BRS Aerospace Leases Former Space Shuttle Facility

BRS Aerospace has signed a lease with the Kennedy Space Center to open a research-and-development operation in a former space shuttle facility.

 

Miami-based BRS Aerospace – Ballistic Recovery Systems Inc. – will occupy the former Parachute Repack Facility (PRF) at KSC, investing $7.4 million over three years on renovations and equipment. BRS plans to create 34 jobs in aerospace engineering and management over that period, paying an average of $62,100 a year.

 

The primary mission of the Miami-based company’s KSC operations will be research and development activities for parachute development, including commercial space applications, as well as production prototyping to allow optimization of manufacturing techniques.

 

The PRF previously was used during NASA’s space shuttle program to manufacture and refurbish the solid rocket booster parachutes. Because of NASA’s transition from the shuttle to future commercial and government mission activities, this agreement allows NASA to preserve the unique facility capabilities for future spaceflight projects.

 

“Kennedy continues working with the commercial community to bring new partnerships to the center, and this latest agreement is a great example of pairing a NASA facility having a previously specialized focus with a U.S. company that has a similar engineering and manufacturing focus,” Kennedy Director Bob Cabana said in a statement.

 

Company executives were on hand Friday for a lease signing ceremony involving KSC officials, and representatives from the state, Space Florida, and the Economic Development Commission (EDC) of Florida’s Space Coast.

 

“We are positioning BRS Aerospace for its next phase of growth into the space systems market,” says Larry Williams, BRS’s Aerospace president and chief executive officer.

 

“BRS gets a location at the heart of Brevard County’s evolving and active post-shuttle aerospace industry, while KSC further establishes its standing as a viable commercial center,” says Lynda Weatherman, president and chief executive officer of the EDC.

 

“BRS and its critical, lifesaving parachute technologies will add to the rich diversity of aerospace companies setting down roots in Florida,” says Space Florida President, Frank DiBello. “We are truly pleased to see yet another solid aerospace company utilizing the extremely valuable assets that exist at Kennedy Space Center.”