NASA Selects Companies To Study Solar Electric Propulsion Spacecraft WASHINGTON -- NASA has selected five companies to develop concepts for demonstrating solar electric propulsion in space. These capabilities are important for the agency's future human exploration missions to deep space. The selected companies, pending successful contract negotiations, are: -- Analytical Mechanics Associates Inc., Hampton, Va. -- Ball Aerospace Technologies Corp., Boulder, Colo. -- The Boeing Company, Huntington Beach, Calif. -- Lockheed Martin Space Systems Company, Littleton, Colo. -- Northrop Grumman Systems Corp., Redondo Beach, Calif. The awards total approximately $3 million with a maximum individual contract award of $600,000. Each company will provide a final report to help define a mission concept to demonstrate the solar electric propulsion technologies, capabilities, and infrastructure required for sustainable, affordable human presence in space. The ability to move payloads reliably and cost effectively to high Earth orbits and beyond is critical for deep space human exploration. The mission concept studies will identify technology gaps and look at innovative technical solutions for transportation using solar electric propulsion systems. NASA will use the studies to plan and implement a future flight demonstration mission that will test and validate key capabilities and technologies. NASA's Exploration Technology Development Program is funding the studies. The Space Technology Office at NASA's Glenn Research Center in Cleveland is managing the contracts. NASA Issues Announcement For Solar Electric Propulsion Studies CLEVELAND -- NASA issued a Broad Agency Announcement (BAA) seeking proposals for mission concept studies of a solar electric propulsion system demonstration to test and validate key capabilities and technologies for future exploration missions. Multiple studies have shown the advantages of using solar electric propulsion to efficiently transport heavy payloads from low Earth orbit to higher orbits. This concept enables the delivery of payloads to low Earth orbit via conventional chemical rockets. The use of solar electric propulsion could then spiral payloads out to higher energy orbits, including Lagrange point one, a potential assembly point in space between Earth and the moon. This approach could facilitate missions to near Earth asteroids and other destinations in deep space. Science missions could use solar electric propulsion to reach distant regions of the solar system, and commercial missions could use solar electric propulsion tugs to place, service, resupply, reposition and salvage space assets. NASA's strategic roadmaps for exploration, science and advanced technology all consider solar electric propulsion a vital and necessary future capability. NASA is examining potential mission concepts for a high-power solar electric propulsion system demonstration. Flying a demonstration mission on a representative trajectory through the Van Allen radiation belts and operating in actual space environments could reveal unknown systems-level and operational issues. Mission data will lower the technical and cost risk associated with future solar electric propulsion spacecraft. The flight demonstration mission would test and validate key capabilities and technologies required for future exploration elements such as a 300 kilowatt solar electric transfer vehicle. This Solar Electric Propulsion Demonstration Mission Concept Studies announcement is open to all non-government United States institutions, academia, industry and nonprofit organizations. NASA anticipates making multiple firm-fixed-priced awards with a total value up to $2 million. The deadline for submitting proposals is August 4.
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