#space-missions

#space-missions

NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory announced on Monday, Oct. 13, it will be laying off 550 employees as part of its continued streamlining and restructuring plan, officials said. The layoffs are not related to the government shutdown, said JPL Director Dave Gallagher in a brief message on the website of the federal research and space agency located near Pasadena. Gallagher wrote on the website that the agency is undergoing a realignment of its workforce, including a reduction in staff.

The concept, dubbed "Skyfall," builds on NASA's successful Ingenuity Mars helicopter, which achieved powered flight on another planet in 2021.

The Apollo-Soyuz mission marked the last hurrah of the Apollo program, culminating in the final launch of an Apollo vehicle and a historic docking with a Soviet Soyuz spacecraft.

Firefly Aerospace's Alpha rocket failed to deploy its experimental satellite due to a mishap during first-stage separation, further highlighting its inconsistent launch track record.