NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory to Lay Off 5 Percent of Workforce

JPL to Cut 305 Jobs in Wake of Congress Flat-Funding Planetary Science Costs

JPL's Finances Stretched Thin Despite Recent Science Accomplishments

NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), a leading center for robotic space exploration, is laying off 5 percent of its workforce due to budget cuts.

The layoffs will affect about 305 employees at JPL, which has a total workforce of about 6,000.

The cuts come as Congress has flat-funded NASA's planetary science budget in recent years, despite the agency's many recent accomplishments, including the successful landings of the Curiosity rover on Mars and the New Horizons probe on Pluto.

JPL Director Michael Watkins said in a statement that the layoffs are "a difficult but necessary step" to ensure the lab's financial stability.

"We have been working hard to reduce costs and find efficiencies, but we have reached a point where we can no longer sustain our current level of operations without making some difficult decisions," Watkins said.

The layoffs will be spread across JPL's different divisions, but the hardest-hit areas will be those that support planetary science missions.

JPL's budget for planetary science has been flat-funded at about $1.5 billion per year for the past several years.

This has put a strain on the lab's finances, particularly as the cost of developing and operating planetary missions has increased.

In addition to the layoffs, JPL is also taking other steps to reduce costs, such as reducing travel and hiring.

The layoffs are a blow to JPL, which is one of the world's leading centers for robotic space exploration.

The lab has been responsible for some of the most successful space missions in history, including the Voyager probes, the Mars rovers, and the Cassini mission to Saturn.

The layoffs are also a reminder of the challenges facing NASA as it tries to balance its ambitious science goals with its limited budget.

Despite the layoffs, Watkins said JPL remains committed to its mission of exploring the solar system and beyond.

"We have a lot of great work ahead of us, and we are confident that we will continue to make groundbreaking discoveries that will benefit all of humanity," Watkins said.