Alliant Techsystems (NYSE: ATK) recently held a ribbon cutting and open house ceremony at its new office in Huntsville’s Research Park located at 620 Discovery Drive as a result of its increasing programs within NASA and the Department of Defense.

The 21,000 square-foot floor plan will house offices for ATK approximately 85 employees working on various programs including, Space Shuttle, Ares Crew Launch Vehicles and Department of Defense programs. Team Ares, a tri-company team made up of ATK, Lockheed Martin and Pratt and Whitney Rocketdyne, is also slated to move into the facility.

“We already have a presence in Huntsville,” said Ron Dittemore, president ATK Launch Systems. “In order to better support our wide customer base within NASA and the Department of Defense, we see this expansion of our presence as critical in our future endeavors. We are at a critical crossroad in the space industry as we transition from shuttle to Ares,” said Dittemore. “Opening this office will help ensure a smooth transition as we move forward.”

ATK also has over 120 employees working at Marshall Space Flight Center. NASA recently announced that Alliant Techsystems received a $1.8 billion contract for the design, development, test and evaluation (DDT&E) of the first stage of the agency's next-generation human space flight vehicle - the Ares I. The multi-year development contract extends through June 2013 and includes flight tests beginning in 2009. Follow-on human flights are scheduled for no later than 2014, and production hardware for those flights will be developed under a separate contract expected after 2010. ATK also works with both the U.S. Space and Missile Defense Command and the Missile Defense Agency providing missile defense systems and targets.