San Diego Composites Recognized By The Agency

NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston has selected San Diego Composites (SDC) of San Diego, California, as 2017 Small Business Subcontractor of the Year for its support of NASA’s Orion spacecraft and the agency’s mission to send humans to the Moon and beyond.

SDC is a subcontractor to Lockheed Martin, NASA’s prime contractor for the Orion spacecraft. The Orion Program Office manages development, building and testing of the spacecraft out of Johnson Space Center in Houston.

Every fiscal year, the Small Business Industry Awards Program at each NASA center recognizes one small business subcontractor for outstanding efforts. An agency-level award also is given each fiscal year, for which SDC has been nominated.

“Small businesses around the country are playing a critical role in helping us develop and build Orion to venture far into deep space,” said Orion Program Manager Mark Kirasich. “The excellent work and dedication that our suppliers bring to Orion helps us achieve our mission and will keep our astronauts safe.”

SDC has been a supplier for Orion since 2009, and is providing several elements for the spacecraft that will fly on Exploration Mission-1, including the ogive and fillet for Orion’s Launch Abort System, a safety mechanism that can carry the crew away from a hazardous situation on the launch pad or during ascent to space. The ogive provides a protective shell around the crew module that shields it from environmental conditions during launch, while the cone-shaped fillet connects the abort system to the ogive.

The company also characterizes materials and provides acceptance testing of structural elements for Orion to ensure they meet NASA standards.

(Source: NASA news release. Image from file)

FMI: www.nasa.gov/Orion