The National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s (NASA) Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in the United States is undergoing a new round of layoffs, which will impact hundreds of employees. The renowned research center is currently working on creating a more “streamlined infrastructure” and reducing costs amidst budget constraints.
JPL announced on Sunday, October 12, that approximately 550 positions will be cut, accounting for about 11% of the total workforce. The layoffs will affect employees in technical, business, and support departments.
JPL Director Dave Gallagher clarified that this round of layoffs is not related to the current federal government shutdown, but is part of a larger scale restructuring effort that began in July.
Gallagher stated, “While this week’s decision is difficult, it is crucial for ensuring the future of JPL. We are creating a more streamlined infrastructure, focusing on core technical capabilities, maintaining financial discipline, and enabling us to remain competitive in the evolving space ecosystem while continuing to carry out vital missions for NASA and the nation.”
Managed by the California Institute of Technology on behalf of NASA, JPL is best known for designing and operating five Mars rovers. Two of them are still active: Curiosity, which has been exploring the Martian surface for over 13 years, and Perseverance, which landed in 2021 and is expected to operate for at least 14 years.
However, on Earth, JPL is facing increasing financial pressures. The announcement on October 12 marked the institution’s third round of layoffs within two years.
In February of last year, anticipating overall budget cuts from NASA, particularly with the Mars Sample Return program funding being reduced, JPL laid off 530 employees after exhausting other cost-cutting measures, accounting for about 8% of the workforce at the time. The ambitious project aims to bring back rock, soil, and gas samples collected by Perseverance for analysis on Earth, but has faced issues such as budget overruns, project delays, and waning congressional support.
The second round of layoffs occurred in November last year, with approximately 325 people being let go due to expected budget cuts for 2025. Following that round of layoffs, JPL’s workforce was reduced to around 5,500 employees, and then-Director Laurie Leshin described it as “a stable, sustainable level of manpower allocation.”
The latest layoffs come as the Trump administration proposes a “lean budget” for the fiscal year 2026, aiming to cut excessive spending across all federal agencies. The White House specifically singled out the Mars Sample Return mission as being “severely over budget,” suggesting that the mission’s goals could be achieved in the future through manned Mars missions, echoing President Trump’s promise in his inaugural speech to “have American astronauts land on Mars, plant the flag.”
Overall, this budget proposal would reduce NASA’s funding from $24.8 billion to approximately $18.8 billion, a reduction of $6 billion. While the final version of the budget has not been formally passed by Congress, this uncertainty appears to have prompted proactive measures from JPL.
Democratic Congresswoman Judy Chu from California expressed “extreme disappointment and frustration” regarding the layoffs. Chu’s district includes Pasadena, the main campus of the California Institute of Technology and the location of JPL.
As co-chair of the Congressional Planetary Science Caucus, Chu warns that repeated layoffs will damage America’s leadership in space research.