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The Aerospace Corporation history
The Aerospace Corporation company history timeline
The Aerospace Corporation was incorporated on June 3, 1960 during the dawn of the space age, and our early years were defined by the ambitious projects that continue to shape the space enterprise today.
On June 3, 1960, Aerospace was established under the laws of the State of California as a nonprofit corporation.
By the end of 1960, the Aerospace Corporation had bought the recently finished STL's research and development center on El Segundo Boulevard and hired more than 1700 employees, one-third being scientists and engineers.
The 1960 Aerospace Year Book
By 1961, five laboratories had been founded by Aerospace.
The 1961 Aerospace Year Book
20, 1962, Glenn became the first United States astronaut to orbit Earth.
Aerospace Year Book 1962 - (1962) World AviationPre-ownedPre-ownedPre-owned$25.00+ $3.99 shipping+ $3.99 shipping+ $3.99 shippingSeller 99.6% positiveSeller 99.6% positiveSeller 99.6% positive
1963 - The first flight of Hughes OH-6A Cayuse light observation helicopter
In 1964, Aerospace engineer Hydeoshi Nakamura's navigation concept developed into Project 621B, which directly led to the Global Positioning System (GPS). Range would be determined between aircraft and four satellites whose positions were precisely known.
The first launch of the Titan IIIC took place on June 18, 1965.
In 1966, the first concept description of GPS laid out its design and architecture.
The Air Force began operation of the Defense Meteorological Satellite Program (DMSP) in 1966, providing cloud-cover information useful to reconnaissance efforts.
The 1966 Aerospace Year Book
1967 - French, German, and British governments announce plans to build a European aircraft
The 1967 Aerospace Year Book
In March 1968, the 100th Athena booster was launched at the inland test range from Green River, Utah, to White Sands, New Mexico.
1968 - The Model 500 becomes the Hughes Helicopters' first commercial turbine-powered helicopter
The 1968 Aerospace Year Book
Directory of Heliports-Helistops in the United States and Canada - 1968
1969 - Apollo 11 makes the first successful moon landing
1969 - The A300B, the world's first twin-engine wide body jet, launches at the Paris Air Show
The 1969 Aerospace Year Book
The Boeing 747, a jumbo jet with 360 seats, took international air travel to a new level of excitement when introduced in January 1970.
In 1970, the first Defense Support Program (DSP) satellite was launched.
The 1970 Aerospace Year Book
Directory of Helicopter Operators in the United States and Canada - 1970
Directory of Helicopter Operators in the United States and Canada - 1971
National Technology Support: A Study of Research & Development Trends and Their Implications - 1971
The Airbus A300 first flew in September 1972, and European governments continued to subsidize the Airbus Industrie consortium as it struggled for customers.
In 1972, NASA began development of the space shuttle.
Aerospace had been involved with the program through its final launch in 1972, providing engineering support for the Air Force Satellite Control Network in Sunnyvale, California.
Directory of Helicopter Operators in the United States and Canada - 1972
In 1973, Skylab, the nation’s first space station, was launched by NASA. Rotating astronaut crews performed a wide variety of scientific experiments in astronomy, medicine, Earth observation, and technology.
1973 - A300B3 makes first flight from Toulouse
Directory of Heliports-Helistops in the United States and Canada - 1973
Monopsony: A Fundamental Problem in Government Procurement - 1973
Beginning in 1974, a gas transportation study was undertaken for the Department of the Interior in relation to the construction of the Trans-Alaska pipeline.
Directory of Heliports in the United States and Canada - 1974
Launched weeks apart in 1975, the Viking 1 and 2 Mars probes each consisted of two parts: a spacecraft that would photograph Mars from orbit, and a lander designed to study the planet from its surface.
Directory of Heliports in the United States and Canada - 1975
Aerospace established a program office to support the Defense Meteorological Satellite Program (DMSP) in 1976.
