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There is now a CONTENT FREEZE for Mercury while we switch to a new platform. It began on Friday, March 10 at 6pm and will end on Wednesday, March 15 at noon. No new content can be created during this time, but all material in the system as of the beginning of the freeze will be migrated to the new platform, including users and groups. Functionally the new site is identical to the old one. webteam@gatech.edu
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Atlanta, GA | Posted: September 30, 2013
Georgia Tech Manufacturing Institute Industry Partner Generation Orbit Launch Services, Inc. (GO) has been selected to launch a group of three 3U CubeSats to a 425 km orbit under NASA’s Enabling eXploration and Technology (NEXT) contract. Under this competitively awarded, $2.1M commercial procurement, NASA will become the inaugural customer for the company’s new GOLauncher 2 vehicle, currently in development. The NEXT flight is scheduled to take place in 2016. NASA’s Launch Services Program at Kennedy Space Center will be responsible for program management.
The GOLauncher 2 is a flexible air-launched system combining a business jet with expendable rocket stages. Generation Orbit’s team of innovative small business partners includes SpaceWorks Enterprises Inc., Ventions LLC, Calspan Corporation, Tyvak Nano-satellite Systems LLC, and mv2space LLC. GO also has key strategic relationships with the Air Force Research Laboratory and the Georgia Tech Manufacturing Institute. Cecil Field Spaceport in Jacksonville, Florida will serve as GO’s initial base of operations.
“This is a important step for the GO team,” commented Dr. John Olds, Generation Orbit’s co-founder and CEO. “NASA has been pro-active on the spacecraft side of this emerging market for years. Their decision to buy the first flight of our GOLauncher 2 is not only an endorsement of our business model as a dedicated launch service provider, but simultaneously helps reduce risk for our subsequent customers and investors. We look forward to working with NASA LSP to make this launch successful, and we hope to count them amongst our key customers for years to come.”
Small satellites, including microsatellites, nanosatellites, and CubeSats, are the fastest growing segment of the spacecraft market. By 2020, the market for small satellite launch is projected to exceed 150 spacecraft per year. Currently, small spacecraft “hitchhike” to space as secondary payloads aboard larger rockets, but this model introduces delays and constrains flexibility of launch, which is unacceptable to many commercial businesses. Dedicated launch services such as GOLauncher 2 hope to shift the paradigm toward small launchers for small satellites.
“We’ve built our business from the ground up to serve the small satellite market, and we are very pleased to have our first customer for GOLauncher 2,” added Mr. A.J. Piplica, GO’s Chief Operating Officer. “We look forward to providing a new, dedicated launch option for these small payloads, enabling them to accomplish new missions and greatly enhance their scientific, educational, and economic potential.”
For additional details contact:
Mr. A.J. Piplica
Chief Operating Officer
Generation Orbit Launch Services, Inc.
1040 Crown Pointe Parkway, Suite 950
Atlanta, GA 30338
(770) 379-8014
aj.piplica@generationorbit.com
About Generation Orbit Launch Services, Inc. (GO)
Atlanta-based Generation Orbit Launch Services, Inc. (GO) focuses on providing fast, flexible, and dedicated space transportation services for small payloads. Generation Orbit’s GOLauncher 1 and GOLauncher 2 will supply reliable and responsive access to suborbital and orbital destinations. Generation Orbit Launch Services, Inc. is a privately held U.S. corporation registered in Delaware.
For more information, visit GO on the web at www.generationorbit.com. Follow GO on Twitter @generationorbit.
