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NASA
Awards US$767 Million in Space Launch Initiative Contracts +
Options
NASA awarded
technology development contracts for space transportation valued
at US$766.9 million to 22 contractors and  universities,
covering 37 different task awards. Five contracts were awarded
for overall system studies and two for flight demonstrations. This
was the first round of contract awards in the Space Launch
Initiative (SLI) - a NASA research and development effort designed
to substantially improve safety and reduce the cost of space
transportation. The goal of SLI is to develop two or more
competing proposals for a second-generation reusable launch
vehicle (RLV) by the middle of this decade that could launch
payloads for US$500 per kilogram (US$1,000 per pound), while
increasing crew safety by a factor of 100. Such a vehicle would
begin operations early next decade, eventually replacing the space
shuttle.
The planned
budget for the Space Launch Initiative totals US$4.8 billion
through fiscal year 2006. Additional solicitations in the fall of
2001 and 2002 will commit additional funds to the effort.
Companies not awarded contracts in this round are still eligible
for SLI contracts in the future. Procurement cycles are planned
for later this year and next year that could bring new companies
on board, particularly to fill technology gaps left by the current
contracts. Bush’s 2002 budget blueprint, released in February,
outlined a number of Space Launch Initiative reforms, including
directing NASA to limit vehicle requirements that would reduce
options for producing a commercially viable shuttle replacement.
The awarded
contracts range from system engineering and architecture studies
to investigations of propulsion, airframes, and related vehicle
technologies to flight demonstrations. The studies initiated with
these awards are not intended to provide a specific vehicle
design. This first step marks the beginning of a process that will
lead to the development of a common set of alternative
technologies that NASA will make available to all U.S. companies.
These cutting-edge developments will be used for future government
and commercial launch systems and space transportation operations.
NASA hopes that this multi-year effort will foster at least two
competing vehicle designs to be ready for full-scale development
by the middle of this decade. NASA is targeting a vehicle’s
first flight developed from the SLI technology to be around 2010
with full operational capability achieved a year later.
NASA first
solicited proposals last fall. Nearly 300 experts throughout NASA,
with technical support from the Air Force Research Laboratory,
evaluated numerous proposals leading to this initial down-select
and awards for this first round of SLI contracts. The awards are
for a 10-month base period with options for one or more additional
years. The options enable NASA to measure performance on a yearly
basis to ensure the program's ambitious goals are met. This
approach also allows for continued competition in key technology
areas and for NASA to take advantage of new emerging technologies.
All of NASA's
field centers and the Air Force Research Laboratory are actively
participating in the Space Launch Initiative. NASA's Marshall
Space Flight Center is the lead center for SLI. The Air Force
Research Laboratory includes research and development facilities
at nine U.S. Air Force bases nationwide.
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2nd
Generation RLV Task Awards NRA 8 - 30
Totals
by Company (Base Contracts with Options)
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|
Company
|
Location
|
Contract Award
|
Technology
Area
|
|
Andrews
Space & Technology
|
Seattle,
WA
|
US$ 3.017 M
US$ 3.017 M
|
(Total)
TA-8 Propulsion
|
|
Boeing
|
Seal Beach, CA
|
US$136.064
M
US$36.412 M
US$72.678 M
US$15.046 M
US$ 6.827 M
US$ 5.101 M
|
(Total)
TA-1 Systems Studies
TA-2 Airframe
TA-3 Vehicle Subsystems
TA-4 Operations
TA-8 Propulsion
|
|
Rocketdyne
(Boeing
subsidiary)
|
Canoga
Park, CA
|
US$ 65.484 M
US$ 2.747 M
US$62.737 M
|
(Total)
TA-6 Upper Stages
TA-8 NASA Propulsion
|
|
Futron
|
Bethesda, MD
|
US$
1.856 M
US$ 1.856 M
|
(Total)
TA-1 System Studies
|
|
GenCorp
Aerojet
|
Sacramento,
CA
|
US$ 7.607 M
US$ 7.607 M
|
(Total)
TA-8 Propulsion
|
|
General
Kinetics
|
Chantilly,
VA
|
US$ .376 M
US$ .376 M
|
(Total)
TA-6 Upper Stages
|
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Honeywell
|
Glendale,
CA
Torrance, CA
|
US$ 11.494 M
US$ 5.044 M
US$ 6.450 M
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(Total)
TA-5 IVHM
TA-9 NASA Unique
|
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Kistler
|
Seattle,
WA
|
US$135.400 M
