[SatNews] ASTROTECH CORPORATION, (Nasdaq:ASTC) and its Astrotech Space Operations subsidiary have been awarded a contract by NASA has awarded Astrotech to provide facilities and pre-launch processing services for the Magnetospheric MultiScale (MMS) mission to launch in late 2014.
An artist's rendition shows the MMS as it sweeps through a magnetic reconnection event caused when the solar wind meets Earth's magnetic fields. (Courtesy SwRI)
"MMS will provide scientists with an opportunity to observe the Earth's magnetosphere in three dimensions," said ASO General Manager Don M. White Jr. "Astrotech is excited to be part of this mission to learn more about space weather and its effects on our planet."
ASO Florida has provided payload processing for NASA satellites such as RBSP, Juno, SDO, LRO/LCROSS, GRAIL and TDRS-K. TDRS-L will arrive for processing later this year.
"Astrotech Space Operations and NASA have developed a very important relationship over the past 30 years which gives us the opportunity to be a part of these monumental missions," said CEO Thomas B. Pickens III "We are honored to play a role in this exciting explorative mission intended to help us better understand and protect our fragile world."
From Titusville, Florida, and Vandenberg Air Force Base, California, Astrotech Space Operations provides all support necessary for government and commercial customers to successfully process their satellite hardware for launch, including advanced planning; use of unique facilities; and spacecraft checkout, encapsulation, fueling and transport. In its 31-year history, Astrotech has supported the processing of more than 300 spacecraft without impacting a customer's launch schedule.