The Aerospace Corporation Opens Office in Huntsville, Ala.
EL SEGUNDO, Calif. (Feb. 26, 2008) -- The Aerospace Corporation, which plays a key role in national space and missile operations, today held a grand-opening ceremony to unveil its new office in Huntsville, Ala.
Company officials said the primary purpose of the office will be to maintain a high level of continuity and efficiency in its support to the Missile Defense Agency (MDA), which is transitioning elements to Huntsville as part of the Base Realignment and Closure process. Aerospace support to the MDA has been concentrated in the Washington, D.C., area over the past several years.
In Huntsville, Aerospace will continue to provide direct technical support to the MDA and assist the agency in continuity of operations as it transitions to Huntsville.
Michael W. Fortanbary will head Aerospace operations at Huntsville and Dr. Graham S. Arnold will head test and mission assurance activities. The new office is located at 150 West Park Loop, NW, Suite 302.
"We are excited about opening an office in Huntsville, which has such a rich history in space innovation and technology advances," said Dr. Wanda Austin, president and CEO of The Aerospace Corporation, who delivered remarks at today's event. "The Missile Defense Agency is one of The Aerospace Corporation's principal customers and we look forward to helping them achieve their mission objectives and assisting other organizations and agencies in the area that are involved in the national space program."
Among those who participated in the grand opening, besides Austin, were:
- Brig. Gen. Gary Connor, program director of the Ground Based Midcourse Defense Joint Program Office, MDA
- Loretta Spencer, Mayor of Huntsville
- Evans Quinlivan, chair of the Chamber of Commerce of Huntsville/Madison County
Also on hand for the ceremony were Dr. Harlan Bittner, general manager of The Aerospace Corporation's Missile Defense Division, and Brig. Gen. Don Walker (USAF, Ret.), senior vice president of the company's Systems Planning and Engineering organization, which includes the Missile Defense Division and other national-security space engineering and support elements.
Contact Dave Jonta, 310-336-5041, david.l.jonta@aero.org
