NASA’s Decision to Reduce Funding for Mars Mission Could Cost Hundreds of Jobs in California

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) workers gather near a propulsion component (L) for the Europa Clipper spacecraft as it is prepared inside a Spacecraft Assembly Facility clean room at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Pasadena, Calif., on April 11, 2023. Mario Tama/Getty Images

Some California lawmakers are raising concerns about a decision by NASA to reduce funding for a planned mission to return samples from Mars, suggesting such would lead to the loss of hundreds of high-paying jobs.

In a letter written to NASA Administrator Bill Nelson Nov. 21, signed by four congressmembers and both senators from the Golden State—all Democrats—the lawmakers requested NASA reconsider the decision.