Two seemingly unrelated Silicon Valley icons are about to unite, provided that a lease agreement now in the works can be finalized. NASA and the United States General Services Administration (GSA) have chosen Planetary Ventures LLC, Google’s real estate subsidiary, to take over the operations at Moffett Field in Mountain View, California, and restore the famed Hangar One. NASA and GSA have been evaluating candidates since the announcement was made in May 2013 that a long-term lease was available for parties interested in taking on the task.
While the final details of the lease still need to be ironed out, it will include the operation, management and maintenance of the airport as well as some major work to restore and maintain infrastructure. Hangar One, a 350,000-square-foot facility that now stands as a skeleton, needs to be re-skinned and restored, and Hangar Two and Three also need to be renovated. Additionally, a new public use and educational facility is to be built on the property, and the lessee is even responsible for maintaining a golf course that is associated with Moffett.
In addition to the NASA Ames Research Center, which will continue to operate at Moffett, a major tenant at the field is the Air National Guard’s 129th Rescue Wing. Its leader Colonel Steven J. Butow appears pleased with the selection of Planetary Ventures. “We applaud the leadership of U.S. Rep. Anna G. Eshoo, NASA and GSA to secure Moffett as a federal airfield under this public-private partnership, allowing the 129th Rescue Wing to continue to carry out its vital lifesaving missions both home and abroad,” Butow said.
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