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NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) will lay off a good portion of its workforce on Wednesday, in response to a memo that the corporate despatched on Tuesday.
The lab, which focuses on robotic spacecraft and is managed by the California Institute of Expertise, is shedding 5% of its workforce. In accordance 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 finances allocation, we now have reached the troublesome choice to cut back the JPL workforce by way of 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 needed changes that may allow us to stick to our finances 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 purpose to meet the monetary finances for FY25.
“We have now taken severely the necessity to re-size our workforce, whether or not direct-funded (undertaking) or funded on overhead (burden),” the director wrote. “With decrease budgets and based mostly 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 grasp over the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) on February 7, 2024 in Los Angeles, California. (David McNew/Getty Photos / Getty Photos)
Leshin additionally famous that every one JPL staff are required to make money working from home on Wednesday.
“I do know the absence of our colleagues can be acutely felt, particularly after a really difficult 12 months for the Lab,” Leshin wrote. “To these leaving JPL because of this motion, we’re grateful to your many important contributions to JPL and to NASA.”
Earlier this 12 months, 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 known as the lab’s finances 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 combat with my CA colleagues to reverse @NASA ’s untimely & misguided finances cuts to the Mars Pattern Return mission,” she wrote. “I am hopeful within the coming weeks we will work to dealer a cope with 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.
