Approximately 550 employees of NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) will be laid off, according to an announcement made on the agency’s website on Monday (Oct. 13).
The news comes in the midst of an ongoing U.S. government shutdown and the looming threat of the single largest funding reduction in NASA’s 66-year history. Due to those potential cuts, NASA has been forced to reshape many of its science and space exploration efforts. However, NASA has stated this latest wave of layoffs are unrelated to the government shutdown that has seen over 15,000 federal employees furloughed and is, rather, part of an agency-wide “reorganization” that began in June.
“In order to best position JPL going forward, we are taking steps to restructure and establish an appropriate size to ensure future success,” the laboratory wrote in a statement posted to its website. “As part of this effort, JPL is undergoing a realignment of its workforce, including a reduction in staff.” Employees affected by the layoffs — which are expected to impact roles in technical, business and support areas — will be notified on Tuesday (Oct. 14), according to JPL’s statement.
Scientists at NASA’S JPL oversee a fleet of flagship science missions designed to unravel the mysteries of our solar system. They include the Psyche asteroid probe, the Europa Clipper, the dark-matter-hunting Euclid Space Telescope, the Perseverance Mars rover and, of course, the Deep Space Network — the international array of antennas used to communicate with humanity’s spacefaring robotic explorers.
“I recognize this is a tremendous amount of change in a short period of time and will be challenging for our entire community in the coming weeks,” JPL Director Dave Gallagher wrote in an email sent to employees and seen by Space.com. “While not easy, I believe taking these actions now will help the Lab transform at the scale and pace necessary to help achieve humanity’s boldest ambitions in space.”
The federally-funded laboratory has already endured several rounds of layoffs and operational changes under the Trump administration, during which approximately 855 employees have so far been terminated and remote and hybrid workers were ordered to return to a full on-site schedule, or risk termination.
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