Aerojet Rocketdyne Coleman Aerospace, Inc. has consummated their previously announced acquisition of Coleman Aerospace from L3 Technologies, Inc., and also unveiled their new Space Coast Integration & Test Facility at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station.
The new facility’s Cape Canaveral Air Force Station location was previously used by the US Air Force for rocket processing. The Air Force Space Command’s 45th Space Wing made the facility available to Space Florida to sublease to a company that would bring new work onto Cape Canaveral and create jobs. Coleman Aerospace worked with Space Florida to refurbish the facility so the facility could be used once again for production.
Pictured left to right: Colonel Matthew Wallace (U.S. Air Force Space Command’s 45th Space Wing); Stan Thomas (U.S. Missile Defense Agency); Dan Kelly (Interim General Manager of Aerojet Rocketdyne Coleman Aerospace); Tyler Evans (Aerojet Rocketdyne Vice President of Advanced Defense Programs); Angelique Rinaldi (of Senator Dorothy Hukill’s office); Patrick Gavin (of Congressman Bill Posey’s office); and Jim Kuzma (Space Florida).
Photo is courtesy of Aerojet Rocketdyne.
Key attendees at the ribbon cutting ceremony included Mr. Stan Thomas (Missile Defense Agency); Colonel Matthew Wallace (US Air Force Space Command’s 45th Space Wing); Mr. Jim Kuzma (Space Florida); representatives from the offices of Senator Bill Nelson; Congressman Bill Posey; Congressman Ted Yoho and Senator Dorothy Hukill, as well as other dignitaries.
Dan Kelly, who will serve as interim general manager of Aerojet Rocketdyne Coleman Aerospace, stated that with the opening of this innovative facility, the company is building on their expertise as a premier launch vehicle provider for missile defense testing.
Aerojet Rocketdyne CEO and President Eileen Drake added that this event marks the culmination of years of collaboration that brought this facility and its needed capabilities to fruition. The firm looks forward to working with Space Florida and the Air Force Space Command’s 45th Space Wing in this new facility.
Coleman Aerospace, based in Orlando, Florida, provides ballistic missile rockets and launch services for the Missile Defense Agency (MDA), as well as engineering and analytical services for other government agencies. Coleman Aerospace has been launching rockets since 1995 with 29 successful flights in 22 years. The first successful air launch of a missile target was accomplished in 1999 using a C-130, but has since adapted the capability to the newer and larger C-17.
