Astrotech Named NASA/Kennedy Space Center Small Business Contractor of the Year

HOUSTON, Nov. 8/Satnews Daily/ ¾ Spacehab, Incorporated (NASDAQ/NMS:SPAB) said its Astrotech Space Operations subsidiary was awarded with the distinguished title of NASA/Kennedy Space Center (KSC) Small Business Contractor of the Year.

Astrotech has been providing payload processing services at their company-owned facilities in Titusville, Florida and at Vandenberg Air Force Base (VAFB), California in support of multiple NASA missions over the past six years.

"We at Spacehab are absolutely delighted to receive an award like this, considering the large number of small businesses that support NASA at Kennedy Space Center," said John B. Satrom, Senior Vice President and General Manager of Astrotech.

A leader in payload processing support to commercial satellite launchers, 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.

Astrotech's Florida operations recently supported the successful processing and launch of NASA's MESSENGER, the first spacecraft sent to orbit the planet Mercury. This same team is currently supporting NASA's Deep Impact program, the first space mission intended to probe beneath the surface of a comet and reveal the secrets of its interior.

At Astrotech's VAFB location, the company recently assisted in the preparation and launch of NASA's Aura spacecraft, designed to study the Earth's ozone, air quality, and climate. Next in line for processing are the Agency's CloudSat and Calipso satellites in 2005, which will assess the role of clouds in both weather and climate.

Over the last two decades, Astrotech has supported the processing of over 220 spacecraft without a single impact to a customer's mission launch schedule. As stated in NASA's award package, "Astrotech has repeatedly demonstrated its flexibility and responsiveness to late changing customer schedules and processing requirements, common occurrences on most satellite programs today,” NASA said.