SpaceX, the private rocket company founded by the billionaire Elon Musk, is laying off about 10 percent of its work force in what it framed as a necessary cutback to position the company for an unchartered future.

The company will have about 6,000 employees remaining after the layoffs, which will take place companywide.

“To continue delivering for our customers and to succeed in developing interplanetary spacecraft and a global space-based internet, SpaceX must become a leaner company,” the company said in a statement. “Either of these developments, even when attempted separately, have bankrupted other organizations. This means we must part ways with some talented and hardworking members of our team.”

The Los Angeles Times first reported the cuts, citing an email sent to employees by the company’s president, Gwynne Shotwell. SpaceX was offering at least eight weeks of pay and other benefits to those who were being laid off, the newspaper reported.