Draper's Strategic Enhanced Ground Test Facility will house a
world-class centrifuge and associated dynamic and environmental
test capabilities on Florida's
Space Coast.
CAMBRIDGE, Mass., July 30,
2024 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Draper announced today
that it has completed the critical design review phase of its
Strategic Enhanced Ground Test Facility (SEGTF) located in
Titusville, Fla. The SEGTF is the
future home to dynamic and environmental equipment for supporting
development of U.S. strategic systems.
"Draper's Strategic Enhanced Ground Test
Facility will provide critical infrastructure to our strategic
systems, missile defense and space customers that would otherwise
not exist and complements other modernization efforts on the Space
Coast," said Dr. Jerry M. Wohletz,
president and CEO at Draper.
The review culminates a 12-month design phase and resulted in an
approved detailed design of a test facility that meets the
requirements for supporting the U. S. Navy's strategic guidance
programs and similar efforts at the Department of the Air Force and
for various missile defense systems. Site work is expected to
commence in July 2024 and be fully
operational in 2028.
Draper's Strategic Enhanced Ground Test Facility will house a
world-class centrifuge and associated dynamic and environmental
test capabilities needed to design and validate critical guidance,
navigation and control technologies. As the U.S. Navy's strategic
guidance prime contractor, Draper has designed and supported the
guidance system for every fleet ballistic missile deployed since
the program began in 1955.
"The SEGTF will provide critical infrastructure to our strategic
systems, missile defense and space customers that would otherwise
not exist and complements other modernization efforts on the Space
Coast," said Dr. Jerry M. Wohletz,
president and CEO at Draper. "Successful completion of the CDR
phase is testimony to our teams' drive to deliver this essential
capability on schedule and on budget for our customer."
The Draper facility will provide core capabilities in
simulation, hardware-in-the-loop and system test to enhance
Draper's existing 'test-as-you-fly' approach for exquisite guidance
components that require high accuracy, reliability and
survivability in the harshest of environments.
"The SEGTF team has worked extremely hard for the past year to
present a complete design," said Marjorie
Quant, chief operating officer at Draper. "Draper is excited
to make this state-of-the-art investment to enhance our ability to
support critical national security technologies in a facility
that's like no other in the nation."
Approximately 50 Draper employees will be initially located in
the SEGTF. The long-term vision expands Draper's footprint and
includes future expansion to support over 150 employees.
The successful completion of the CDR phase represents a system
of systems design of infrastructure and subsystems that together
form an enduring strategic enhanced ground testing capability. The
CDR is the culmination of a collaboration between Draper, North
American Properties, Rush Construction, JRC Integrated Systems,
Burns and McDonnell and Ideal Aerosmith across multiple disciplines
and seven design reviews to produce the holistic SEGT CDR.
Draper
As a nonprofit engineering innovation company, Draper serves the
nation's interests and security needs; advances technologies at the
intersection of government, academia and industry; cultivates the
next generation of innovators; and solves the most complex
challenges. Multidisciplinary teams drawn from a broad and deep
talent pool of 1,800 engineers and scientists collaborate to
develop first-of-a-kind solutions. Draper's unbiased approach
enables the company to focus on their customers' needs and to
deliver new capabilities to them. Learn more at draper.com.
Media Contact
Dan Dent, Draper, 6172582462,
ddent@draper.com, https://www.draper.com/
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SOURCE Draper