CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — NASA’s Kennedy Space Center welcomes Rocket Crafters Inc. (RCI) to Florida’s Space Coast. The company announced Tuesday a plan to bring new work to Brevard County that could create job opportunities for highly skilled former space shuttle employees.

RCI is a Utah-based company that holds licenses for advanced hybrid rocket and aerospace composite technologies, as well as proprietary hybrid rocket design and analysis software.

This is further evidence that the Space Coast is open for business and positioning itself for the next era of space exploration. Recently, NASA and Lockheed Martin Space Systems revealed the first Orion capsule that will fly to space. NASA announced agreements with The Boeing Company and Craig Technologies to use Kennedy facilities and equipment, and SpaceX launched a successful resupply mission to the International Space Station.

“Kennedy Space Center has worked hard to transition to a 21st Century launch facility,” said Kennedy’s Center Planning and Development Manager Joyce Riquelme. “Multiple users, both private and government are doing business here. We look forward to discussing with Rocket Crafters and other space companies how Kennedy’s unique assets and technical capabilities may be made available to enable their success.”

A year after the retirement of NASA’s space shuttles, the workforce at Kennedy is remaking America’s gateway to space. Over the past three years, President Obama has fought to invest almost $1.4 billion in NASA’s 21st Century Space Launch Complex and Exploration Ground Systems.

A dynamic infrastructure is taking shape, one designed to host many kinds of spacecraft and rockets sending people on America’s next adventures. Negotiations are taking place with other commercial users for Orbiter Processing Facility Bays 1 and 2, as well as with potential commercial users of the Launch Complex 39 launch pads. These and other partnerships will cement Kennedy as a true multiuser spaceport as envisioned by our nation’s leadership.

For more information about Kennedy, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/kennedy