Astrotech to Provide Payload Processing Services on Multiple NASA Spacecraft Missions
Houston, Texas (September 29, 2005) - SPACEHAB, Incorporated (NASDAQ/NMS: SPAB), a leading provider of commercial space services, announced today that its Astrotech Space Operations subsidiary has been awarded a new contract by NASA/Kennedy Space Center to provide payload processing services from the Company’s high-tech facilities in Titusville, Florida.
This indefinite-delivery, indefinite-quantity (ID/IQ) contract, valued at up to $4.9 million, is for spacecraft processing services in support of several NASA spacecraft anticipated for launch next year. Currently under contract are the STEREO observatory (http://stereo.gsfc.nasa.gov/index.shtml) and the Dawn mission (http://dawn.jpl.nasa.gov/). Also expected to be included in this contract is processing support to NASA’s THEMIS spacecraft.
“We are very excited about further expanding our services in the government sector after two decades of highly successful payload processing support to the commercial satellite market,” stated Jim Royston, Deputy General Manager of Astrotech Space Operations. “As the Kennedy Space Center Small Business Contractor of the Year in 2004, this new contract exemplifies our growing capabilities and we look forward to working with NASA again on their various exploration and research initiatives.”
Astrotech provides all support necessary for the customer to successfully process their spaceflight hardware for launch, including advance planning; use of unique facilities; and spacecraft checkout, encapsulation, fueling, transport, and remote control through launch. In its twenty-year history, Astrotech has supported the processing of over 225 spacecraft without a single impact to a customer’s mission launch schedule.
