Google Signs 40-Year Lease With NASA

By Doug Caverly - Wed, 06/04/2008 - 17:01

Start of 90-year relationship?

Say what you will about a certain search giant, but the company can commit. Google has leased 42.2 acres of land from NASA as part of an agreement that will stand for a minimum of 40 years.

Google has promised to pay NASA $3.66 million per year. Assuming NASA doesn't raise the rent - and it will have opportunities to do so - this 40-year occupation will cost $146.4 million. Then Google and NASA will have the option of extending the lease to a total of 90 years.

Google's Leased Land

As for what's going to happen on NASA's land, a press release states, "Google will . . . construct up to 1.2 million square feet of offices and research and development facilities in a campus-style setting." From there, it's hard to say whether search, advertising, or missions to Pluto will be on the agenda.

S. Pete Worden, the director of NASA's Ames Research Center, only commented, "This major expansion of NASA Research Park supports NASA's mission to lead the nation in space exploration, scientific discovery and aeronautics research."

In 2013, phase one of the new campus's construction is supposed to be completed. Phase two should be done in 2018, with phase three finishing things off four years later.

Meanwhile, it remains impossible to state whether Yahoo will even remain an independent company six months from now.

News Tags: Deals, Google, NASA

About the author:
Doug is a staff writer for WebProNews. Visit WebProNews for the latest eBusiness news.

7 Comments

By Blue Ray Ripper (WPN reader) - Sun, 05/31/2009 - 03:49

surely yoyua are.

By Guest (WPN reader) - Mon, 06/09/2008 - 13:23

well written article so

well written article

so where is the land they leased? Is it in the US?

By Doug Caverly - Mon, 06/09/2008 - 13:38

Mountain View

Thanks, and to answer your question, it's in Mountain View, California.

By DM Driscoll (WPN reader) - Sun, 06/08/2008 - 12:58

Google is what Business is about

I know many of you think companies like this are the evil Giant. I for one believe America has provided every opportunity for many of us to do the same. We should have saved and not spent so much. I love reading about the big Internet giants and how they have grown over the years.

For a move like this with NASA I think this is a smart move on Google part but right now Microsoft has already been some serious competition as a business partner with NASA as they have just released one of the coolest pieces of software to come out in the last decade. They have released free and it blows google sky away.

Check it out and you will see just how much these two companies are competing with each other.

By Fred (WPN reader) - Sun, 06/08/2008 - 07:54

Google Forward March

This is a very clever move by Google. Thinking far ahead of competitors. Excellent place for Google to be when the USA government is privatised.

By Louise Rogers (WPN reader) - Fri, 06/06/2008 - 06:06

Selling to the Galaxy

The article of Google long term lease is a facsinating thought provoker. We spend so much time trying to think of ways to get in front of our customers that we limit the far reaching (no pun intended) possibilities of communication. I imagine Google to be taking these steps to secure the next generation of satilites (ie: selling advertizements via the net...going to selling via the next generation satilite?) Or would it be nx-gen sat ad words?

My more creative mind wants to ask something a bit farther a field. The parent company to TrollbeadsGallery.Com is in Denmark and has a strick rule that does not allow us to sell outside of the U.S. Should I now be asking them what their rules will be for selling outside the solar system?

Trollbeads already has some great beads that will sell well to that audience. Click www.trollbeadsgallery.com and hunt for the "Planet" bead, "Space" bead or the "Around the World" bead!

Louise Rogers www.trollbeadsgallery.com

By Yannis (WPN reader) - Thu, 06/05/2008 - 22:46

Beyond Googl

It's amazing the power that Google has and will have for years to come. And the shift that we will start seen from this company. The Adwords marketing system will give Google the money and resources it needs, And maybe even for Pluto.