Spaceport Systems International
(SSI), a limited partnership between ITT Industries and the
Snelling Trust (Santa Maria, CA) has been awarded a Space Vehicle Processing
Facility Contract for $24.1M by the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO).
The
contract is for 10 years and includes space vehicle and payload-preparation
support for multiple missions to be launched from Vandenberg AFB on the Boeing
Delta IV Launch Vehicle.
The NRO issued the first delivery order in July for
Pathfinder operations in SSI’s payload processing facility.

“This is a good example of how the private sector can help advance the
U.S. space industry,” said Earl Savero, president of SSI.
“We are proud to be
on the NRO team; they are the premier space team in our country today.”

SSI (http://www.calspace.com) is the first federally-licensed private
commercial space launch facility operator in the United States.
It manages
and operates The California Spaceport on Vandenberg Air Force Base,
California, providing commercial payload processing and launch support
services.
The California Spaceport consists of an Integrated Processing
Facility for satellite processing and a launch site for small launch vehicle
operations.
The state-of-the-art payload processing facility is designed for
simultaneous use by multiple customers.
The NRO will use the Integrated
Processing Facility for space vehicle processing activities. In addition to
this contract with the NRO, the California Spaceport currently supports NASA
and will be supporting other commercial space activities in the future.

ITT Industries, Systems Division (http://www.ittsystems.com) provides
select government, commercial and international customers value-added, total
worldwide systems’ solutions for their air and missile defense, air traffic
control, communications, command and control, range, spacelift and
surveillance needs as well as full logistics support services for facilities
and equipment.

ITT Industries, Inc. (http://www.itt.com) supplies advanced technology
products and services in key markets including electronic interconnects and
switches; defense communication, opto-electronics, information technology and
services; fluid and water management and specialty products.
Headquartered in
White Plains, NY, the company generated $4.8 billion in 2000 sales, and
employs approximately 42,000 people around the world.

In addition to the New York Stock Exchange, ITT Industries’ common stock
is traded on the Midwest, Pacific, London, Frankfurt and Paris exchanges.

ITT Industries and its subsidiaries’ press releases are available at no
charge via the Internet.