Dr. William F. Ballhaus Jr. (third from left), Aerospace president and CEO, joins Maj. Gen. Michael A. Hamel, Peter B. Teets (left), and Dr. Bradford W. Parkinson (second from left) at the 45-year anniversary celebration at The Aerospace Corporation headquarters in El Segundo, Calif., June 9. (Photo: Eric Hamburg)

Aerospace Celebrates 45 Years
of Looking Forward

EL SEGUNDO, Calif. (6/9/05) -- Employees of The Aerospace Corporation celebrated the company’s 45th anniversary today at the corporate headquarters in El Segundo, Calif.

Employees heard from a group of distinguished speakers who described contributions the company has made since 1960. The company primarily supports national-security space programs, but it also supports NASA and other agencies in the national interest.

The event, with the theme “45 Years of Looking Forward,” was shared via videobroadcast with the company’s regional offices at locations across the country.

Dr. William F. Ballhaus Jr., president and chief executive officer of The Aerospace Corporation, opened the event by saying, “In planning the commemoration of our 45 years of service, I felt it was very important to focus on the future because looking forward is what Aerospace has been doing for the last 45 years."

“In 1960, when the company was founded, it was literally about getting the U.S. space program off the ground,” Ballhaus added. “Ever since then it has been about looking forward.”

Ballhaus highlighted the following successes:

• 41 consecutive successful operational launches since 1999
• the first successful launches of the Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle
• a Global Positioning System (GPS) constellation that is at its largest and most robust state ever
• the Space Based Infrared System (SBIRS) program is nearing first launch after a lengthy development cycle
• transformational communications, GPS III, and other new programs are moving forward

"All of these successes bring high-leverage capability to the warfighter,” he said. He also encouraged employees to “remain mindful of the fact that many programs have grown in complexity and we must keep our focus on mission success.”

Dr. William F. Ballhaus Jr. (left), president and CEO of The Aerospace Corporation, Dr. Wanda M. Austin, senior vice president of the company's National Systems Group based in Chantilly, Va., and Dennis D. Fitzgerald, acting director of the National Reconnaissance Office, one of The Aerospace Corporation's principal customers, assemble in Chantilly June 2 for a 45-year anniversary celebration attended by Washington-area Aerospace employees and associates. (Photo: Laurie Iwatake)

Also speaking at the event were:

• Dr. Bradford W. Parkinson, chair of the board of trustees
• Maj. Gen. Michael A. Hamel, commander of the U.S. Air Force Space and Missile Systems Center at Los Angeles Air Force Base
• Peter B. Teets, retired president and chief operating officer of Lockheed Martin Corp. and formerly under secretary of the Air Force and director of the National Reconnaissance Office

The company kicked off its anniversary observances June 2 with a celebration at its regional office in Chantilly, Va.

The Aerospace Corporation has been directly involved in virtually every national-security space program developed since the beginning of the space era, including the Global Positioning System.

Aerospace remains heavily engaged in developing the nation’s existing and next-generation launch vehicles, as well as weather, communications, navigation, early warning, and reconnaissance satellites.

The Aerospace Corporation is an independent, nonprofit company that provides objective technical analyses and assessments for national security space programs and selected civil and commercial space programs in the national interest.