NASA has awarded a Small Class Acquisition contract to the Orbital Sciences Corporation of Dulles, Va. The contract extends an existing NASA Launch Services (NLS) contract awarded in 1999.

It enables the agency to order launch services for up to 30 new missions with a minimum capability to deliver a 250 kilogram payload (approximately 550 pounds) to a 200-kilometer (approximately 124 miles) circular orbit with an inclination of 28.5 degrees.

The new contract is an Indefinite Delivery/Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) contract with an ordering period through June 2010. The minimal total contract amount of this contract is $100,000. If NASA orders all 30 missions, the total estimated value of all launch services awarded under the NLS IDIQ contracts could reach $5 billion.

The principal work locations for Orbital Sciences Corporation are Dulles, Va.; Chandler, Ariz.; Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif.; and Mojave, Calif.

The NLS contracts are multiple awards to multiple launch services providers. Twice a year there is an "open season" to provide the opportunity for existing and emerging domestic launch service providers who meet the minimum contract requirements to submit proposals for new launch systems to be considered for an IDIQ contract award.

The Launch Services Program Office at Kennedy Space Center, Fla., is responsible for the program management of NLS. The NLS contract provides launch services to support the goals and objectives of NASA's Science, Space Operations, and Exploration Systems Mission Directorates.

FMI: www.nasa.gov