NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) said on Monday it will lay off about 550 employees, equivalent to roughly 10% of its staff, in a workforce realignment intended to safeguard the institution’s long-term competitiveness.
In a statement, JPL director Dave Gallagher stressed that the cuts were not linked to the ongoing US government shutdown but were part of a broader plan to reshape the laboratory’s structure.
“This week’s action, while not easy, is essential to securing JPL’s future by creating a leaner infrastructure, focusing on our core technical capabilities, maintaining fiscal discipline, and positioning us to compete in the evolving space ecosystem — all while continuing to deliver on our vital work for NASA and the nation,” Gallagher said, reported NBC News.
The layoffs will affect technical, business and support roles across the Pasadena-based centre. Employees will be notified of their status individually this week.
The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, federally funded by NASA and managed by the California Institute of Technology, has been central to US space exploration for decades. It built the nation’s first satellite, Explorer 1, launched in 1958, and has since designed, built and operated all five rovers that successfully landed on Mars.
But the centre, like NASA more broadly, is facing financial and political headwinds. Over recent years, the agency has sustained reductions in budget and staffing as part of a wider federal push to shrink the government workforce.
Broader NASA cuts
According to Reuters, nearly 4,000 NASA employees have already departed under deferred resignation schemes since Donald Trump took office, shrinking the agency’s headcount of 18,000 by close to one-fifth. In July, more than 2,000 senior-level staff were identified for departure in a new round of reductions.
Last week, amid the prolonged government shutdown, the Trump administration began laying off more than 4,000 federal employees across departments including Treasury and Health and Human Services, though NASA was not directly included in that wave.
The scale of JPL’s layoffs highlights the tension between budget discipline and the demands of scientific discovery. While the laboratory is pursuing upcoming missions — including planetary exploration and Earth science research — the loss of hundreds of skilled staff could complicate project timelines and capabilities.
Gallagher said the laboratory remained committed to delivering for NASA and the public. “We are confident this realignment will strengthen our ability to contribute to the nation’s leadership in space science and exploration,” he said.