Astrotech Garners $4.25 Million for New Missions

HOUSTON, Feb. 2/Satnews Daily/ — Spacehab, Incorporated (Nasdaq/NMS:SPAB) subsidiary, Astrotech Space Operations, has been awarded $4.25 million new payload processing contracts in both the commercial and government sectors.

According to Spacehab, in the commercial sector, Astrotech received new contracts from Boeing Co. (NYSE:BA) to provide payload processing support services on two upcoming Delta missions. The total value of the two contracts is approximately $1.75 million.

The Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite (GOES-N) mission will be processed at the Astrotech facility in Titusville, Florida, in preparation for a May 2005 liftoff onboard a Boeing Delta IV launch vehicle from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station.

GOES-N is the first in a series of next generation weather monitoring satellites operated by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The system will provide accurate location data of severe storms and other weather phenomena resulting in more precise warnings to the public.

The second purchase order, for the WorldView mission, calls for the provision of processing services at the company's Astrotech facility located on Vandenberg Air Force Base, California. Set for a late 2005 launch onboard a Boeing Delta II vehicle, the WorldView satellite imaging system offers a wide range of high-resolution Earth images to customers worldwide.

In the government arena, Astrotech was recently awarded a contract valued at $2.5 million, also supplying payload processing services, in support of U.S. Government missions. Satrom said, "Having been at the forefront of the commercial space industry for over 20 years, we are excited about providing our unique services to a growing government business base."

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