NASA is on the hunt for new terrain — only this time it’s terrestrial.

The space agency is weighing whether to purchase a headquarters building of its own ahead of the August 2028 expiration of its D.C. office lease.

NASA is requesting information from real estate, academic and aerospace experts, as well as other federal agencies, to “determine interest and capability for available commercial business properties for sale to support office and related space,” it said in a request for information issued in mid-November.

The agency would be looking for properties in the D.C. region, including D.C. proper and the Maryland and Virginia suburbs, between 375K SF and 525K SF, it said.

But the incoming Trump administration could change its search parameters. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis suggested last week there was interest from NASA’s director to relocate the headquarters to the Kennedy Space Center at Cape Canaveral, Florida.

“I was talking to the director before we came out here. There is interest in moving the headquarters of NASA to Kennedy Space Center, and I'm supportive of that,” DeSantis said while at KSC last week.

“They have this massive building in D.C. and like nobody goes to it. So why not just shutter it and move everyone down here?” he added. “Hopefully, with the new administration coming in, they'll see a great opportunity to headquarter NASA on the Space Coast.”

NASA's headquarters building was among the least utilized federal agency offices, with an estimated 15% of its total capacity being used on a daily basis, according to a Public Buildings Reform Board report last year. That report has accelerated the discussion around downsizing underutilized federal offices, indicating NASA may seek to shrink its footprint.

NASA put out its RFI via Sam.gov, the government’s procurement platform, and announced the move in a press release that day. The deadline for responses was originally Wednesday, but it has been extended to Feb. 15.

The site would need to be able to support office, conference and administrative spaces for about 2,600 personnel, the solicitation says, with the “capability to renovate the space to create a dynamic, flexible, and adaptive work environment.”

“With a new facility on the horizon, NASA has a unique opportunity to better meet the needs of a new generation of explorers, discoverers, and public servants – the Artemis Generation,” NASA Mission Support Directorate Associate Administrator Bob Gibbs said in the agency’s release.

“The next NASA Headquarters will reflect our journey in a facility that inspires and engages the public, aligns with new ways of working, fosters innovation and connection, and maximizes taxpayer funding,” he added.

NASA has been in leased office space in Southwest D.C. for more than three decades.

The agency occupies 597K SF, nearly the entirety of 300 E St. SW. Owners Hana Alternative Asset Management and Ocean West Capital Partners refinanced the property in 2022 with a $275M loan from Mesirow. The deal allows the owners to make interest-only payments until 2028.

The RFI isn't a formal space solicitation — it’s purely for informational purposes to help the agency with its decision. The GSA hasn't put out a prospectus to Congress for a new lease for NASA, which it must do every time it seeks a new space.

In an email to Bisnow, a NASA spokesperson said it will “continue to work collaboratively with the General Services Administration throughout the process of identifying the agency’s next headquarters building.”

While buying a property is now on the table for the agency, the information NASA collects from the RFI could also result in NASA securing a new lease, federal colocation or lease with potential to purchase, the solicitation says.

“They're in a fact-finding mode,” said Cushman & Wakefield Executive Vice Chair Darian LeBlanc, a top government office broker. “They are not in operating and transaction mode. So they're seeking information to help them make the best decisions that they can make as it relates to their agency.”

President-elect Donald Trump is set to be sworn in for his second term next week, and his administration could have a significant impact on the federal real estate portfolio.

During his first term, Trump attempted to move multiple agencies out of D.C. and succeeded in moving two Department of Agriculture agencies to Kansas City, Missouri.

“NASA is a bipartisan agency. We are working to ensure a smooth handover to the Trump Administration on Jan. 20, 2025,” the NASA spokesperson wrote in an email. “We wouldn’t speculate on any potential changes to the agency’s missions, priorities, or facilities as we wait to have official direction from the new administration.”