NASA will collaborate with four U.S. based companies to develop a new commercial space program.
NASA will collude with Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX), Final Frontier Design, United Launch Alliance and the ATK Space Systems. NASA named this initiative as the Collaborations for Commercial Space Capabilities (CCSC).
Phil McAlister, NASA’s commercial spaceflight development head, said “Companies in all shapes and sizes are investing their own capital toward innovative commercial space capabilities. This collaboration demonstrates the diversity and maturity of the commercial space industry. We look forward to working with these partners to advance space capabilities and make them available to NASA and other customers in the coming years,”
The program includes the development of new vehicles that shall aid space exploration and flourish intra-vehicular activity space suits. The program is designed to promote private sector development of integrated space capabilities by accessing NASA’s space flight resources. It will also ensure the products and services to be available commercially within next five years.
SpaceX, in Hawthorne, California, is developing launch capabilities for using them in supporting mission to deep space. Final Frontier Design of Brooklyn, New York, is developing space suits that will be intended for intra-vehicular activity. ATK Space Systems, in Beltsville, Maryland, is developing space logistics, hosts payload and other space transportation capabilities. United Launch Alliance, in Centennial, Colorado, is developing new launch vehicle capabilities to reduce cost and enhance performance.
Each company will bear the cost of its participation that means no exchange of money is there in CCSC initiative.
Apart from this, another initiative known as CATALYST has also been started which involves three selective companies to design commercial robot lunar landers.
