NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), located outside Los Angeles, plans to lay off 530 employees and 40 contractors in a cost-cutting measure after failing to secure federal funding for the fiscal year.
“These are painful but necessary adjustments that will allow us to meet budget allocations while continuing our important work for NASA and our country,” JPL said in a statement.
The layoffs represent about 8% of the Pasadena, Calif.-based institute’s employees.
In a memo to employees, JPL Director Laurie Leshin said the lab is awaiting funding from Congress for its Mars sample return mission and is already operating under tight budget constraints. As a result, he said, hiring freezes, reductions in MSR contracts and headcount reductions have been implemented. Budget burden for the entire lab.
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At NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, JPL announced this week that it will lay off 530 workers. (NASA/JPL-California Institute of Technology)
Some field contractors were laid off earlier this month in a bid to cut spending. NASA previously told JPL to reduce its MSR budget by 63% from the previous year to $300 million.
“Unfortunately, these actions alone will not be enough to get us through the remainder of the fiscal year,” Lesin wrote. “So while we hope that without the spending we would not have had to take this action, we need to move forward now to ensure that even deeper cuts are not made if we wait. .”
JPL employees were told to work from home on Wednesday, and those affected by the layoffs will be notified. Those who are laid off will receive basic pay and benefits for 60 days.
Those who qualify will be offered a severance package, “a transition allowance including referral services and other benefit information.”
“To my colleagues who are retiring from JPL, I want you to know how grateful I am for your significant contributions to our mission and community,” Lesin wrote. “Your talents will leave a lasting mark on JPL. You have always been part of our story and brought positive change here.”
The Earth Entry System capsule is prepared for the Mars Sample Return Mission’s drop tower test demonstration at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California. (Patrick T. Fallon/AFP via Getty Images/File)
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U.S. Rep. Judy Chu (D-Calif.) said in a post on X that her thoughts are with the affected JPL workers and their families.
“I am not yet finished helping lead the fight with my CA colleagues to reverse @NASA’s premature and misguided budget cuts to the Mars Sample Return Mission,” she wrote. “In the coming weeks, we will work with the administration to restore funding to the levels needed to rehire workers and accelerate the kind of scientific discovery that @NASAJPL has been at the forefront of for decades. I look forward to working to broker an agreement with Congress.”
