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NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) will lay off a good portion of its workforce on Wednesday, in keeping with a memo that the corporate despatched on Tuesday.
The lab, which focuses on robotic spacecraft and is managed by the California Institute of Know-how, is shedding 5% of its workforce. In line with the memo, the La Cañada Flintridge-based laboratory will lose round 325 staff.
“Whereas we now have taken numerous measures to satisfy our present FY’25 price range allocation, we now have reached the troublesome choice to scale back the JPL workforce via layoffs,” the JPL’s announcement learn.
JPL additionally famous that the layoffs influence staff throughout “technical, enterprise, and help areas of the Laboratory.”
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Common view of NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) on September 22, 2020 in Pasadena, California. (AaronP/Bauer-Griffin/GC Photos / Getty Photos)
“These are painful however crucial changes that may allow us to stick to our price range whereas persevering with our necessary work for NASA and our nation,” the assertion added.
In a letter, JPL Director Laurie Leshin defined that the lab wanted to “tighten our belts” with a view to meet the monetary price range for FY25.
“We’ve got taken significantly the necessity to re-size our workforce, whether or not direct-funded (venture) or funded on overhead (burden),” the director wrote. “With decrease budgets and primarily based on the forecasted [sic] work forward, we needed to tighten our belts throughout the board, and you will notice that mirrored within the layoff impacts.”
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In an aerial view, storm clouds cling over the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) on February 7, 2024 in Los Angeles, California. (David McNew/Getty Photos / Getty Photos)
Leshin additionally famous that each one JPL staff are required to make money working from home on Wednesday.
“I do know the absence of our colleagues will likely be acutely felt, particularly after a really difficult yr for the Lab,” Leshin wrote. “To these leaving JPL on account of this motion, we’re grateful to your many important contributions to JPL and to NASA.”
Earlier this yr, JPL laid off 530 employees and 40 contractors — round 8% of its workforce. U.S. Rep. Judy Chu, D-Calif., commented on the layoffs on the time and referred to as the lab’s price range cuts “misguided.”
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A 1:twenty fourth scale mannequin of the Psyche spacecraft is displayed at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Pasadena, California, on April 11, 2022. (PATRICK T. FALLON/AFP by way of Getty Photos / Getty Photos)
“I am not performed serving to lead the struggle with my CA colleagues to reverse @NASA ’s untimely & misguided price range cuts to the Mars Pattern Return mission,” she wrote. “I am hopeful within the coming weeks we are able to work to dealer a take care of the Administration and Congress to revive funding to the degrees essential to rehire employees and promote the sorts of scientific discovery @NASAJPL has been on the frontlines of for many years.”
FOX Enterprise’ Louis Casiano contributed to this report.