NASA Selects U.S. Firms to Provide Commercial Suborbital Flight Services

[yg1968]

http://www.nasa.gov/press/2014/september/nasa-selects-us-firms-to-provide-commercial-suborbital-flight-services/

September 8, 2014
RELEASE 14-239

NASA Selects U.S. Firms to Provide Commercial Suborbital Flight Services

NASA has selected four companies to integrate and fly technology payloads on commercial suborbital reusable platforms that carry payloads near the boundary of space. The selection is part of NASA's continuing effort to foster a viable market for American commercial reusable suborbital platforms that allow testing of new space technologies within Earth's atmosphere.

Through these new awards, selected companies will receive an indefinite-delivery, indefinite-quantity contract for integration and flight services, drawing from a pool of commercial space companies. The three-year contracts have two-year extension options and a minimum value of $100,000. The flights will carry a variety of payloads during five diverse flight profiles to help meet the agency's research and technology needs.

These new contracts are the logical extension of previous contracts awarded in 2011, using commercial capabilities with proven flight systems. This new procurement allows for the addition of new vendors and new flight profiles on an annual basis, based on NASA's requirements.

"We've made tremendous progress in working toward the goal of regular, frequent and predictable access to near-space at a reasonable cost with easy recovery of intact payloads," said Michael Gazarik, associate administrator for Space Technology at NASA Headquarters in Washington. "These proven flight service providers will allow for payloads from organizations including NASA, industry, academia, and other government agencies to be tested on flights to the edge of space before being committed to demonstration in the harsh environment of space itself."

The selected companies are:
-- Masten Space Systems, Mojave, California
-- Paragon Space Development Corp., Tucson, Arizona
-- Up Aerospace Inc., Highlands Ranch, Colorado
-- Virgin Galactic, New York City

NASA's Space Technology Mission Directorate is charged with maturing cross-cutting technologies to flight readiness status for future space missions. Through these contracts, NASA will provide frequent flight opportunities for technology payloads on suborbital platforms.

The Flight Opportunities Program is managed at NASA's Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California and is part of the agency's Space Technology Mission Directorate. For more information on the program, visit:

http://flightopportunities.nasa.gov

During the coming year, NASA's Space Technology Mission Directorate will make significant new investments that address several high priority challenges for achieving safe and affordable deep space exploration.
The directorate continues to solicit the help of the best and brightest minds in academia, industry, and government to drive innovation and enable solutions in important technology thrust areas. These planned investments are addressing high priority challenges for achieving safe and affordable deep space exploration.

http://www.nasa.gov/spacetech

P.S. See also this presentation on the Flight Opportunities Program:
https://www.nasa.gov/pdf/723827main_06_Flight_Opps_Kubednran_final=TAGGED.pdf

[oiorionsbelt]

 "These proven flight service providers

The selected companies are:
-- Masten Space Systems, Mojave, California
-- Paragon Space Development Corp., Tucson, Arizona
-- Up Aerospace Inc., Highlands Ranch, Colorado
-- Virgin Galactic, New York City

"Proven flight service providers" ?
Huh, what am I missing?

[jimvela]

"Proven flight service providers" ?
Huh, what am I missing?

I know nothing about Paragon.

Masten has flown a number of vehicles and has demonstrated sufficient capabilities that they are fully credible as a suborbital provider.
Up aerospace has launched suborbital rockets.
Virgin Galactic has a credible launch platform and has the heritage from the X prize SS1 system- so they seem credible to me as well- in fact I find a suborbital non-manned VG system to be more credible at this point than any manned Virgin Galactic system- at least in the next 2 years.

[oiorionsbelt]

I know nothing about Paragon.

Me either, their website was fun.

From the Sanskrit word for sharpening stone, the word paragon means a model of excellence, and we aim to embody this definition in everything we do. The company name originates from my great-grandfather’s business, which began making Paragon Propellers in 1910. His firm supplied 70% of the allied forces’ propellers during WWI.

http://www.paragonsdc.com/index.php

[Kryten]

I know nothing about Paragon.

Me either, their website was fun.

From the Sanskrit word for sharpening stone, the word paragon means a model of excellence, and we aim to embody this definition in everything we do. The company name originates from my great-grandfather’s business, which began making Paragon Propellers in 1910. His firm supplied 70% of the allied forces’ propellers during WWI.

http://www.paragonsdc.com/index.php

They've done quite a bit of subcontractor work on life-support systems-including getting funding in CCDEV1 for a commercial system. This might be something similar.

[docmordrid]

IIRC they are doing Dragon V2's ECLSS, and being a female owned company it may help SpaceX with Federal minority guidelines..

[jongoff]

 "These proven flight service providers

The selected companies are:
-- Masten Space Systems, Mojave, California
-- Paragon Space Development Corp., Tucson, Arizona
-- Up Aerospace Inc., Highlands Ranch, Colorado
-- Virgin Galactic, New York City

"Proven flight service providers" ?
Huh, what am I missing?

At least two of the four have been doing flights for years--Masten primarily doing low-altitude EDL flights with Xombie (and Dave Masten tweeted that the flights under their part of the IDIQ would also primarily be EDL flights), and Up Aerospace has done several suborbital flights with their sounding rockets.

VG and Paragon aren't as proven though at least as far as flights go.

~Jon

[jongoff]

I know nothing about Paragon.

Me either, their website was fun.

From the Sanskrit word for sharpening stone, the word paragon means a model of excellence, and we aim to embody this definition in everything we do. The company name originates from my great-grandfather’s business, which began making Paragon Propellers in 1910. His firm supplied 70% of the allied forces’ propellers during WWI.

http://www.paragonsdc.com/index.php

They've done quite a bit of subcontractor work on life-support systems-including getting funding in CCDEV1 for a commercial system. This might be something similar.

I think Paragon was starting work on a high-altitude balloon system. They maybe trying to cover various bases with these awards--Masten for low-altitude VTVL EDL testing flights, VG for suborbital manned, Paragon for high altitude balloons, and Up Aerospace for more traditional sounding-rocketish flights.

~Jon