Strike threat as Nasa prepares shuttle launch

As the countdown towards a launch of Atlantis on the first space shuttle flight of the year was set to begin, the threat of a strike by several hundred workers at the US Kennedy Space Centre loomed.

The 569 space workers who last weekend rejected a contract offer from United Space Alliance could go on strike as early as Saturday, just a day after the first attempt to launch Atlantis, officials said.

The company is the space agency’s primary contractor for preparing space shuttles for launch.

Nasa officials said a strike would not affect the launch.

No decision has been made on when workers would strike.

“Unless they decide to come to their senses a little bit, I’m sure that it’s likely,” said Johnny Walker, directing business representative for the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers District Lodge 166.

“I would urge Nasa to not let the company put them in a bad situation.”

The workers are among a 17,000-strong work force at the Kennedy Space Centre, in Cape Canaveral, Florida.

Most of them work in support areas, and few have any direct role in the final preparations for space shuttle launches, said Tracy Yates, a company spokeswoman.