NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory announced on Tuesday that it is slashing 530 employees, or roughly 8% of its workforce, due to uncertainty about its federal funding.
The Pasadena-based research and development lab said the layoffs impact technical and support staff and approximately 40 contractors.
“These are painful but necessary adjustments that will enable us to adhere to our budget allocation while continuing our important work for NASA and our nation,” JPL said in a statement.
In a memo, JPL Director Laurie Leshin told staffers the lab has not yet received approval for its 2024 fiscal year budget, including the $300 million anticipated for its Mars Sample Return project.
As its name implies, the project aims to send a rover to the Red Planet to collect and return samples to Earth. The mission is being planned in collaboration with the European Space Agency.
“In an effort to protect our workforce, we implemented a hiring freeze, reduced [Mars Sample Return] contracts, and implemented cuts to burden budgets across the Lab,” Leshin said. “Unfortunately, those actions alone are not enough for us to make it through the remainder of the fiscal year.”
Leshin said more details about the layoffs would be announced on Wednesday – now a mandatory remote workday for most employees.
“Our desire in this process is that impacted employees quickly get to the point where they will receive personalized attention during this transition,” Leshin said.
JPL has played an integral role in developing America’s aerospace program and traces its roots to early experiments in rocket technology in the 1930s.
