Sat, Sep 17, 2005
NASA has awarded a
Small Class Acquisition contract to the Orbital Sciences
Corporation of Dulles, Va. The contract extends an existing NASA
Launch Services (NLS) contract awarded in 1999.
It enables the agency to order launch services for up to 30 new
missions with a minimum capability to deliver a 250 kilogram
payload (approximately 550 pounds) to a 200-kilometer
(approximately 124 miles) circular orbit with an inclination of
28.5 degrees.
The new contract is an Indefinite Delivery/Indefinite Quantity
(IDIQ) contract with an ordering period through June 2010. The
minimal total contract amount of this contract is $100,000. If NASA
orders all 30 missions, the total estimated value of all launch
services awarded under the NLS IDIQ contracts could reach $5
billion.
The principal work locations for Orbital Sciences Corporation
are Dulles, Va.; Chandler, Ariz.; Vandenberg Air Force Base,
Calif.; and Mojave, Calif.
The NLS contracts are
multiple awards to multiple launch services providers. Twice a year
there is an "open season" to provide the opportunity for existing
and emerging domestic launch service providers who meet the minimum
contract requirements to submit proposals for new launch systems to
be considered for an IDIQ contract award.
The Launch Services Program Office at Kennedy Space Center,
Fla., is responsible for the program management of NLS. The NLS
contract provides launch services to support the goals and
objectives of NASA's Science, Space Operations, and Exploration
Systems Mission Directorates.
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