Lt. Gov. O’Brien: successful Ares 1-X launch a good omen

Lt. Gov. Barbara O’Brien, co-chair of the Colorado Space Coalition, says today’s successful launch of NASA’s new generation of rockets is also good news for Colorado.

"The Ares 1-X rocket launch ushers in a new era of space exploration, the next step after the space shuttle. Today’s success is a good omen for Colorado’s aerospace industry, which is the second largest in the nation. We have research institutions and private companies – large and small – that will play critical roles in this next generation of space exploration," said Lt. Gov. O’Brien.

NASA is phasing out the space shuttle and proposes to replace it with the Constellation project, which includes the new Orion space craft being built by Littleton-based Lockheed Martin Space Systems.

"As the United States redefines its next phase of space exploration, it is clear that Colorado is poised to be a major player in that effort," said Lt. Gov. O’Brien.

The Colorado Space Coalition is a group of industry stakeholders – government, academic and research institutes, military and aerospace companies -- working to make Colorado a center of excellence for aerospace.