Astrotech Supporting Commercial And Government Launches
Coast-To-Coast
SPACEHAB says its satellite
processing and facility services subsidiary, Astrotech Space
Operations, has been awarded new payload processing contracts in
both the commercial and government sectors.
In the commercial sector, Astrotech received new contracts from
The Boeing Company (NYSE: BA), to provide payload processing
support services on two upcoming Delta missions. The total value of
the two contracts is approximately $1.75 million.
"These new missions represent a continuation of a longstanding,
successful relationship between Boeing and Astrotech," stated John
B. Satrom, Senior Vice President and General Manager of Astrotech
Space Operations. "We are pleased to be able to provide our proven
capabilities in support of these exciting missions."
The Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite (GOES-N)
mission will be processed at the Astrotech facility in Titusville,
Florida, in preparation for a May 2005 liftoff onboard a Boeing
Delta IV launch vehicle from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station.
GOES-N is the first in a series of next generation weather
monitoring satellites operated by the National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration. The system will provide accurate
location data of severe storms and other weather phenomena
resulting in more precise warnings to the public.
The second purchase order, for the WorldView mission, calls for
the provision of processing services at the Company's Astrotech
facility located on Vandenberg Air Force Base, California. Set for
a late 2005 launch onboard a Boeing Delta II vehicle, the WorldView
satellite imaging system offers a wide range of high-resolution
Earth images to customers worldwide.
In the government arena, Astrotech
was recently awarded a contract valued at $2.5 million, also
supplying payload processing services, in support of US Government
missions. Satrom said, "Having been at the forefront of the
commercial space industry for over 20 years, we are excited about
providing our unique services to a growing government business
base."
In related news, Astrotech recently celebrated the successful
launch of NASA's Deep Impact spacecraft. Processed at Astrotech's
state-of-the-art payload processing facilities in Titusville,
Florida, Deep Impact is comprised of two parts, a fly-by spacecraft
and a smaller impactor, a copper projectile that is scheduled to
collide with the comet Tempel 1 on July 4, 2005 and record photos
and data of the event to send back to Earth.
To date, Astrotech has successfully processed more than 220
spacecraft and, with its unique five-meter processing capabilities
at its Florida facilities, is positioned to support the next
generation of manned and unmanned space vehicles.