OREANDA-NEWS. The EDGE® Innovation Network announced today that the new EDGE Space Innovation Center is officially open following a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Friday, March 22.  Housed within the General Dynamics’ Seabrook, Md., facility, the 13th and newest EDGE Innovation Center is less than two miles from the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md.  General Dynamics C4 Systems sponsors the EDGE Innovation Network.

Offering an open, collaborative environment, the new Space Innovation Center will connect NASA and other government agency professionals with more than 350 EDGE Innovation Network members from industry and academia.  The facility comprises meeting rooms and demonstration space designed to encourage the free-flow of ideas and solutions for next-generation spacecraft, scientific instruments, in-flight operations and the critical ground systems that keep missions on course.

“Tomorrow’s space missions will propel astronauts and scientific exploration further from Earth than ever before.  Having the EDGE Space Innovation Center close to the Goddard Space Flight Center provides scientists, engineers and other professionals with access to advanced technologies and innovation that will help make those future missions possible,” said Chris Marzilli, president of General Dynamics C4 Systems.

“Since the dawn of the Space Age, NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center has been a wellspring for innovation and the creation of breakthrough technologies that have enabled the exploration of Earth and space to benefit the nation,” said Dr. Christyl Johnson, deputy director of the Goddard Space Flight Center.  “We look forward to the opening of this new capability just outside our gates and the opportunity to collaborate with other governmental, international and industry innovators to develop the technologies and missions that will mark a new era of discovery.”

General Dynamics C4 Systems has supported the nation’s space initiatives for more than 40 years.  Among other programs, the company continues its work as the prime contractor for NASA's Space Network Ground Segment Sustainment (SGSS), which is modernizing the space agency’s ground infrastructure systems for their Space Network, and provides for continuous technology insertion and system upgrades for the next 25 years. 

With 36 employees, the General Dynamics C4 Systems’ Seabrook, Md., facility comprises nearly 12,000 square feet of space that includes the new EDGE Space Innovation Center.

The EDGE Innovation Network is a collaborative, open environment enabling industry and academia, with government input, to work together to enhance the delivery cycle of new technologies and innovative capabilities for military, homeland security, law enforcement and first responders worldwide.  There are 13 innovation centers located throughout the United States, in Canada and Britain.