United Space Alliance to Reduce Workforce by 15 Percent

HOUSTON, July 6 /PRNewswire/ -- United Space Alliance announced today that the company will layoff about 15 percent of its current Space Shuttle workforce, effective October 1, 2010, in order to align the workforce level with the company's Space Shuttle Program Operations Contract work scope and current budget.

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Two missions remain in the Space Shuttle Program – STS-133 currently scheduled for no earlier than November 1, 2010, and STS-134 set for February 26, 2011.

USA employs approximately 8,100 employees at its Florida, Texas and Alabama sites.  The reduction in force will affect multiple disciplines and multiple organizations across the company. It is expected to impact about 800-1000 employees in Florida, about 300-400 employees in Texas, and about 10 in Alabama.

"Our workforce has known for several years that the Space Shuttle Program has been scheduled to end, but layoffs are always difficult for everyone involved," said Virginia Barnes, USA President and Chief Executive Officer. "The accomplishments of this team are unmatched in human spaceflight. We acknowledge the tremendous talent and commitment of our teammates and congratulate them on their achievements. We are committed to making this transition as smooth as possible."

All employees subject to the layoff will receive severance compensation and access to support for resume development, job interview training and career transition training.

"Though USA will be a significantly smaller company after the Space Shuttle Program is completed, we are optimistic about our future," Barnes said.  "USA has a great deal to offer in the way of skills, experience and expertise, and we are looking forward to providing our unique capabilities to a wide variety of new and existing customers."

United Space Alliance is a world leader in space operations with extensive experience in all aspects of the field. Headquartered in Houston, USA has employees working in Texas, Florida and Alabama. Currently, USA is applying its broad range of capabilities to NASA's Space Shuttle and International Space Station programs as well as to space operations customers in the commercial and international space industry sectors.

SOURCE United Space Alliance