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Boeing (Chicago, Ill., U.S.) is relocating the headquarters of its Space and Launch division to Titusville, on Florida’s Space Coast. Space and Launch, a division of Boeing Defense, Space & Security, currently has its headquarters in Arlington, Virginia.

Boeing leaders cite multiple reasons for moving the headquarters into a region that also includes the Kennedy Space Center, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station and Patrick Air Force Base. These include continued record-setting performance by the Boeing-built X-37B uncrewed, reusable space vehicle by the U.S. Air Force, an anticipated increase in activity for Boeing’s satellite programs, and an enhanced focus on mission integration and launch system operations in collaboration with Air Force partners at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station and Patrick Air Force Base. 

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“Looking to the future, this storied Florida space community will be the center of gravity for Boeing’s space programs as we continue to build our company’s leadership beyond gravity,” says Leanne Caret, Boeing Defense, Space & Security president and CEO. 

Boeing says additional reasons for the move include: preparations for the CST-100 Starliner commercial spacecraft for two flight tests later this year ahead of operational missions to the International Space Station beginning in 2020; moves toward delivery of the first two core stages of NASA’s Space Launch System for uncrewed and crewed missions to the moon’s orbit and beyond; the United Launch Alliance joint venture, which continues to meet launch needs for national security, scientific and telecommunications missions through its Atlas and Delta rockets, while entering the formal qualification phase for the new Vulcan Centaur launch vehicle; and Boeing’s research of future space capabilities in collaboration with the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA).

The headquarters move will reportedly have no impact on the company’s space operations in other states, including California, Texas, Alabama, Colorado and Louisiana.

“Boeing has been a dominant presence on the Space Coast for six decades, and this move represents a continuation of that legacy and future commitment,” says Jim Chilton, senior vice president of Space and Launch. “Expanding our Boeing presence on the Space Coast brings tremendous value for our commercial and government space programs through focused leadership, strategic investment, customer proximity and additional contributions to the vitality of the region.”

Boeing also recently released its forecast for the future of aerospace and defense.