Yorkshire CND - And Then There Were Two

16 October 2003
And Then There Were Two
Spacedaily.com

http://www.spacedaily.com/2003/031016073258.88ekcvxk.html

And in the blue corner we have the 10 billion dollar capsule, and in the green corner we have the 10 billion dollar space glider. The other two - well they're just concepts from previous billion dollar projects that never got off the drawing board.

Denver - Lockheed Martin and Orbital Sciences have amalgamated their bid for the NASA's proposed Orbital Space Plane (OSP). Lockheed Martin will lead the team as the system prime contractor. Northrop Grumman's role will be as principal teammate while Orbital Sciences Corporation will serve as teammate and subcontractor. NASA is expected to choose a prime contractor team by August 2004 for full-scale development of an OSP.

"I am very pleased that our companies have agreed to combine our capabilities on this extremely important program for NASA," said Michael Coats, vice president of Lockheed Martin Space Systems' Advanced Space Transportation programs.

"Together, we will be able to design, develop and provide whole systems integration and build a safe, reliable and credibly cost-effective Orbital Space Plane for NASA. With the combination of Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman and Orbital Sciences, we will bring to bear the most significant concentration of space flight experience and expertise that NASA can rely upon in developing the next human space flight system."

The Orbital Space Plane system will provide a crew rescue capability for the International Space Station by 2008 and two-way crew transfer capability by 2012. The OSP will be launched into space aboard an Atlas V or Delta IV launch vehicle system.

"We are very happy to be joining the Lockheed Martin team," said G. David Low, vice president and deputy general manager of Orbital's Advanced Programs Group. "The Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman and Orbital Sciences team collectively brings a wealth of experience to the OSP program. We are looking forward to continuing our contribution to this next human space flight vehicle as part of a strong team. Together, we are committed to making it safe, simple and soon."