Boeing has announced a staff reduction: What was the reason?

Boeing has announced a reduction in the number of employees working on the Space Launch System (SLS) programme due to "external factors" that are not related to the programme itself.

Here's What We Know

According to company representatives, a meeting for more than 1,000 Boeing employees working on the rocket was held recently, where significant layoffs and reassignments were announced.

The staff reduction process is driven by the company's review of the current staffing levels in the SLS programme. Boeing says that these steps are the result of external factors, such as changes in the schedule of NASA's Artemis lunar missions, which will use the SLS rocket.

Although Boeing's statement can be seen as a reaction to changes in the NASA Artemis schedule, some sources indicate that the cuts were inevitable after the rocket's development phase was completed. Boeing remains confident that the SLS rocket is ready for the current schedule, but other elements of the Artemis missions, such as the heat shield for the Orion spacecraft and the lunar lander, are still under development.

Late last year, NASA informed Boeing and other contractors that funding could be reduced due to delays in the programme. According to sources, the company was offered an alternative: to reduce the scope of work or suspend it for a year due to changes in the mission schedule. Boeing decided to increase funding, which led to the need for staff reductions.

These recent developments are a challenge for NASA, which has faced budgetary constraints and technical challenges in implementing Artemis missions.

Source: Ars Technica