Posted: Fri, Dec 1, 2006, 6:11 PM ET (2311 GMT)
The merger of the government operations of the nation's two largest launch vehicle companies finally closed on Friday, over a year and a half after it was initially proposed. The United Launch Alliance (ULA) combines the government launch operations of Lockheed Martin, developer of the Atlas 5, and Boeing, developer of the Delta 2 and 4. The ULA was first proposed in May 2005 but was delayed by an extended antitrust review by the federal government. The Federal Trade Commission finally approved the ULA this fall, concluding that the national security benefits of the merger outweighed any monopoly concerns. ULA will be headquartered in Denver, where Lockheed has its launch vehicle operations, with manufacturing of both Atlas and Delta vehicles to be consolidated at Boeing's factory in Alabama.
