NASA responded to news that Boeing aims to lay off up to 400 workers from its Space Launch System program. The SLS rocket plays a key role in the Artemis moon program, the agency said.

The Boeing Co. has announced a new round of layoffs in Huntsville, in part blaming changes to its contract with NASA’s moon rocket program. Boeing plans to lay off 71 employees, the company said in a notice to the Alabama Department of Commerce this week.

Boeing, which confirmed the potential for upcoming layoffs, reported an operations loss of $3.8 billion in its fourth-quarter financial report.

Company anticipates “revisions” to NASA’s Artemis program, for which it is developing part of the space launch system (SLS).