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.

FMI: www.nasa.gov, www.planetspace.org, www.spacex.com, www.orbital.com