The Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Southern California — which manages many of NASA's high-profile robotic missions, such as the Perseverance and Curiosity Mars rovers — announced Tuesday (Nov. 12) that it will lay off about 325 employees, or roughly 5% of its workforce.

JPL, which was founded in 1936 by California Institute of Technology researchers, already went through one round of mass layoffs earlier this year in an effort to reduce costs. In February, JPL cut 530 jobs, which was about 8% of its then-workforce, and laid off 40 contractors.

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 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.