HUNTSVILLE, Ala., 23 Feb. 2009.Boeing's Space Exploration division submitted proposals to NASA for the Ares V Phase 1 Design Support Contracts.
Boeing submitted proposals for design support of the Ares V cargo launch vehicle's payload shroud, which will protect the Altair lunar lander during launch; the Earth-departure stage; the core stage, a liquid-fueled central booster element; and avionics and software. The work includes assessing requirements, risks and opportunities; performing trade studies and analysis; and producing final reports.
The company proposes to use the experience of its Huntsville-based team, supplemented by expertise from across Boeing, to develop products that will enable NASA to verify the Ares V design concept and demonstrate that the launch vehicle can meet its mission objectives.
"Boeing has designed and produced shrouds for Delta, Sea Launch, and Titan rockets, and we've defined avionics and subsystem architectures across a wide range of aerospace products, including Delta, the space shuttle, the International Space Station, and Ares I," says Jim Chilton, Boeing vice president of Exploration Launch Systems.
The two-stage, vertically stacked Ares V will serve as NASA's primary rocket for safe, reliable delivery of large-scale hardware to space – from the lunar landing craft and materials for establishing a moon base to food, water and other staples needed to extend a human presence beyond Earth's orbit.
The Ares V Phase 1 contracts will be managed out of NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville.
