Washington, D.C., Thursday, September 22, 2011 – The Commercial Spaceflight Federation is pleased to announce that three companies providing services to the commercial spaceflight industry have joined the Federation as Associate Members: United Space Alliance, David Clark Company, and Moon Express.
John Gedmark, Executive Director of the Commercial Spaceflight Federation, stated, “We are excited to welcome these three new Associate Members to the Commercial Spaceflight Federation. Each of these companies brings unique expertise and knowledge to advance commercial spaceflight.”
The new Associate Members of the Commercial Spaceflight Federation made the following statements:
– Virginia Barnes, President and CEO of United Space Alliance, stated, “Space travel as we have known it is changing, and commercial operations will play a significant role in shaping human space flight of the future. We are pleased to be accepted into the Commercial Spaceflight Federation, and look forward to developing partnerships with our colleagues in this exciting sector of the aerospace industry.”
– Daniel M. Barry, Vice President and Director of R&D for David Clark Company, stated, “David Clark Company is pleased to team with other members of the Commercial Spaceflight Federation to advance the technologies needed to ensure the success of the burgeoning commercial space marketplace. In 1941, David Clark Company pioneered the development of aerospace crew protective equipment and has supported virtually every manned high altitude/space program to date. The decades of operational experience gained over these years includes intimate association with vehicle manufacturers, test forces and air-space crew and support personnel which provides a comprehensive understanding of the technical requirements for the design, development, manufacturing and support of the next generation of aerospace crew protective equipment systems.”
– Robert (Bob) Richards, Founder and CEO of Moon Express, stated, “Moon Express is dedicated to expanding Earth’s economic sphere in a sustainable way through entrepreneurial commercial space models of exploration, operations and economic development. We strongly support the goals and ideals of the Commercial Spaceflight Federation and are proud to become an Associate Member.”
About the Commercial Spaceflight Federation
The mission of the Commercial Spaceflight Federation (CSF) is to promote the development of commercial human spaceflight, pursue ever-higher levels of safety, and share best practices and expertise throughout the industry. The Commercial Spaceflight Federation’s member companies, which include commercial spaceflight developers, operators, spaceports, suppliers, and service providers, are creating thousands of high-tech jobs nationwide, working to preserve American leadership in aerospace through technology innovation, and inspiring young people to pursue careers in science and engineering. For more information please visit www.commercialspaceflight.org or contact Executive Director John Gedmark at john@commercialspaceflight.org or at 202.349.1121.
About United Space Alliance
United Space Alliance is a world leader in space operations with extensive experience in all aspects of the field. Headquartered in Houston, USA has employees working in Texas, Florida and Alabama. Currently, USA is applying its broad range of capabilities to NASA’s International Space Station program as well as to space operations customers in the commercial and international space industry sectors. For more information please visit http://www.unitedspacealliance.com/.
About David Clark Company
David Clark Company, of Worcester, Massachusetts, has pioneered air and space crew protective equipment design, development and manufacture since 1941, with products ranging from anti-G suits to space suits. Together with its wholly-owned subsidiary Air-Lock, Incorporated, David Clark Company has provided pressure-space suit hardware for virtually all of NASA’s high altitude and space programs, including the D-558-2, X-15, XB-70 Valkyrie, YF-12A, SR-71 Blackbird, WB-57F, ER-2, Lifting Bodies, Gemini, Apollo, and Space Shuttle. For more information please visit http://www.davidclark.com/Aerospace/aerospac.shtml.
About Moon Express
Selected by Forbes as one of the ’15 Names You Should Know’ in 2011, Moon Express (MoonEx) is a privately funded lunar transportation and data services company based at the NASA Research Park in Silicon Valley. The company will send a series of robotic spacecraft to the Moon for ongoing commercial exploration and development focused on benefits to Earth. Moon Express has signed a partnership agreement with NASA for the development of its lunar lander systems and has been selected by NASA for a commercial lunar data services contract worth up to $10M. Moon Express is also a leading contender in the $30M Google Lunar X PRIZE (GLXP) competition, which challenges privately funded teams to place a robot on the Moon’s surface that transmits high definition video, images and data back to Earth from the landing site and from 500 meters away. For more information please visit http://www.moonexpress.com.
