Google Now Has Its Own Airfield - Complete With A Golf Course
As TechCrunch reports, the tech giant has already been using the airfield as a base for the company's fleet of private jets.
Now, Google will take over operations of the sprawling airfield, but it will continue to be owned by NASA. The lease will last for 60 years.
It's not actually Google that will run the airfield, however, but its subsidiary company, Planetary Ventures LLC.
Moffett Airfield is currently used by NASA, the National Guard, as well as the 7th Psychological Operations Group (that's the army division that flies helicopters with loudspeakers and leaflets). The base features three large hangars that can be used to store Zeppelin airships.
The NASA press release says that Google won't just park its company jets on the airfield. Instead, the company will use it for "research, development, assembly and testing in the areas of space exploration, aviation, rover/robotics and other emerging technologies."
Google had already secured a lease for a different section of the airfield, where it plans to build a new Google campus to house the tech company's employees. Now it will control the three giant hangars, an airfield flight operations building, two runways, and even the airfield's golf course.
Here's the golf course at Google's new airfield:
The airfield is famed for its historic "Hangar One." Google has agreed to reskin it as part of its lease of the property. Here's what it looks like currently, as seen from the golf course:
Google's new airfield has played host to some famous names in the past. President Obama landed there back in May:
