Alaska Aerospace Development Corporation
The Alaska Aerospace Development Corporation ( AADC ) is a state-owned aerospace company of the US state of Alaska , based in Anchorage . The AADC was founded in 1991 with the aim of generating economic growth in Alaska in the space sector.
The Kodiak Launch Complex on Kodiak Island off the coast of the Alaska Peninsula is operated by the AADC. The Launch Complex is the first FAA- approved missile launch site that is not part of a federal facility.
In 1998, the US Air Force was the AADC's first customer with two suborbital flights under the AIT program. The first launch took place on November 5, 1998 on the Lauch Complex , which is still under construction .
The first flight into orbit came about on behalf of Lockheed Martin in cooperation with NASA and the Air Force with the Athena rocket "Kodiak Star". The launch took place on September 29, 2001 from the now completed launch pad
In 2003, the AADC signed a five-year contract with the Missile Defense Agency for the GMD ground-based air defense system. STARS missiles are launched from the launch pad on Kodiak as targets for missile defense performance tests .
In 2006, the AADC worked with the Kodiak Kenai Cable Company on a project to connect Kodiak and the Kenai Peninsula to a high-speed data network using submarine fiber optic cables .