{"id":18068,"date":"2019-01-11T17:06:04","date_gmt":"2019-01-12T01:06:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/associatednews.info\/content\/spacex-to-lay-off-10-percent-of-its-workforce\/"},"modified":"2019-01-11T17:06:04","modified_gmt":"2019-01-12T01:06:04","slug":"spacex-to-lay-off-10-percent-of-its-workforce","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/associatednews.info\/content\/spacex-to-lay-off-10-percent-of-its-workforce\/","title":{"rendered":"SpaceX To Lay Off 10 Percent Of Its Workforce"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Richard Gonzales<\/a><\/span> <\/p>\n

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\n Space-X’s Falcon 9 rocket with 10 satellites launches at Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif., in 2017. The company says it will lay off 10 percent of its workforce.<\/p>\n

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Matt Hartman\/AP<\/p>\n

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Matt Hartman\/AP<\/p>\n

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SpaceX, the pioneering space technology company led by Elon Musk, will lay off about 10 percent of its more than 6,000 employees.<\/p>\n

The news was first reported by the Los Angeles Times<\/a>.<\/p>\n

In a statement, a company spokesman confirmed the layoff without specifying how many employees will be released.<\/p>\n

“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 the statement. “This means we must part ways with some talented and hardworking members of our team. … This action is taken only due to the extraordinarily difficult challenges ahead and would not otherwise be necessary.”<\/p>\n

A company source says SpaceX remains financially strong and can continue to “manufacture and launch at a reliable cadence in the years ahead.”<\/p>\n

This year the company also will begin “test hops” of Starship, a prototype designed for human travel to Mars, according to the source.<\/p>\n