SpaceX will lay off 10 percent of its workforce, immediately following its first successful rocket launch of the year for satellite operator Iridium. The news, first reported by the Los Angeles Times and confirmed by SpaceX, suggests the company is under some financial pressure as it attempts to get two ambitious projects off the ground.
More than 6,000 people work at SpaceX, according to the company’s website. It’s not clear which SpaceX divisions may have been affected. The company faces a busy year: testing its Crew Dragon for flying astronauts to the International Space Station, launching two Falcon Heavies, deploying its first Starlink satellites, and starting tests on its Mars-bound Starship.