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Aviation History
2003
2003 - 2203.PDF
SPACEFLIGHT INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION GRAHAM WARWICK / WASHINGTON DC Space Plane contest down to two Northrop Grumman and Lockheed Martin join up versus Boeing as NASA brings forward crew rescue requirement Northrop Grumman is to join the Lockheed Martin team competing for full-scale development of NASA's Orbital Space Plane (OSP), reducing the contest to a two- horse race with Boeing. The move follows NASA's deci sion to bring forward the require ment for an International Space Station crew rescue capability by two years to 2008. Orbital Sciences, Northrop Grumman's partner since 2000, is in discussions on joining both teams on a non exclusive basis. Boeing, Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman/Orbital Sciences are developing OSP requirements and denning architec ture concepts under separate con tracts awarded in April. Northrop Grumman will complete its con tract, then become a Lockheed Martin subcontractor. NASA plans to issue a request for proposals for OSP development in late Novem ber, with contract award in August next year [Flight International, 30 September-6 October). Lockheed Martin will be system prime contractor and Northrop Grumman principal subcontractor. The teaming "will help NASA reduce the schedule and cost risks of the accelerated OSP pro- NASA needs the Orbital Space Plane to begin operations in 2008 gramme", says Michael Coats, vice- president Lockheed Martin Advanced Space Transportation. The OSP, to be launched on a Boeing Delta IV or Lockheed Martin Atlas V, was originally scheduled to begin crew rescue operations in 2010, and two-way crew transfers in 2012. Orbital Sciences intends to be a member of both OSP teams. "We are in discussion with both teams on a non-exclusive basis," the company says. Orbital teamed with Northrop Grumman in late 2000 to pursue NASA's second-generation reusable launch vehicle programme, which was restructured towards the end of last year and divided into the near- term OSP and longer-term Next Generation Launch Technology programmes. LAUNCH VEHICLES Move to build engine in USA will heat up EELV competition Pratt & Whitney has accelerated preparations for US production of the Russian R.D-180 rocket engine powering Lockheed Martin's Atlas V booster as the US Air Force prepares to open the competition for the next batch of 15-20 launches under its Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle (EELV) programme. Boeing is expected to be reinstated as a competitor, after being disqualified in July for misappropriating Lockheed Martin data during the original EELV contest in 1998. P&W Space Propulsion has received the last of four data packages on the RD-180 from NPO Energomash, and begun translation and technical evaluation of more than 100,000 documents. In September, the P&W/Energomash partnership RD Amross signed an agreement with Lockheed Martin to accelerate starting the next phase, under which the data will be used to build a pre-burner/stator assembly in the USA. Boeing argues that its Delta IV is the only EELV competitor with a US-produced engine, the RS-68 developed by its Rocketdyne division. Under its EELV contract, Lockheed Martin can use Russian-built RD-180 engines for EELV launches until December 2008. Although P&W believes this waiver will be extended, the company plans to demonstrate the capability to produce the engine in the USA by the end of 2007. Following the punitive transfer of seven of Boeing's 19 EELV launches, Lockheed Martin now has 14 to Boeing's 12. Lockheed Martin's first EELV launch is scheduled for 2005, from Cape Canaveral, Florida, and it is to modify a pad at Vandenberg AFB, California, for west coast launches of the Atlas V. The Heavy version of the booster, previously on hold, will be available for launches beginning in 2005. The RD-180 liquid-oxygen/kerosene engine has flown successfully on six Atlas III and V missions to date, all carrying commercial payloads. MARS EXPLORATION TIM FURNISS / LONDON Contracts awarded for ESA Aurora missions The European Space Agency's Aur ora programme to prepare for a manned Mars mission has taken a step forward with the award of a contract to design the ExoMars robotic exobiology mission to be launched in 2009. Another contract covers pre- development of the Earth re-entry vehicle demonstrator (EVD), to be launched in 2007, as a precursor to the Mars sample return (MSR) robotic mission planned for 2011. Consortia led by Alenia Spazio, Alcatel Space and EADS Astrium have received full mission design contracts for ExoMars, while EADS Launch Vehicles and Surrey Satellite Technology will conduct the "pre- Phase A" studies of the EVD. Winners of Phase A study contracts for MSR are to be announced this month. ExoMars and MSR are Flag ship missions under Aurora - ESA's long-term programme to implement a strategy for robotic and human exploration of the solar system. ExoMars will include a 200kg (4401b) high-mobility surface rover delivered by an orbiter that will then act as a data-relay satellite. The rover will search for water, measure surface chemistry and determine potential hazards. MSR will retrieve rock samples for return to Earth. The EVD is a small Arrow-class mis sion to validate the design of the capsule that will return the samples. The mission involves insertion of a small satellite into a highly ellipti cal orbit and release of a capsule to carry out a ballistic re-entry. • ESA plans to launch a second 200kg Project for On-board Autonomy (Proba) satellite in 2006 to monitor activity on the sun. Proba 1 was launched in October 2001 to conduct Earth observations. • NASA has selected Southwest Research Institute and University of California at Berkeley for con cept studies for the Magneto- spheric Multiscale Mission, fourth in the Solar Terrestrial Probe series. www.flightinternational.com FLIGHT INTERNATIONAL 7-13 OCTOBER 2003 33
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