spacetoday.net: JPL lays off more than 500 employees

Posted: Sat, Feb 10, 2024, 11:52 AM ET (1652 GMT)
NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory is laying off 8% of its workforce because of budget uncertainties. JPL announced Tuesday it plans to lay off 530 employees as well as 40 contractors, with the affected employees notified after staff meetings today. The lab, run by Caltech for NASA, cited a lack of a fiscal year 2024 budget and wide variations between House and Senate spending bills on funding for Mars Sample Return, a major program for JPL. The lab laid off 100 contractors last month and implemented a hiring freeze as part of earlier efforts to reduce spending. NASA reduced spending on MSR in November while a continuing resolution is in place, citing those differences in funding for the program. Members of Congress from California, who have lobbied the White House and NASA to temporarily restore MSR funding, said they were "extremely disappointed" by the layoffs.