Around 325 employees from NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) are being laid off.
JPL, NASA’s leading center for robotic planetary exploration, is undergoing another round of layoffs.
On Tuesday (November 12), JPL, based in Southern California and responsible for major NASA robotic missions such as the Perseverance and Curiosity Mars rovers, announced it would be letting go of approximately 325 employees, representing about 5% of its workforce.
In a Tuesday update, JPL officials wrote, “These impacts affect all technical, business, and support areas within the lab. These are painful but necessary adjustments that will help us stay within our budget while continuing our critical work for NASA and our nation.”
JPL, which is federally funded but managed by the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, conducted a round of layoffs in February. TThe reduction affected approximately 8% of JPL’s workforce, translating to around 530 staff members and 40 contractors.
The February layoffs were partially driven by budget cuts in the fiscal year for the Mars Sample Return (MSR) program, an ambitious mission aimed at returning samples collected by the Perseverance rover to Earth in the 2030s.
The entire MSR plan is currently under review, as the original blueprint was deemed too costly; last year, an independent review board estimated its price at $8 billion to $11 billion.
JPL officials did not specifically mention MSR when explaining the latest round of layoffs but instead cited overall budget constraints.
In a memo to employees that was shared along with Tuesday’s layoff announcement, JPL Director Laurie Leshin stated, “With reduced budgets and considering the expected future work, We had to make tough decisions to cut costs across all areas, and unfortunately, that’s reflected in the outcome of these layoffs.”
Leshin noted that the recent presidential election results had no influence on the decision to lay off employees, which will take effect on Wednesday (November 13). She confirmed, “This action would happen regardless of the outcome of the recent election.”
Leshin shared optimism that additional layoffs would not be needed anytime soon..
She stated, “Following this move, our workforce at JPL will consist of approximately 5,500 regular employees. I believe this is a stable and sustainable staffing level going forward. While we can never be 100% certain about future budgets, we will be well-positioned for the work ahead.”