees have applied to leave and approximately another 3,000 workers did so in the second round — downsizing the workforce from 18,000 to around 14,000 people, NASA told The Hill’s sister network NewsNation.

According to reports, 500 employees, who were allowed to leave the organisation as a part of the regular attrition in the Voluntary Early Retirement Authority and the Voluntary Separation Incentive Program have been added to the figure.

After the latest reduction in workforce, NASA staff is expected to shrink to about 14,000 by January next year.

The cuts amount to an estimated 20% of NASA's workforce, and will reduce the agency from 18,000 to 14,000 employees, NASA spokesperson Cheryl Warner said in a statement shared with NPR.

It's unclear when the full reduction of the workforce will take effect, Warner said.