Ares concerns: If program is scrapped, hundreds of Top of Utah jobs may be lost
Standard Examiner
NASA’s next moon rocket, the Ares I, is scheduled to get its first launch pad test next month in Florida. But there are unanswered questions still hanging in the fall air regarding any U.S. space program that includes a future with the Utah-built Ares I rocket motor.
The answers to those questions could mean the survivability of at least 700 Utah jobs for ATK Space Systems, a company with three Utah locations.
The company is a division of Minnesota-based Alliant Techsystems Inc., and is the prime contractor for the Ares I, a first-stage, five-segment reusable solid rocket booster derived from the Space Shuttle Program’s reusable solid- rocket motor, according to NASA.
The worst-case scenario for ATK, a potential loss of all the Ares jobs should the company lose federal support, is a picture being repeatedly painted by U.S. Rep. Rob Bishop, R-Utah, a member of the Armed Services Committee. “If they don’t keep their commitment on Ares I through Ares V,” said Bishop, “it could have a devastating impact on ATK, the largest private employer in Utah. That could be 1,000 to 4,000 jobs.
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Though they would do even better operationally from a SDLV alternative (HLV or Direct).