Tue, Jan 06, 2009
PlanetSpace Likely To Protest NASA's Selection Process
Trouble may be brewing as a result
of an aerospace contractor team losing out on a NASA contract to
provide rockets capable of transporting cargo to the International
Space Station.
The players include PlanetSpace, Inc. (whose partners include
Boeing and Lockheed-Martin), Orbital Sciences Corp., and Space
Exploration Technologies (better known as SpaceX).
Each submitted bids to provide a commercial-cargo transportation
system capable of hauling cargo to the ISS over an eight-year
period, with flights to begin in 2010.
After evaluating the proposals, NASA awarded a $1.9 billion
contract to Orbital Sciences, and another $1.6 billion contract to
SpaceX, leaving PlanetSpace out in the cold.
NASA senior official William Gerstenmaier indicated the decision
was based on PlanetSpace's "complete lack of experience as a prime
contractor," and expressed doubts about its ability to manage
technical risks and deliver what it promised, calling its
"likelihood of success remote."
Apparently unhappy that the NASA selection panel went with other
companies with less experience and disregarded certain comparative
rankings, PlanetSpace officials have sought legal counsel and feel
they may have grounds to contest NASA's decision, The Wall Street
Journal reported.
PlanetSpace officials are expected to contend that NASA
overlooked the experience and qualifications of its partner, Boeing
- which has been involved with the ISS from its beginning.
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