Nasa R&D centre plans to lay off about 530 staff

Jet Propulsion Laboratory blames 63 per cent budget cut for “painful but necessary adjustments”

The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Nasa’s only federally funded R&D centre, has announced it will lay off about 530 staff and about 40 contractors due to a massive funding shortfall.

This would cut non-contractor staff by about 8 per cent, the JPL announced on 6 February, blaming the move on the lack of a 2024 federal funding agreement.