US$135.400 M
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(Total)
TA-10 Flight Demonstrations
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Lockheed
|
Denver, CO
|
US$
94.319 M
US$36.991 M
US$ 5.226 M
US$25.473 M
US$20.965 M
US$ 4.853 M
US$ .811 M
|
(Total)
TA-1 Systems Studies
TA-2 Airframe
TA-3 Vehicle Subsystems
TA-4 Operations
TA-5 IVHM
TA-9 NASA Unique
|
|
Materials
Research & Design
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Bethlehem,
PA
|
US$ 2.000 M
US$ 2.000 M
|
(Total)
TA-2 Airframe
|
|
MOOG
|
East
Aurora, NY
|
US$ .501 M
US$ .501 M
|
(Total)
TA-6 Upper Stages
|
|
North
Carolina State University
|
Raleigh, NC
|
US$
.583 M
US$ .583 M
|
(Total)
TA-2 Airframe
|
|
Northrop/
Grumman
|
El Segundo, CA
|
US$
86.591 M
US$ 7.421 M
US$42.705 M
US$36.465 M
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(Total)
TA-1 Systems Studies
TA-2 Airframe
TA-5 IVHM
|
|
Oceaneering
|
Houston, TX
|
US$
5.347 M
US$ 5.347 M
|
(Total)
TA-2 Airframe
|
|
Ohio
University
|
Athens,
OH
|
US$ 4.393 M
US$ 4.393 M
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(Total)
TA-7 Flight Mechanics
|
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Orbital
Sciences
|
Dulles, VA
|
US$
53.128 M
US$ 5.978 M
US$47.150 M
|
(Total)
TA-1 Systems Studies
TA-10 Flight Demo
|
|
PHPK
Technologies
|
Westerville,
OH
|
US$ 7.657 M
US$ 7.657 M
|
(Total)
TA-4 Operations
|
|
Pratt
& Whitney
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West
Palm Beach, FL
|
US$ 125.817 M
US$ .424 M
US$125.393 M
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(Total)
TA-6 Upper Stages
TA-8 Propulsion
|
|
Southern
Research Institute
|
Birmingham,
AL
|
US$ 1.633 M
US$ 1.633 M
|
(Total)
TA-2 Airframe
|
|
Sierra
Lobo
|
Fremont,
OH
|
US$ 1.590 M
US$ 1.590 M
|
(Total)
TA-4 Operations
|
|
TRW
|
Redondo
Beach, CA
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US$ 15.544 M
US$ 15.544 M
|
(Total)
TA-8 Propulsion
|
|
Universal
Space Lines
|
Newport
Beach, CA
|
US$ 6.545 M
US$ 6.545 M
|
(Total)
TA-7 Flight Mechanics
|
|
TOTAL
US$766,946,000
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2nd
GENERATION RLV AWARDS by TASK
|
|
|
Task
Award
|
Total
Contract Award
|
Company
/ University
|
TA
1
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Systems Studies
|
US$88.7 M
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Boeing,
Futron, Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, Orbital Sciences
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|
TA
2
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Airframe
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US$130.2 M
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Boeing,
Lockheed Martin, Materials Research & Design, North
Carolina State University, Northrop Grumman, Oceaneering,
Southern Research Institute
|
|
TA
3
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Vehicle Subsystems
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US$40.5 M
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Boeing,
Lockheed Martin
|
|
TA
4
|
Operations
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US$37 M
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Boeing,
Lockheed Martin, PHPK Technologies, Sierra Lobo
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|
TA
5
|
Integrated Vehicle
Health Monitoring
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US$46.4 M
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Honeywell,
Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman
|
|
TA
6
|
Upper
Stages
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US$4 M
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Boeing
Rocketdyne, General Kinetics, Moog, Pratt&Whitney
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|
TA
7
|
Flight Mechanics
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US$10.9 M
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Ohio
University, Universal Space Lines
|
|
TA
8
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Propulsion
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US$219.4 M
|
Andrews
Space & Technology, Boeing, Boeing Rocketdyne, GenCorp
Aerojet, Pratt&Whitney, TRW
|
|
TA
9
|
NASA Unique
Requirements
|
US$7.3 M
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Honeywell,
Lockheed Martin
|
|
TA
10
|
Flight Demonstration
|
US$182.6 M
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Kistler
Aerospace, Orbital Sciences
|
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Disclaimer: Andrews Space &
Technology, one of the contract awardees, is the company which
sponsors the SPACEandTECH Digest/Flash! news service and the
SPACEandTECH.com website and data base.
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