Santa Clarita / Antelope Valley : Rockwell to Lay Off Workers at Shuttle Plant in Palmdale

Nearly three-fourths of the work force at Rockwell’s Space Systems Division here will be laid off at the end of this month when modification work on the space shuttle Atlantis is complete.

Rockwell spokeswoman Janet Dean said that effective May 27, the number of employees in Palmdale will be cut from 300 to 80. The few who are remaining will maintain the modification facility and prepare it for the arrival of the next orbiter.

As little as four months after losing their jobs, Dean said, most of the workers will have an opportunity to return. Rockwell will need 275 to 300 employees once the shuttle Columbia arrives in Palmdale for modifications.

Work furloughs between the departure of a shuttle and the arrival of the next one are a fairly common practice for Rockwell in Palmdale, Dean said.

Once Columbia arrives, modifications are expected to take seven to eight months, she said. Atlantis has been undergoing $74 million in modifications in Palmdale since October.