Agency Selects Contractors For Solar Propulsion Spacecraft

NASA has selected five long-time aerospace contractors to develop concepts for demonstrating solar electric propulsion in space. NASA says these capabilities are important for the agency's future human exploration missions to deep space.

The selected companies, pending successful contract negotiations, are Analytical Mechanics Associates Inc. of Hampton, VA; Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp. of Boulder, CO; The Boeing Company operation based in Huntington Beach, CA; Lockheed Martin Space Systems Company of Littleton, CO; and Northrop Grumman Systems Corp. of Redondo Beach, CA.

The awards total about $3 million with a maximum individual contract award of $600,000. Each company will provide a final report to help define a mission concept to demonstrate the solar electric propulsion technologies, capabilities, and infrastructure required for sustainable, affordable human presence in space.

The ability to move payloads reliably and cost effectively to high Earth orbits and beyond is critical for deep space human exploration. The mission concept studies will identify technology gaps and look at innovative technical solutions for transportation using solar electric propulsion.

NASA will use the studies to plan and implement a future flight demonstration mission that will test and validate key capabilities and technologies. NASA's Exploration Technology Development Program is funding the studies. The Space Technology Office at NASA's Glenn Research Center in Cleveland is managing the contracts.

FMI: www.nasa.gov/exploration