September 17, 2019
Aevum Inc., a Huntsville, Ala. company, has been awarded a $4.9 million contract from the Air Force Space and Missile Systems Center to launch small satellites to low Earth orbit (LEO) from Cecil Spaceport.
The Agile Small Launch Operational Normalizer (ASLON) 45 space lift mission will support the Department of Defense Space Test Program and other government agencies.
This will be the first Air Force mission for Aevum. The initial launch is scheduled for the third quarter of 2021. As a result, Aevum will be opening and expanding its operational facility in Jacksonville.
“This is exciting news for Cecil Spaceport that we believe validates Jacksonville’s position as an emerging player in the space industry,” said Mark VanLoh, CEO of the Jacksonville Aviation Authority, which owns and operates Cecil Airport and Cecil Spaceport.
Cecil is one of the few commercial horizontal liftoff spaceports licensed by the Federal Aviation Authority in the U.S. Aevum is the second company to enter into an operating agreement with the JAA.
“Aevum offers customers a flexible and streamlined approach to delivering payloads to LEO, which will contribute to the company's operational success and be instrumental in shaping Cecil Spaceport’s future operations,” said Todd Lindner, Director of Cecil Spaceport.
“Aevum’s selection of Cecil Spaceport as the first spaceport for autonomous launch and space logistics operations comes after an extensive evaluation process, of all FAA-licensed spaceports, that began in 2017. Right from the start, my team and I were thoroughly impressed by Cecil Spaceport’s readiness for launch operations. After completing the competitive RFP process with top spaceports, Cecil Spaceport was a clear winner for us.” said Jay Skylus, Founder and CEO of Aevum. “Aevum sincerely looks forward to working with Cecil Spaceport to successfully deliver small satellites to orbit and supporting the US Air Force.”
