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Google Takes Control Of Moffett Field Ushering In New Era Of Technology

MOUNTAIN VIEW (CBS SF) -- Google officially took over the Moffett Federal Airfield in Mountain View on Wednesday from NASA so the tech giant can use the site's three air hangars to develop its robots, drones and other new technologies.

Google is leasing the 1,000 acre site from the federal government in a $1.16 billion, 60-year lease deal singed with NASA.

"We're very excited things are going to get started on the 1,000 acres," Deborah Feng, spokeswoman for NASA's nearby Ames Research Center told the San Jose Mercury News. "It's an immediate relief for a piece of property that's significant to the South Bay."

Google submitted plans stating the company "is committed to re-siding and rehabilitating Hangar One within two years of receipt of permits, and rehabilitating Hangars Two and Three," along with the airfield and an old military golf course.

Google headquarters is just three miles away from the airfield and Hangar Two is already being used to test Google's high-altitude Internet balloons.

The huge hangars, which represent a different era in aviation and considered to be historically significant, are in serious disrepair, according to Feng.

The site, which has been been run by the federal government for 84 years, will be managed by Google's subsidiary Planet Ventures.

Google has also promised to build a new museum and educational center.

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