United Space Alliance has announced that, following the final mission of the Space Shuttle Program, the company will implement a major workforce reduction in late July and early August due to the completion of tasks related to day-to-day operations of the Shuttle fleet.

Two missions remain in the Space Shuttle Program - STS-134 currently scheduled for April 29, 2011, and STS-135, which is set for no earlier than June 28, 2011.

USA currently employs approximately 5,600 employees at its Florida, Texas and Alabama sites. The reduction in force will affect multiple disciplines and multiple organizations across the company.

The reduction is expected to impact between 2600-2800 company-wide, including 1850-1950 employees in Florida, 750-800 employees in Texas, and 30-40 in Alabama.

"The accomplishments of this team are unmatched in human spaceflight," said Virginia Barnes, USA President and Chief Executive Officer.

"It will be difficult to say goodbye to such tremendously talented and dedicated teammates, and we are committed to making this transition as smooth as possible for them."

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."