EADS Supports Final Launch of Space Shuttle Endeavour

  • Published
  • By Tim Jones
  • Eastern Air Defense Sector
New York Air National Guardsmen from the Eastern Air Defense Sector supported the final launch this morning of the Space Shuttle Endeavour.

EADS primary role was controlling the air patrols enforcing the Federal Aviation Administration's temporary no-fly zone that was established around the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. EADS directed F-15E aircraft from the 4th Fighter Wing at Seymour Johnson Air Force Base, N.C. to conduct this mission.

"The space shuttle launch is one of the special missions that EADS takes great pride in conducting," said Col. John P. Bartholf, EADS Commander. "Enforcing the no-fly restriction ensures a safe, successful launch and supports NORAD's rapid response capability."

Officially known as STS-134 (STS stands for Space Transportation System), the Endeavour's final launch marked the 25th flight for the ship, which first went into space into 1992. According to published estimates, 45,000 guests watched the launch from the NASA facility and thousands more jammed area roads to see the event. Endeavour will return to Earth June 1 and then be readied as an exhibit for the California Science Center in Los Angeles. The final scheduled space shuttle mission, STS-135, is scheduled for late June and will be flown by the Atlantis.

The Eastern Air Defense Sector is headquartered at Griffiss Business and Technology Park in Rome. Staffed by active-duty New York Air National Guardsmen and a Canadian Forces detachment, the unit supports the North American Aerospace Defense Command's (NORAD) integrated warning and attack assessment missions and the U.S. Northern Command's (USNORTHCOM) homeland defense mission. EADS is responsible for air sovereignty and counter-air operations over the eastern United States and directs a variety of assets to defend one million square miles of land and sea.