Maryland Congressman Steny Hoyer Visits Swales Aerospace and Announces Funding to Support Satellite Research
Company’s Expertise in Operationally Responsive Satellites Acknowledged
Swales Aerospace hosted Congressman Steny Hoyer (D-5th-MD) during a visit to the company’s Beltsville headquarters on Monday, March 20, 2006. During the visit, the Congressman announced $39 million in the FY 2006 Defense Appropriation funding for satellite research supporting the Operationally Responsive Space (ORS) program. Following the announcement, Congressman Hoyer was given a tour of the company’s microsatellite production facilities and a briefing by senior management on major initiatives into ORS development systems for national security space programs. ORS is a competitive program to develop and deploy an operational system capable of rapidly protecting and reconstituting critical US space assets.
“Swales Aerospace has 27 years of engineering excellence and success supporting the nation’s civil and military space programs, and its continuing commitment to Maryland’s academic and technological community is a testament to the capability and character of their employees,” said Congressman Hoyer. “Their work continues to play a critical role helping address our country’s national security needs.”
In January 2006, Swales completed the preliminary design of an Operationally Responsive Space Modular Bus for the Air Force Research Laboratory as part of Phase II of the ORS program and continues as an active participant in the Industry Systems Engineering Team activities with the Naval Research Laboratory that are part of ORS Phase III. Swales continues to expand its opportunities and champion efforts to enhance partnership with Maryland Universities in technology development for ORS, particularly the University of Maryland in College Park, University of Maryland Eastern Shore and Salisbury University and have engaged their staff and students in recent component and testbed development.
“We are extremely pleased to share our expanding activity in Operationally Responsive Space missions with Congressman Hoyer and demonstrate the key role Swales Aerospace and Maryland play in the nation’s national security space business” said Tom Wilson Jr., Vice President, National Security Programs.
Additionally, the visit enabled Congressman Hoyer to see first-hand the company’s current production efforts for NASA’s Time History of Events and Macroscale Interactions during Substorms (THEMIS) program. This program is nearing completion and preparation is underway for the final deliveries of the five THEMIS microsatellites to the University of California, Berkeley, before launch later this year.
About Swales
Swales Aerospace is an employee-owned company providing a broad range of aerospace engineering services to National Aeronautics and Space Administration, the Department of Defense and commercial aerospace clients. Headquartered in Beltsville, Maryland, the company posted annual revenues in excess of $193 million in 2005 and employs more than 900 professionals in offices in Maryland, Virginia and California. Additional information is available at http://www.swales.com