Aerospace served the program in a general systems engineering capacity beginning in 1976.
Directory of Helicopter Operators in the United States and Canada - 1976
Aerospace Capital Formation: Impact on Inflation & Depreciation - 1976
Directory of Heliports in the United States and Canada - 1977
The first GPS satellite, Navstar 1, was placed in orbit on February 22, 1978.
In 1979, Aerospace began support of the Department of Energy (DOE) in the development of the Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR), which was created to reduce the country’s vulnerability to interruptions of imported oil.
After joining Aerospace in 1979, she filled a series of leadership positions, including as senior vice president of the National Systems Group.
1980 - Airbus introduces the use of composite materials on secondary structures in a trial using an A300
Research & Development: A Foundation for Innovation and Economic Growth - 1980
Directory of Heliports in the United States and Canada - 1981
Airport and Airway Congestion: A Serious Threat to Safety and the Growth of Air Transporation - 1981
The Titan IIIC was used to lift military communications and early warning satellites and was the most powerful launch vehicle used by the Air Force until it was replaced by the Titan 34D in 1982.
Directory of Helicopter Operators in the United States and Canada - 1982
The award was named in honor of Howard Katzman, an Aerospace senior scientist whose 1983 patent for Carbon-Reinforced Metal-Matrix Composites spawned an entire industry.
The US Helicopter Industry: Its Development, World Market and Foreign Competition - 1983
Directory of Heliports in the United States and Canada - 1984
In 1985, the Air Force Consolidated Space Operations Center (CSOC) ground control facility was opened at Falcon (now Schriever) Air Force Base near Colorado Springs.
1985 - The A310-300 is the first commercial airliner to feature drag reducing wingtip devices and composites in primary structures, with an all-composite fin
Directory of Helicopter Operators in the United States and Canada - 1985
In 1986, Aerospace participated in the transition of the GPS Operations Control Center from Vandenberg Air Force Base to CSOC. GPS became the first space system operated from the center.
In 1986, following two explosions in less than a year, the Titan 34D launch vehicle was grounded until a failure analysis could be conducted.
Over the next 18 months, Aerospace participated in intensive recovery work with Air Force and industry partners, leading to successful launches in October and November 1987.
1987 -During the 1987 Paris Air Show, Airbus Industrie managers express interest in further developing the company's links with the United States aerospace industry.
1988 - The Boeing-built Condor unmanned aerial vehicle makes its first flight
During the Persian Gulf War of 1991, GPS first received widespread publicity.
In 1991, Shuttle Atlantis launched DSP-16, the only time a Defense Support Program satellite was inserted into orbit from the shuttle.
Aerospace involvement with the Hubble dates to 1993, when the corporation was asked to perform an independent assessment of the first servicing mission.
1993 - An A340-200, dubbed the World Ranger, sets a series of records by flying around the world with only one stop
The Clementine probe was launched on January 25, 1994 from Vandenberg AFB aboard a Titan IIG rocket.
Aerospace began assisting the Department of Defense with the transition from DMSP to the National Polar-Orbiting Environmental Satellite System (NPOESS) in 1994.
The Aerospace Press published one of its first books in 1996, Donald R. Martin’s Communication Satellites.
Aerospace’s Concept Design Center (CDC) began operation in 1997.
When the Advanced Research and Global Observation Satellite (ARGOS) was launched in 1999, it was the largest R&D satellite that had ever been built for the Air Force.
The Aerospace Press started publication of Crosslink magazine in January of 2000.
The smallest operational satellites ever placed in orbit, “picosatellites,” or “picosats,” made their pioneering first flight in 2000.
The Center for Space Policy & Strategy (CSPS) was established in 2000 as a center of excellence for civil, commercial, and national security space matters.
Prior to a servicing mission in 2001, NASA looked to Aerospace to upgrade its reliability models to determine what science could be performed, and for how long, once the servicing mission was completed.
