Boeing

The Boeing Company and Spaceport Florida Authority have entered into an agreement on the Horizontal Integration Facility (HIF) at Cape Canaveral Air Station, Fla., for its Delta IV family of launch vehicles. The agreement calls for Spaceport Florida Authority to finance and build the 102,000 square-foot HIF, then lease it back to Boeing under a long-term agreement.

The HIF will house critical integration and test activities for Delta IV prior to launch. These activities include receipt of flight hardware, final stage and integration and testing of the rocket. This facility will complete the major renovation projects currently underway at Space Launch Complex 37 at Cape Canaveral Air Station, the East Coast home of Delta IV.

"This lease agreement with Spaceport Authority Florida is a critical step in the completion of the Cape Delta IV launch facility," said Mike Kennedy, vice president, EELV/Delta IV. "When this facility is completed by year-end, we will be in striking distance of realizing our goal of offering low-cost, low-risk access to space." Last October the U.S. Air Force announced the procurement of 19 Boeing Delta IV launches for the Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle (EELV) program valued at $1.38 billion. This initial launch services contract covers small, medium and heavy payload class launches from 2002 to 2006.

The Boeing Delta IV/Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle Program (EELV) is a multi-year U.S. Air Force effort aimed at reducing space launch costs by more than 25 percent. To meet these requirements, Boeing is offering the Delta IV family of vehicles. The family includes five launch vehicles: Medium, Heavy, and three variants of the Medium vehicle known as Medium-plus, which have been introduced to meet the needs of the commercial market. First launch of Delta IV is scheduled for 2001.

99-019