In this file photo, a rocket carrying a GPS satellite designed to better guide military weapons launches from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla. (Carleton Bailie - United Launch Alliance/AP Photo)
The boy noticed a plane had just landed on a private airstrip. …
Updated: Wednesday, 28 Jul 2010, 4:48 PM CDT
Published : Wednesday, 28 Jul 2010, 4:48 PM CDT
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) - The private contractor that handles the bulk of the work servicing NASA' s space shuttle fleet is notifying 1,400 employees in Florida, Texas and Alabama that they will be laid off in the fall.
United Space Alliance this week began telling workers, including 900 employees at the Kennedy Space Center, that they are expected to be let go by Oct. 1 as part of planned reductions from the end of the space shuttle program.
Laid off workers will receive between four and 26 weeks of pay, depending on their years of service.
The shuttle program now employs about 8,700 contractors, down from 12,000 employees in October 2008. It also employs another 1,200 civil workers, who are expected to be assigned to new programs after the shuttle.
The last shuttle flight is expected next year.
Email This
Print This
View Story on a Single Page