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KBR subsidiary to lay off 118 employees at Wallops
Company did not win follow-on contract with NASA
Josh Janney //May 8, 2026//
A Rocket Lab HASTE rocket launches into the night sky from Launch Complex 2 at NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia on Feb. 27, 2026. Photo courtesy NASA and Danielle Johnson
A Rocket Lab HASTE rocket launches into the night sky from Launch Complex 2 at NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia on Feb. 27, 2026. Photo courtesy NASA and Danielle Johnson
KBR subsidiary to lay off 118 employees at Wallops
Company did not win follow-on contract with NASA
Josh Janney //May 8, 2026//
KBR Wyle Services, a subsidiary of Texas-based government contractor KBR, plans to lay off 118 employees at NASA‘s Wallops Flight Facility on June 30 after the company lost a major follow-on contract for launch range operations support.
The company disclosed the layoffs in a May 1 letter filed under the federal Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) Act.
According to the notice, the layoffs are tied to the end of KBR’s Range Operations Contract II, or ROC II, at Wallops Island in Accomack County. KBR said NASA awarded the replacement contract, known as the Wallops Range Contract, to another company.
“While we anticipate that many employees supporting ROC II may transition to the awarded company in their current capacity with no break in service to support WRC, all KBR operations on ROC II will cease on June 30, 2026,” the letter stated.
NASA originally awarded KBR Wyle the ROC II contract in 2019. The contract covered launch range operations support at Wallops, including radar, telemetry, tracking, communications, logistics, engineering and IT systems that support orbital and suborbital rocket launches and other flight operations.
According to GovTribe, the contract was later extended to maintain continuity of mission support for NASA and other government users of the Wallops Range. The current contract is scheduled to conclude June 30.
In January, NASA awarded the follow-on Wallops Range Contract to McLean-based ARES Technical Services. NASA said the new contract has a potential value of $339.8 million over a one-year base period and four optional one-year extensions.
Like the previous contract, the new agreement covers launch range operations support at Wallops, including communications, tracking, telemetry, engineering and sustainment services. Work will primarily occur at Wallops Island, with additional support at other NASA-related sites including the Bermuda Tracking Station and Poker Flat Research Range in Alaska.
KBR, NASA and ARES did not respond to requests for comment.
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