In 2001, Lockheed Martin projected a potential market of 5,179 aircraft, including exports beyond the partnering countries.
The first Delta IV launch took place on November 20, 2002, blasting off from Cape Canaveral.
In 2003, two more Atlas V rockets carrying commercial payloads launched from Cape Canaveral.
During a demonstration launch in 2004, the main engines on all three boosters had cut off prematurely leaving a simulated payload in an incorrect orbit.
In 2005, Aerospace supported the Air Force Affordable Responsive Spacelift (ARES) launch system demonstration program.
The Space Test Program’s CloudSat was launched in 2006 in tandem with Cloud Aerosol Lidar and Infrared Pathfinder Satellite Observations (CALIPSO) to study the role that clouds and aerosols play in regulating Earth's weather, climate and air quality.
Created in 2008, the Katzman Innovation Award celebrated Aerospace inventors.
2008 - The first Boeing 787 rolls out of final assembly
The first geostationary Earth orbit (GEO) spacecraft in the Space Based Infrared System (SBIRS) was launched in 2011.
The Future of Aerospace In 2011, there were slightly more than 800 million commercial passengers.
2011 - Four round-trip daily flights between Hamburg and Frankfurt operate an A321, using 50% biofuel blend
As recent as May 2012, the projected cost of an F-35 is $161 million.
In order to help meet these demands, Airbus officials plan to increase its output rate to 42 aircraft per month beginning in Q4, 2012.
A Teal Group 2012 market study estimates that UAV spending will nearly double during the next 10 years, growing from current worldwide UAV expenditures of $6.6 billion annually to $11.4 billion, totaling more than $89 billion during the next 10 years.
In 2013, Aerospace was presented with the Theodore von Karman Award, the Air Force Association’s highest honor in the field of science and engineering, for the corporation’s exceptional support to the Air Force and other government and civilian partners on a wide range of innovative projects.
Milling Options in FeatureCAM The 2013 release of FeatureCAM feature-based CAM software will be demonstrated during IMTS, offering a new series of options for 3-axis milling and enhancements in 5-axis machining, plus improvements in the turning and mill-turn modules.
Aerospace opened its Chantilly campus in June of 2014.
In 2014, Austin was appointed to the NASA Advisory Council and, the following year, was appointed to serve on the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology.
In 2017, Aerospace launched iLab, an initiative focused on fostering a vibrant and innovative culture that inspires and nurtures bold ideas, transformative capabilities, and unique insight.
With worldwide militaries planning more than $1.5 trillion on the F-35 program during the next 20 years, and a proposed budget of $17.7 billion dollars a year through 2017 for NASA, it is quite evident that whether you are an OEM, or a Tier 3 supplier, the future of aviation is looking strong!
In preparation for AIA’s Centennial Celebration in 2019, AIA’s archives have been carefully digitized and, for the first time ever, are being made available to the public in a collection of high-resolution and text-readable files.
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The Aerospace Corporation competitors
| Company name | Founded date | Revenue | Employee size | Job openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sierra Nevada | 1963 | $2.0B | 4,000 | 441 |
| United Space Alliance | 1995 | $2.0B | 2,500 | - |
| Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory | 1952 | $8.8M | 7,411 | 175 |
| HRL Laboratories | 1997 | $241.0M | 200 | 10 |
| Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency | 1958 | $35.0M | 220 | - |
| The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory | 1942 | $1.5B | 20,000 | 206 |
| Northrop Grumman | 1939 | $41.0B | 97,000 | 2,918 |
| Lockheed Martin | 1995 | $71.0B | 115,000 | 5,705 |
| Nexant | 1999 | $44.1M | 750 | 73 |
| Sigma Space | 1998 | $8.5M | 90 | - |
The Aerospace Corporation history FAQs
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The Aerospace Corporation may also be known as or be related to The Aerospace, The Aerospace Corp. and The Aerospace Corporation.