Shuttle contractor lays off workers

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla., April 13 (UPI) -- United Space Alliance, the lead space shuttle contractor for NASA, says it has cut its workforce by 10 percent, including 181 employees at Kennedy Space Center.

A total of 269 employees are leaving company offices in Florida, Texas and Alabama, 186 of them through voluntary layoffs called self-nominations, Florida Today reported Friday.

After Friday's layoffs Houston-based United Space Alliance will have 2,589 employees, including 1,323 at Florida's Kennedy Space Center, the newspaper said.

All laid-off employees are receiving a severance package, the company said, and another round of reductions is planned in the fall.

NASA's shuttle program completed its last mission in July.