SpaceX Will Lay Off 10 Percent of Workforce, Says Company Must Become ‘Leaner’

By  //  January 12, 2019

'We must part ways with some talented and hardworking members of our team'

SpaceX will lay off 10 percent of its workforce, which is about 600 employees, according to a company spokesperson on Friday. SpaceX, headquartered in Hawthorne, California, was founded in 2002 by entrepreneur Elon Musk.

BREVARD COUNTY, FLORIDA – SpaceX will lay off 10 percent of its workforce, which is about 600 employees, according to a company spokesperson on Friday.

“To continue delivering for our customers and to succeed in developing interplanetary spacecraft and a global space-based Internet, SpaceX must become a leaner company,” said a statement released by SpaceX on Friday.

“Either of these developments, even when attempted separately, have bankrupted other organizations. This means we must part ways with some talented and hardworking members of our team. We are grateful for everything they have accomplished and their commitment to SpaceX’s mission. This action is taken only due to the extraordinarily difficult challenges ahead and would not otherwise be necessary.”

The Crew Dragon spacecraft, atop a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center Launch Complex 39A, is undergoing a series of tests and checks before blast off on its first orbital test flight, currently set for Jan. 17.

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No astronauts will be on board for this demonstration mission, but this is the first launch of SpaceX’s Crew Dragon, a spacecraft that will soon transport astronauts to the International Space Station.

It is time for a new era of space exploration where astronauts once again launch into space from American soil.

Under the Commercial Crew Program, NASA and industry partners prepare for the next generation of American spacecraft that will launch astronauts to the International Space Station from here, the Space Coast of Florida.

If the test launches go well, SpaceX could be ready to launch NASA astronauts to the International Space Station by midyear.

If the test launches go well, SpaceX could be ready to launch NASA astronauts to the International Space Station by midyear. (Image by Space X)
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