Lynda Weatherman, President and CEO of the Economic Development Commission of Florida's Space Coast, and James Kennedy, Kennedy Space Center Director, sign unprecedented Space Act Agreement April 26, 2005 at KSC.

As the primary economic development organization in Brevard County, the EDC of Florida's Space Coast recognizes the significant economic impact the aerospace industry holds in Brevard County.

With the direct support of the Brevard County Commission, providing $145,000 in County funding for FY04/05, the EDC has created a comprehensive Space Initiative to enhance aerospace industry development activities in Brevard County. In addition to enhancing local awareness of national space-related issues and identifying new aerospace company and product development opportunities, a critical element of the EDC's Space Initiative is to further engage in KSC partnerships.

To that end, the EDC was instrumental in the creation and development of the first-ever Space Act Agreement between NASA and an economic development organization, which was signed during a special ceremony by the EDC and NASA at Kennedy Space Center April 26, 2005 at KSC.

Establishing a formal relationship between the EDC and NASA, the legally-binding Space Act Agreement outlines the specific course of action to be taken both by the EDC and by NASA at KSC. Objectives identified for this agreement include:

• The EDC will work in full cooperation with the Deputy Director, NASA-KSC, a member of the Board of Directors for two-way, economic development discussions on matters of mutual interest.
• The EDC and the KSC Business Development Office will cooperatively participate in space-related quarterly initiatives and in meetings with business leaders and committees addressing space-related economic development.
• The EDC will work in cooperation with KSC existing and future missions through economic development whenever it is in the interest of both parties on projects such as the International Space Research Park and the Space Life Sciences Lab.
• The EDC and the KSC Business Development Office will collaborate for the development of mutually beneficial space initiatives as they relate to KSC's goals, missions, and objectives.

As the world's leading Spaceport for more than 40 years, the presence of Kennedy Space Center and Cape Canaveral Air Force Station within the space industry is undeniable. The Space Act Agreement illustrates clear business development strategies essential to ensuring KSC and Brevard County remain competitive and continue to be in the forefront of new space-related initiatives.