Company History

Astrotech Corporation

Astrotech Corporation, through its subsidiaries, has provided support for manned and unmanned launch vehicles for the last 30 years.

Astrotech Space Operations

Astrotech Space Operations (ASO), a wholly owned subsidiary of Astrotech Corporation, opened its doors in 1981 as an aerospace consulting business, and was subsequently purchased by Westinghouse and later by Northrop Grumman. In 1997, ASO was acquired by SPACEHAB, primarily to provide support services to an increasingly varied customer base.

Over the last 30 years, ASO has operated from two company-owned facilities in Titusville, Florida and on Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. Within these facilities, Astrotech has overseen the satellite final assembly and checkout, solid rocket motor installation, liquid propellant loading, encapsulation, transport to launch pad, and command and control of the various satellites during launch.

Astrotech Space Operations has supported the processing of over 300 major payloads and it is the largest subsidiary within Astrotech Corporation.

SPACEHAB

Before 2009, Astrotech Corporation was known as SPACEHAB and based in Houston, Texas. SPACEHAB was incorporated in 1984 with the goal of designing and building a man-rated module in the Space Shuttle’s payload bay to ferry tourists into space. NASA and SPACEHAB modified that original idea, agreeing to design and build a man-rated “Space Habitat” pressurized module to transport supplies and experiments into low earth orbit.

SPACEHAB’s first module flew on Space Shuttle Endeavor in July, 1993, and SPACEHAB modules flew on over 20 more shuttle missions that carried numerous experiments and over 150,000 pounds of vital supplies and experiments to MIR and the International Space Station (ISS).

SPACEHAB provided all aspects of “cargo management” including developing, designing, building, validating, integrating, certifying, transporting, operating, monitoring and de-integrating pressurized and non-pressurized flight hardware and ground support equipment (GSE).

Approximately 100 astronauts trained at the former SPACEHAB Space Payload Processing Facility (SPPF) in Cape Canaveral, Florida. At the SPPF, the astronauts worked in the modules, practiced loading and unloading protocols, and familiarized themselves with the experiments.

SPACEHAB also created an educational outreach program, Space Technology and Research Students (STARS), to fly experiments in a microgravity environment designed by students from around the world.

Sea Launch

Astrotech Space Operations supported Sea Launch from 1996 to 2011. Support began in 1996 with architectural and engineering services for the design and construction of the Home Port Payload Processing Facility. Astrotech utilized its vast experience in payload processing facility design and operations to design, oversee construction, and commission the 22,000 square foot facility. After construction, Astrotech provided payload processing facility services from 1999 until 2011, successfully supporting all 30 missions processed during that time.

In addition to performing processing services, Astrotech conducted maintenance on auxiliary facilities and supported launch vehicle fueling operations on the command ship.