Antonov Touches Down in the Rocket City

On Wednesday, September 30, a Russian Antonov 124 cargo planed landed at Huntsville International Airport. On board the aircraft were two Atlas V second-stage fuel tanks – the first Atlas V hardware from Denver bound for United Launch Alliance, which is set to branch out with the initial steps in expanding its rocket plant in Decatur to produce a new rocket – the Atlas V. Eventually, Decatur will be the production home for the Delta and Atlas rockets.

United Launch Alliance is a joint venture between Boeing and Lockheed Martin that began in 2006 to produce the Delta and Atlas rockets, also known as Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicles (EELV). The Air Force started the EELV program in 1996 to spur competition for the rocket business. The Air Force awarded $500 million to each company as seed money, while Boeing and Lockheed put up $500 million each to develop the rockets. Boeing began construction of the $450 million Decatur plant in 1997, and the 1.5 million-square-foot facility started production three years later.