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Community => Recreation Commons => Destination: Alpha Centauri => Topic started by: Buster's Uncle on October 15, 2025, 01:26:49 pm

Title: NASA's renowned Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California lays off 550 employees
Post by: Buster's Uncle on October 15, 2025, 01:26:49 pm

NASA's renowned Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California lays off 550 employees
Brian Day, USA TODAY NETWORK
USA TODAY (https://www.usatoday.com/news/)
Wed, October 15, 2025 at 4:39 AM EDT
2 min read


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A "selfie" taken by NASA's Perseverance Mars rover, made up of 62 individual images, on July 23, in this image released on September 10, 2025. A rock nicknamed "Cheyava Falls," which has features that may bear on the question of whether the Red Planet was long ago home to microscopic life, is seen to the left of the rover near the center of the image. NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS/Handout via REUTERS


NASA's famed Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, laid off more than 500 employees on Tuesday, Oct. 14.

The job cuts come as part of the institution's efforts to "best position JPL going forward" as it works to "restructure and establish an appropriate size to ensure future success," Director Dave Gallagher said in a written statement. The cuts are affecting about 10% of the workforce at JPL.

"This reduction — part of a reorganization that began in July and not related to the current government shutdown — will affect approximately 550 of our colleagues across technical, business, and support areas," he said.

Affected employees were to be notified on Oct. 14.

Open conversations with employees about the potential of "hard choices ahead" have been taking place for months, Gallagher said.

"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. "We are grateful for the contributions of our departing colleagues, whose work has advanced exploration and innovation in ways that benefit us all."


What is the Jet Propulsion Laboratory?

JPL manages and operated a host of NASA's interplanetary missions, from Mars rovers to deep-space probes.

The organization "holds a unique place in the universe," according to JPL's website. "We are a leader in robotic space exploration, sending rovers to Mars, probes into the farthest reaches of the solar system, and satellites to advance understanding of our home planet."

JPL spacecraft have journeyed to every planet in the solar system, to the sun and into interstellar space.

The lab is managed by Caltech.

This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: JPL layoffs today led to 550 NASA employees losing their jobs (https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2025/10/15/layoffs-nasa-pasadena-california/86702779007/)