Overview
- Employees were informed of their status on Oct. 14, with roles in a new lab structure taking effect Oct. 15 and most staff directed to work remotely during notifications.
- The cuts affect technical, business, and support positions and represent roughly 10–11% of the workforce, according to Director Dave Gallagher.
- This marks the fourth round of reductions since early 2024, bringing total job losses across employees and contractors to more than 1,500.
- JPL is a federally funded research and development center managed by Caltech for NASA, and staffing decisions are made by Caltech.
- Reaction was swift, with Rep. Judy Chu calling the layoffs an absolute tragedy and former NASA science chief Thomas Zurbuchen warning of risks to U.S. space leadership and institutional capability.