United States Alliance (USA), the NASA contractor who handled the maintenance of the space shuttles, announced Friday that it will be laying off almost half of its employees or almost 2,800 workers after the shuttle program terminates this year. With only two more missions left for the shuttle program, USA would cut down on its workforce by late July and early August as tasks related to the daily operations of the shuttle program had been completed.

Most of its employees are based in Florida near the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral. The company also has divisions in Texas and Alabama where NASA has other centers. The expected layoff will apply to all sites. According to President and CEO Virginia Barnes, it is their desire to make the transition as smooth as possible as majority of the employees have dedicated their time and talent to the company.

The retirement of the space shuttles have been planned as early as 2004 during the Bush administration after the Columbia shuttle disaster in 2003. After the termination of the program, NASA will set its sight on designing more powerful rockets to transport humans to an asteroid and the planet Mars.

NASA Space Shuttle Program Manager John Shannon said that although they are not surprised with the announced layoff, he understands that it will be a difficult time for them. Shannon understands that working for the program has been more than a job to them as they have dedicated themselves in support of the legacy of the shuttles.

He bared that NASA will try to assist the workers as they move on to finding related jobs in heir respective fields. USA for its part said that they would offer other services such as resume development, job interview and career transition training aside from severance.

With the retirement of the space shuttles already sure, USA is putting forth a long-shot proposal for an extension of the program through commercial flights by the shuttle. A plan has already been submitted to NASA but the space agency admits that it is unlikely to happen as it has already have definite plans for the retirement of the shuttles and they have already announced to which museum the orbiters will go.

Barnes said that although they will become much smaller after the space shuttle program is terminated, they have bright prospects for the future. She said that USA has a great deal to offer as far as skills, experience, and expertise is concerned. They are looking to offer their capabilities to new and existing customers.

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