Shuttle Program May Be Extended Into 2011

There is some good news for the job market in Brevard County. The space shuttle might not retire as early as first thought.

Members of a House and Senate committee reached a tentative agreement to spend $2.5 billion to keep the shuttle program going through 2011 if necessary. Under the current plan, the shuttle program is supposed to end in 2010.

The extension could delay the elimination of thousands of jobs on the Space Coast. It would help shorten the gap between when the shuttle retires and the new constellation program begins.

"It's still going to end. The program has to end, but we got a little time to mitigate the impact," said Dale Ketcham, Spaceport Research & Tech. Institute.

While Space Coast leaders are confident the money will come through, this is not a done deal. The bill still has to go through an Appropriations Committee before Congress can vote on the budget and the President signs it.