The Aerospace Corporation is an American nonprofit that operates a federally funded research and development center (FFRDC) providing independent technical analysis and guidance for U.S. national security space programs, mainly for the U.S. Space Force and the NRO, as well as NASA, NOAA and commercial customers. Founded in 1960 and headquartered in Chantilly, Virginia, with a major campus in El Segundo, California, it employs more than 4,800 people.