NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory is reducing its workforce by 5 percent, or 325 employees, amid budget cuts and issues with its Mars Sample Return program.

NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) is reducing its workforce by 5%, impacting 325 employees across technical and support roles, as part of an effort to align with tightened budget requirements. This marks JPL’s second round of layoffs this year.

The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, NASA's chief center for planetary exploration, is conducting its second round of layoffs in 2024, reducing its workforce by another 5%.

NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory is laying off about 325 employees, or 5% of its workforce, as the California-based research and development center deals with funding challenges for the upcoming year.

NASA's original plan was to bring home the samples collected by the mission in 2040. But its budget ballooned from $7 billion to $11 billion, and as The Washington Post notes, the government found the return date "unacceptable.