NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory to Eliminate 550 Positions in Fourth Wave of Layoffs

NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) has laid off about 550 employees in its fourth round of workforce reductions since January 2024. This downsizing occurs during the continuing government shutdown, which has already caused drastic budget reductions within federal departments.

On October 13, JPL Director Dave Gallagher disclosed the workforce reorganization, indicating that roughly 11% of the lab’s workforce in technical, business, and support sectors would be affected. Gallagher mentioned that employees would be informed of their status on October 14.

“This week’s decision, albeit difficult, is crucial for ensuring JPL’s future by establishing a more streamlined structure, concentrating on our essential technical strengths, upholding financial discipline, and preparing us to thrive in the changing space environment,” Gallagher stated.

Nasa also clarified that its most recent layoffs are not connected to the government shutdown, even with around 750,000 employees currently furloughed. Instead, NASA’s push for a “leaner infrastructure” is largely a reaction to the present administration and its ongoing assaults on the organization’s financial resources. For instance, President Trump’s budget proposal for 2026 suggests an “extinction-level” budget cut of 24%, as described by Bill Nye. The diminished funding would severely impact both ongoing and future missions while also leading to staff layoffs. To date, JPL has already let go of more than 1,500 employees and contractors across these four rounds.

“I acknowledge that this represents a significant amount of change in a brief period and will be tough for our entire community over the next few weeks,” Gallagher remarked in an email to employees that was circulated by Space.com. “Although challenging, I am convinced that implementing these measures now will enable the Lab to evolve at the necessary scale and speed to realize humanity’s most ambitious aspirations in space.”

Located in California and overseen by Caltech, JPL primarily concentrates on robotic space exploration, deploying rovers, probes, and satellites throughout the solar system. Its notable missions encompass the Psyche asteroid probe, the Europa Clipper, the Euclid Space Telescope, the Perseverance Mars rover, and the Deep Space Network, among others. JPL is NASA’s sole federally funded research and development center, putting it in a vulnerable position as the threat of budget cuts persists.

On October 15, a federal judge issued a temporary restraining order preventing the Trump administration from dismissing federal employees during the government shutdown. In her remarks, U.S. District Judge Susan Yvonne Illston asserted that the Trump administration had “exploited the absence of government funding and functioning to assume that all bets are off [and that] the laws no longer apply to them.”

As of now, the government has been shut down for almost 15 days, with minimal progress in Congress toward a resolution.

Sources: NASA lays off 550 employees at Jet Propulsion Laboratory in sweeping ‘realignment’ of workforce; JPL Hit With Another 550 Layoffs as NASA’s Budget Crisis Deepens; JPL Workforce Update

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