WASHINGTON, DC (Alaska Delegation PR) – Today the Alaska Congressional Delegation praised the announcement by the Missile Defense Agency (MDA) that it has awarded a sole source contract to the Alaska Aerospace Corporation (AAC) to support two flight tests of the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense Systems (THAAD) at the Pacific Spaceport Complex-Alaska on Kodiak, Alaska.

The contract, which could total up to $80.4 million, will support MDA’s flight test requirements for the 3rd Quarter of Fiscal Year 2017 and will include the site preparation for two THAAD launchers, range communication and instrumentation capabilities, and a Life Support Area. This new development positions the Kodiak launch facility for a bright future in missile defense testing.

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ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AAC PR) — The Kodiak Launch Complex is no longer, in name at least. Alaska Aerospace Corporation (AAC), a premier aerospace company that owns and operates the non-Federal Kodiak Launch Complex, announces that it is renaming the facility “Pacific Spaceport Complex – Alaska” (PSCA) to reflect the growing capability of AAC to meet customer requirements and its broader aerospace commitment to the Pacific region.

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Credit: Alaska Aerospace Corp.

KODIAK, Alaska (AAC PR) – In preparation to rebuild the Kodiak Launch Center’s Launch Pad -1 (LP-1) facilities after a recent anomaly, local Alaskan construction crews have cleared all of the debris from the area. The damaged facilities are being readied for repair work that is planned for the spring and summer. The work is on schedule, allowing the facilities to be back in operation no later than December of 2015.

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Army investigators have found the cause of a rocket failure last August that destroyed an experimental hypersonic test vehicle and caused significant damage to Alaska’s Kodiak Launch Complex. “A review of prior launches has found this to be a one-of-a-kind incident that was unexpected,” spokesman John Cummings wrote in response to questions about what went wrong. He said “details of the investigation and findings are not releasable to the public,” […]

SpaceX Founder Elon Musk has long talked about disrupting the launch industry with low prices and technological innovations. In 2014, the impacts of those efforts were felt far and wide as competitors responded to the threat the California company posed to their livelihoods.

ULA Pivots. With SpaceX reeling off one successful launch after another, ULA pivoted on several fronts. One was to announce efforts to significantly reduce costs on its highly reliable but pricey Atlas V and Delta IV boosters. But, even that proved to be insufficient as SpaceX threatened ULA on several fronts.

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Anchorage, Alaska (AAC PR) – The Alaska Aerospace Corporation (AAC) will receive half of the $6 million in the Federal Fiscal Year 2015 Appropriations Omnibus Bill (HR83) for state owned spaceports. AAC has been working with the Alaska congressional delegation for the past two years to establish a program to support non-­Federal spaceports that provide launch services in support of the national security space program, similar to the funding program used to support launches from Federal launch complexes.

“I am very proud of the hard work put in by our congressional delegation: Senator Lisa Murkowski, Senator Mark Begich, and Congressman Young,” Craig Campbell, President and CEO of AAC, said. “Senator Murkowski and her colleagues reached across the aisle to provide a solution that benefits the entire space-launch community.”

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Facing a $3.5 billion budget shortfall due to the falling cost of oil, Alaska Gov. Bill Walker has ordered work stopped on a handful of major construction projects. On Friday, Walker issued an administrative order that directs “state agencies to halt to the maximum extent possible discretionary expenditures” for the Ambler Road Project, Juneau Access Project, Susitna-Watana Dam Project, Kodiak Launch Complex, Knik Arm Crossing and Alaska Stand-Alone Pipeline Project. […]

Alaska Aerospace Corporation has selected Lockheed Martin to launch medium-lift rockets from the Kodiak Launch Complex: Lockheed Martin beat out three other bidders to reconfigure launch pad one at the Kodiak site, officials with the Alaska Aerospace Corp. said during a news conference in Anchorage. “It’s is a great day,” said Craig Campbell, the corporation’s CEO and president. “It’s what we’ve been trying to achieve for a number of years. […]

A brief roundup of spaceport news in Texas, New Mexico and Alaska: Brownsville, Texas — SpaceX has increased its land holdings in the Boca Chica Beach area from 12 undeveloped lots to 72 lots, the Valley Morning Star reports. The company is considering building a private launch complex on the Texas Gulf Coast from which to launch its commercial missions. SpaceX and local officials is awaiting the completion of an […]

The Orbital Sciences Corporation Antares rocket is seen on the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport (MARS) Pad-0A at the NASA Wallops Flight Facility, Tuesday, April 16, 2013 in Virginia. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)

RICHMOND, VA (Office of Bob McDonnell PR) — Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell and Alaska Governor Sean Parnell jointly announced today the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to establish a formal operating relationship between the Virginia Commercial Spaceflight Authority (VCSFA) and the Alaska Aerospace Corporation (AAC).

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