NASA lays off 550 employees at Jet Propulsion Laboratory in sweeping 'realignment' of workforce

Approximately 550 employees of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) will be laid off, according to an announcement made on the agency's website on Monday (Oct. 13).

The news comes in the midst of an ongoing U.S. government shutdown and the looming threat of the single largest funding reduction in NASA's 66-year history. Due to those potential cuts, NASA has been forced to reshape many of its science and space exploration efforts. However, NASA has stated this latest wave of layoffs are unrelated to the government shutdown that has seen over 15,000 federal employees furloughed and is, rather, part of an agency-wide "reorganization" that began in June.

"In order to best position JPL going forward, we are taking steps to restructure and establish an appropriate size to ensure future success," the laboratory wrote in a statement posted to its website. "As part of this effort, JPL is undergoing a realignment of its workforce, including a reduction in staff." Employees affected by the layoffs — which are expected to impact roles in technical, business and support areas — will be notified on Tuesday (Oct. 14), according to JPL's statement.

Scientists at NASA'S JPL oversee a fleet of flagship science missions designed to unravel the mysteries of our solar system. They include the Psyche asteroid probe, the Europa Clipper, the dark-matter-hunting Euclid Space Telescope, the Perseverance Mars rover and, of course, the Deep Space Network — the international array of antennas used to communicate with humanity's spacefaring robotic explorers.

"I recognize this is a tremendous amount of change in a short period of time and will be challenging for our entire community in the coming weeks," JPL Director Dave Gallagher wrote in an email sent to employees and seen by Space.com. "While not easy, I believe taking these actions now will help the Lab transform at the scale and pace necessary to help achieve humanity's boldest ambitions in space."

The federally-funded laboratory has already endured several rounds of layoffs and operational changes under the Trump administration, during which approximately 855 employees have so far been terminated and remote and hybrid workers were ordered to return to a full on-site schedule, or risk termination.

The dramatic funding cuts NASA's facing under President Trump's 2026 budget proposal would slash the agency's overall budget by 24%, cancel dozens of current and planned missions, and lay off agency personnel who find themselves unaligned with the administration's current goals.

The 2026 budget proposal would specifically see 41 science projects cancelled — a third of NASA's science portfolio, according to the Planetary Society — including the Mars Sample Return program and the Jupiter-orbiting Juno probe. It would also endanger several missions before they even turn on, such as the highly anticipated Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope.

The White House's proposed budget cuts have already led to numerous protests from agency employees and parties concerned with the long-term damage that could stem from sweeping NASA terminations. Some experts have questioned the legality of steps taken by interim NASA Administrator Sean Duffy and other agency leadership while enacting President Trump's goals before the budget request has been approved by Congress. Most regular NASA operations are currently suspended as lawmakers debate a resolution to the current government shutdown.

Seven government agencies have begun the process of laying off over 4,000 workers, prompting multiple unions to file for an injunction to block the terminations in a federal court in Northern California, according to the BBC. Meanwhile, a small fraction of NASA's workforce remains on duty in "excepted" roles to maintain the operations and safety of the International Space Station and critical satellites as well as to continue work on hardware for upcoming Artemis missions to the moon.