Posted by John McHale
WASHINGTON, 3 April 2010.NASA has awarded contracts to five companies to provide space propulsion systems technologies in support of research and technology development activities at the agency's Glenn Research Center in Cleveland.
The companies selected are Aerojet of Sacramento, Calif.; ATK Mission Systems of Ronkonkoma, N.Y.; Northrop Grumman Aerospace Corp. of Redondo Beach, Calif.; Orbital Technologies Corp. of Madison, Wisc.; and Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne Inc. of Canoga Park, Calif.
The selected companies will perform work in six disciplines: propulsion system design and trade studies; non-toxic chemical propulsion systems; hypergolic propulsion systems; propellant systems; electric propulsion and rocket-based combined cycle propulsion systems.
The work will provide for the development of advanced space propulsion technologies to enable missions with higher performance, reduced cost, improved reliability and improved safety.
Technical challenges addressed include alternate propellants, thruster performance, novel concepts, thermal control, cryogenics, propellant and combustion product properties, chemistry, fluid dynamics and advanced concept fabrication.
Each of the five indefinite-delivery, indefinite-quantity contracts provide for fixed price, cost share and cost reimbursement competitive tasks with a maximum value of $50 million over the next five years.
