Google leases NASA airport for space and robot projects

Google has signed a 60-year lease for a historic military airport near San Francisco. The search giant wants to open a museum on the site and promises to refurbish three hangars. In it, it wants to work on robotics and space projects.

Under the lease, Google will acquire approximately 400 acres on the site of the former military airfield Moffett Field. The contract has been signed with NASA which uses the complex for research purposes. Google will pay a total of $1.16 billion, about 934 million euros, over 60 years. According to NASA, this results in annual cost savings of 6.4 million dollars, approximately 5.16 million euros.

Google has promised in the lease that it will refurbish a number of giant hangars on the property, including the historic but dilapidated Hangar One. The search giant will have the repositories used by its subsidiary Planetary Ventures. The latter wants to use the refurbished hangars for research and development of robotics and space technology. There should also be a museum or educational facility that will give visitors an insight into the military history of the complex and the rise of Silicon Valley. In total, Google has reserved more than 200 million dollars, more than 160 million euros, for refurbishing the complex.

Part of Moffett Field has been leased by Google since 2007 and offices are already being built there. The internet giant is said to have plans to build a second campus there. In addition, company executives use the airport facilities for the private jets owned by Google.