More Than 900 Asked To Relocate

The newly-formed United Launch Alliance -- a partnership formed between once-rivals Boeing and Lockheed Martin -- has offered a relocation package to more than 900 displaced Boeing employees in California. The company expects about a third of them to accept jobs in Denver, CO.

"We'll have the world's greatest concentration of rocket scientists here," said George Sowers, who works on ULA business development, to the Denver Post.

Employees who take the relocation offer will move from Huntington Beach to Denver by summer 2007, Sowers added. They would join approximately 1,000 former Atlas rocket program employees already working for ULA.

"They're being offered more than what they'd get if they stayed," Sowers said.

United Launch Alliance sent its first Delta II rocket into space last week, from California's Vandenberg Air Force Base. The joint venture also has a launch base in Florida.

In addition to firming up its ULA staff, Lockheed has also leased additional buildings in the Denver area to accommodate work on the Orion crew exploration vehicle. The first flight test of the CEV is expected in 2008.

FMI: www.boeing.com, www.lockheedmartin.com